NST Online: Topnews

Raising the bar to create top-class kindies

Posted: 18 Aug 2011 11:16 AM PDT

2011/08/19
By Lydia Gomez
legomez@nst.com.my

Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin gets some dance tips from Aesha Qualila, 6, at the launch of the Early Child Care and Education council at the Companies Commission of Malaysia in Kuala Lumpur yesterday. — NST picture by Yazit Razali

KUALA LUMPUR: The Education Ministry is drawing up a set of standards for kindergarten and nursery staff to raise the country's preschool education to world standard.

Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said the ministry was creating a mechanism to put all these standards in place. With this, parents could be assured that teachers and caregivers were equipped with training, knowledge and skills to provide quality education and care.

"Sophisticated facilities alone are not enough to guarantee the achievement of first-class preschool education," he said in his speech before launching the Early Child Care and Education (ECCE) council at the Companies Commission of Malaysia yesterday.

Muhyiddin, who is also education minister, said the government had increased funds to train preschool teachers from RM19 million for 6,580 teachers last year, to RM20.5 million this year for 7,420 teachers.

He added that another batch of 6,000 teachers would be trained next year while the Welfare Department had been allocated RM3 million for training.

"We need caregivers and preschool teachers to be nurturing, knowledgeable, skilled and openminded in order to become educators with calibre." Muhyiddin added that existing training was not enough to produce qualified preschool educators of world-class standards as the skills, effectiveness and functions of these teachers would improve as they gained higher education.

"In countries that have, for a very long time, given due recognition to early child care and education, like Russia, educators have doctorates, or at least a bachelor's degree. This should become our aspiration and benchmark." ECCE council chairman Datuk Dr Chiam Heng Keng, meanwhile, said two boards set up under the council — the Professional Development Board and the Professional Certification Board — would create professional standards and guidelines for educators and assure quality service through assessment and certifying centres.

The council has also succeeded in working with the Housing and Local Government Ministry to speed up the process of obtaining licences for kindergartens and nurseries, from three months, to just 14 days. This would encourage more pre-schools to be registered as currently, only more than 400 preschools nationwide were registered.

"There is a large number of unregistered preschools and parents must make sure that the schools they send their children to are registered, safe and comply with our standards.

"The onus is on them," she said, adding that when parents chose to send their children to certified preschools, other operators would be forced to register as well. She said she would conduct awareness campaigns for parents and operators through a nationwide roadshow by the end of the year.

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More federal aid for states

Posted: 18 Aug 2011 11:15 AM PDT

2011/08/19
By Farrah Naz Karim
farrah@nst.com.my

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak arriving to chair the National Finance Council meeting in Putrajaya yesterday. Among those with him are Johor Menteri Besar Datuk Abdul Ghani Othman (left), Selangor Menteri Besar Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim (third from right) and Finance Minister II Datuk Seri Ahmad Husni Hanadzlah (second from right). — NST picture by Afendi Mohamed

PUTRAJAYA: An additional RM10 million allocation will be given to states next year based on the development level of their economy, infrastructure and the people's well-being.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak also announced a RM318 million allocation, of which RM288 million would be disbursed to states, also based on the same criteria, in 2013.

Another RM30 million contribution for states with low management funds would also be given in 2013, he said.

Speaking after chairing the National Finance Council meeting, Najib, who is also finance minister, said the council was satisfied with maintenance works on slopes along roads, carried out under a RM60 million budget provided last year.

"This helped states to conduct good maintenance of slopes to ensure the safety of people.

"We also took note of the usage of RM165 million in advance allocation for operational and maintenance works for agriculture irrigation system in padi fields and areas outside it.

This covers all states." Najib said the advance allocation had helped the states to carry out maintenance works for their agriculture irrigation system more effectively.

Present at the meeting were menteris besar and chief ministers.

Najib also said the country's targeted economic growth this year would remain in the five to six per cent range.

However, he said the gross domestic product (GDP) forecast would be closer to five per cent, considering the volatile global economy.

"It is not easy (in this current time) to make a forecast based on a specific percentage.

"We had decided (on percentage of GDP growth) and that it would be between five to six per cent.

"We will maintain that projection." Bank Negara Malaysia yesterday announced that Malaysia's GDP for the first half of this year was 4.4 per cent. In the second quarter of the year, it grew to 4.0 per cent, compared with 4.9 per cent in the first quarter.

On inflation, Najib said it was still manageable, with the latest figures showing a dip in the percentage.

The government, he said, had taken measures to ensure the inflation rate remained manageable, including by reducing the price of chicken.

"We are working towards ensuring an economy where the inflation rate is low and economic development is strong." On the deficit target, Najib said the government was committed and on track to reduce the fiscal deficit from 5.6 per cent to 5.4 per cent.

Asked on Tan Sri Ananda Krishnan selling his Pan Malaysian Pools Sdn Bhd, Najib said it was an open market deal between a willing seller and a willing buyer.

Reports said a consortium of Chinese businessmen, including Genting Bhd chairman Tan Sri Lim Kok Thay, Hong Leong Financial Group Bhd chairman Tan Sri Quek Leng Chan, Lion Corp chairman Tan Sri William Cheng and businessman Tan Sri Chua Ma Yu, was likely to buy the company.

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Kredit: www.nst.com.my

Khamis, 18 Ogos 2011

NST Online: Topnews

NST Online: Topnews

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