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NST Online: StreetsJohor

Posted: 30 Jun 2011 11:13 AM PDT

OPEN TO ALL

For the first time ever, SMK Taman Selesa Jaya 2 held its Open Day not just for students and parents, but also the community

FOR the first time, the annual Open Day at SMK Taman Selesa Jaya 2 was an event planned not just for its students and their parents, but also the community at large.

There was a carnival atmosphere in the school this year as parents came in to meet the teachers and receive their children's school report on June 25.

Two young entrepreneurs, Taherah Mohd Trshad Khan and Norsyamira Md Nukman, of the Tunas Bestari Club decided to take advantage of the food sale by selling popular snacks like ice-cream Malaysia, cut fruits, keropok lekor and ice-cream floats.

They got together in their Home Science class early that morning to prepare the various food items, and were happy that the funds raised from the food sale would go towards school activities and students' welfare.

In addition to the food sale, there were also booths for hand-painting and custom-designed badges as well as one providing free health checks for all, courtesy of the Health Department.

An exhibition stand set up by the police proved to be a big draw, especially for the male students who were fascinated by the display of various weapons.

Police personnel were on hand to answer questions and students were also briefed on how they can be proactive in helping to reduce crime.

"As a parent, I'm glad to meet the teachers because they know my daughter's progress in school," said Mustafa Mastri, himself a teacher, who was with his daughter, Khirullyana Mustafa, 14, to meet her teacher.

Being aware of his daughter's academic strengths and weaknesses would put him in a better position to help her in the next term or even the following year.

Mustafa said parent-teacher meetings should be held at least twice a year, once at mid-year and the other at the end of the year, so that parents could have a clearer picture of their child's progress.

Foo Long Jee, mother of Bin Shou Yen, 17, was happy with her son's academic results but felt there was still room for improvement.

Meanwhile, Bin was challenged to achieve better results and have plans to practice more with past year's questions.

His mother said that to relieve her son from study pressure, she will let him spend some time playing on the computer.

Seventeen-year old Goh Chiew Yong, who was with her mother, Sam Mai Ling and cousin sister at the Open Day event, recognised that her weakness was in Chinese essay writing. She was determined to read Chinese newspapers widely to get more ideas for her essays.

Goh said she prefers to study in the still of the night because she can concentrate better.

For Ngu Choon Ming, 18, studying hard is her way to academic success. For her, studying means she will read and understand each part of the text before she moved on to the next and realised that this method works for her.

Her father, Ngu Tiong Chai, was with her to meet her teachers.

While every school aims for academic excellence, school principal, Tan Seow Heng said she is building a community of teachers who care for the children.

She always encourages her teaching team not to neglect relationships as they pursue academic interests in the school.

"To have passion for our careers, we must start with compassion for those under our charge," she said, adding that mutual respect and trust are the elements that ensure success in any organisation.

"We want to raise awareness of the importance of not only academic achievements but also a sense of social responsibility among our students," said Tan, sharing the reasons for involving the community in the school's Open Day.

"We would like the community in Skudai especially corporate bodies, to see that SMK Taman Selesa Jaya 2 has a great deal of potential in terms of human capital," said Tan who was pleased that the Open Day event had such a good turnout.

Around mid-day, parents were still arriving to meet their children's teachers and visiting the exhibition and stalls.

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Essential to have reliable transport system

Posted: 30 Jun 2011 08:47 AM PDT

Essential to have reliable transport system

2011/06/30
by Ahmad Fairuz Othman

BEING a fast developing metropolis under Iskandar Malaysia, it is vital for southern Johor to have a world-class public transport system.

This target is steadily becoming a reality with the recent agreement between the Malaysian and Singaporean governments to set up a rapid transit system (RTS) link between the two countries by 2018.

The New Straits Times had reported on Monday that both nations agreed to set up terminating stations for the RTS link in JB Sentral, Johor Baru and Republic Polytechnic in Singapore.

A statement issued by both governments had said a technical workgroup would be finalising the project's details, and this would lead to an appointment of a consultant by the fourth quarter of this year to develop proposals for the link.

The RTS link will have co-located Customs, Immigration and Quarantine (CIQ) facilities in Singapore and Johor Baru to ensure that commuters only have to clear immigration once for each way of travel.

This announcement bodes well for the integrated transport projects in the southern region.

In April this year, Menteri Besar Datuk Abdul Ghani Othman had endorsed the state government's proposal for a RM1.23 billion intra-city commuter train service network, which is expected to cover seven stations and 16 halts in all major suburbs in Iskandar Malaysia

The commuter service would cover over 100km of rail network and serve all major upcoming tipping point developments such as the Johor Premium Outlet, Legoland Malaysia, Educity, Hi-Tech Park-Senai, and Lake Hill Resort City.

The project would also provide a shuttle service from JB Sentral to Woodlands in Singapore.

The commuter service project is being initiated by Metropolitan Commuter Network Sdn Bhd (MCN), a joint venture company between KUB Malaysia Bhd and Malaysia Steel Works (KL) Bhd.

MCN chairman Datuk Abdul Halim Abdul Samad had said that the company is on track and the intra-city commuter train service will be launched next year, with a total deployment of 19 three-car trains by 2013.

He had also said the commuter train network is anticipated to generate a gross national income (GNI) of RM1.63 billion over a period of 25 years.

With such a high prospect, the project is set to be a showcase in terms of public-private partnerships.

It will benefit thousands of Johoreans who commute between Johor Baru and its suburbs for work and school.

The most important impact is the Johoreans who cross the causeway or second link bridge to get to Singapore for work and school. The causeway alone handles between 60,000 and 80,000 vehicles daily, including motorcycles, cars and buses that ferry Malaysians to work.

Having proper transport hubs and efficient rail services between JB and Singapore is important for the many commuters.

It would certainly make the travel into and out of the island republic more breezy.

It certainly makes sense to address this huge volume of commuters, as traffic congestion is a norm for those using the causeway during peak hours and on weekends.

But such a system would only work when it is combined with an efficient transport system within Johor Baru itself.

The state capital is certainly on its way to having a reliable public transport system.

The JB Sentral train station is a fine example of a newly opened facility that has benefited thousands of travellers who arrive to the city by train. It is already becoming a major transportation hub, and that has a lot to do with its location next to Sultan Iskandar Building customs, immigrations quarantine (CIQ) and its easy access to the downtown area.

The facility boasts amenities for rail travellers such as restaurants, convenient stores and retail outlets. In short, it is like a Johorean version of KL Sentral.

JB Sentral would soon complement other transport hubs being planned for Kulaijaya, in the northern part of the city.

In Johor, as in many states in the country, public transport has always been the traditional modes of buses and taxis.

Malacca has a monorail service that runs through its tourist district, while there are plans for rail transit in Penang as well.

Now with Johor receiving its intra-city commuter train service, it could provide something for the people to look forward to.

With the announcements, commuters in Johor need not put up with crammed stage buses, which are packed like sardines in the mornings and evenings.

Long queues for taxis will be a thing of the past, as commuters could opt for the luxury of a smooth train ride to get to their destination.

But till then, you and I may have to contend with taking the bus or taxi to get around the state capital.

And the tens of thousands of commuters to Singapore may still need to use their motorcycles or cars or get to Singapore.

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Kredit: www.nst.com.my

Jumaat, 1 Julai 2011