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KUCHING: Penan children in Tutoh/Apoh Baram area will have access to pre-school education starting January next year under the Community Education Programme Project (Penan) sponsored by Petronas.

Minister of Welfare, Women and Family Development Datuk Fatimah Abdullah said this forms part of the state government’s on-going effort to ensure Penan children have better access to education.

Officiating at the Malaysian Technical Cooperation Programme (MTCP) 2015–21st Century Leadership for Educational Leaders of Rural and Indigenous Schools from Asean Member States here yesterday, she said the state government was also behind the Comprehensive 9 (K9) School at SK Long Bedian.

There are 16,173 Penans living in 131 villages in the state. Only a few are still living nomadic lifestyles. Most of the Penans live around Baram (Miri Division) and Belaga (Kapit Division).

The pilot pre-school project by Petronas is for Penan children below seven years old and from five villages — Long Jenalong, Long Kerangan, Long Leng, Long Kawa and Long Selulong — along the Sabah and Sarawak Petronas gas pipeline in Tutoh/Apoh area.

Fatimah said the project formed part of Petronas’ corporate social responsibility (CSR) to close the education gap amongst Penans.

“The ministry received an application from Senator Datuk Lihan Jok, who informed us that children in Tutoh/Apoh do not have access to early childhood education like nursery and kindergarten. Following this application, we surveyed the said area and wrote a letter to Petronas to see if they could help us. After a series of discussions, we managed to get sponsorship from Petronas to implement this project.”

The project has a sponsorship of RM2.75 million from Petronas for five years. It will then be taken over by Community Development Department (Kemas).

Under the project, Petronas will sponsor the construction of a new school building, training of teachers, supervisors and teaching assistants. The three-week training will end on Nov 30.

“Construction will commence in December. In the mean time, the children will attend classes at the existing premises in their community,” she said.

Fatimah said the project was in line with the strategic early childhood education development plan to ensure all children have access to early childhood education.

Meanwhile, the programme, organised by Institut Aminuddin Baki (IAB) from Nov 15–27, was attended by representatives from Laos, Myanmar, Vietnam, Indonesia, Philippines, Cambodia, and Malaysia.

Also present was IAB director Serina Sauni and IAB Sarawak branch director Dr Shari Abdul Rahman.-Borneo Post

Mengatakan orang lain rasis, dengan melabelkan kelompok tertentu sebagai ektremis rupanya tidak mampu menutup sikap rasis yang berdarah daging dalam diri kita. Inilah yang sedang berlaku di Sarawak.

Sudah beberapa kali sebelum ini tampil beberapa individu dan kumpulan NGO Sarawak yang lantang mempersoal isu Bangsa dan Agama di negeri ini. Yang terbaru berkaitan isu seorang USTAZ dilantik menjadi pengetua di SMK Sungai Paoh, Sarikei yang majoritinya pelajar Dayak.

Tidak ketinggalan wakil dari parti politik turut ‘memanaskan’ isu tersebut; mungkin atas dasar mengambil kesempatan meraih sokongan.

Objektifnya ialah mereka mahu warga tempatan keutamaannya Dayak menjadi pengetua untuk sekolah tersebut.

Antara individu yang menjadi ‘mangsa keadaan’ dalam isu ini ialah pemimpin Islam yang menyokong rayuan kerajaan negeri agar meringankan hukuman ke atas lelaki Dayak-Cina yang menunggu hukuman mati mendatori.

Datuk Fatimah dan Datuk Karim Hamzah dicemuh di media sosial oleh facebookers dayak, berikutan komen mereka yang menjelaskan situasi sebenar bertujuan untuk meredakan keadaan.

Ditengah-tengah kemelut ini, entah dimana ‘ghaibnya’ suara pemimpin Dayak, ahli politik Dayak mahupun NGO Dayak, malah tokoh Facebook Dayak seperti John Brian atau Leslie Kalom yang sebelum ini lantang berbicara soal kebajikan serta perihal hak Dayak dan Cina dimuka bumi ini tiba-tiba menyepi dalam kerandut sendiri.

Berbeza dengan pemimpin yang beragama Islam di Sarawak, yang kelihatan begitu giat dengan inisiatif untuk membantu Kho Jabing dan keluarga seupaya yang mungkin.

Kemana perginya mereka yang sebelum ini yang lantang memperjuangkan hak kaum Dayak dan kelangsungan politik Cina di Sarawak?

Rupanya tokoh-tokoh Dayak ini hanya sanggup berdemonstrasi jika isu melibatkan kelangsungan politik cina atau demi menegakkan agenda peribadi keluarga Anwar Ibrahim?-Sarawak Today

Ketua Menteri Sarawak, Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Haji Adenan Satem sekali lagi membuktikan keseriusan dasar beliau untuk membantu rakyat tanpa mengira Kaum, Bangsa mahupun Agama.

Wakil dari kerajaan Negeri Sarawak, Datuk Hajah Nancy Shukri menghantar rayuan kepada kerajaan Singapura berkaitan permohonan meringankan hukuman ke atas warga Sarawak yang berbangsa campuran Dayak-Cina, saudara Kho Jabing.

Menurut Hajah Nancy, sebelum ini beliau telahpun berbincang dengan Ketua Menteri Sarawak dan atas dasar keperihatinan terhadap warga Sarawak, rayuan telahpun diserahkan kepada Pesuruhjaya Tinggi Singapura di Malaysia, Vanu Gopala Menon.

“Permohonan tersebut bukan bermakna Kerajaan Negeri merestui kesalahan jenayah yang dilakukan oleh Jabing, tetapi permohonan hukuman ringan tersebut dibuat atas dasar kemanusiaan”, kata Nancy.

Tindakan ini disokong oleh Datuk Fatimah Abdullah, Menteri Kebajikan, Wanita dan Pembangunan Keluarga, Sarawak. “Tiada niat untuk (kita) mencampuri urusan perundangan di Singapura, cuma inisiatif ini atas dasar kemanusiaan, jika dapat dipertimbangkan kerajaan negara itu.

“Usaha ini juga bukan untuk menidakkan keinginan keluarga mangsa yang mahu melihat keadilan. Kita juga memahami kesedihan mereka,” katanya.

Sementara itu, Menteri Muda Belia merangkap Ahli Majlis Tertinggi Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB) Datuk Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah berkata, “Secara prinsipnya, keputusan sudah dibuat oleh Kehakiman Singapura. Adalah tidak wajar untuk kerajaan negeri atau pusat untuk campur tangan dalam cara penghakiman Singapura menentukan penghakiman mereka,” ujar Karim.

“Bukan untuk campur tangan dalam cara penghakiman Singapura membuat keputusan tetapi atas dasar perikemanusiaan dan prihatin terhadap anak negeri ini yang berdepan masalah di luar Negara,” katanya.-Sarawak Today

SIBU: The Ministry of Welfare, Women and Family Development had channelled monthly assistance of RM12 million to 56,735 poor and needy people as of October this year.

Its minister Datuk Fatimah Abdullah said the assistance included those for children, senior citizens, disabled workers, general assistance, assistance to the unemployed disabled people and bedridden patients.

“Our Key Performance Index (KPI) is to ensure the monthly assistance is given out in the first week of every month. The ministry is also helping the homeless through cooperation with the local authorities and the police,” she said when officiating at the presentation of Outstanding Service Award at RH Hotel here Wednesday.

She said the focus of the ministry was to enhance the well-being of the people, especially the needy.

“Apart from meeting their financial and material needs, we must never forget other aspects such as emotion, values, dignity and self-worth,” she said.

Fatimah, who is Dalat assemblywoman, reminded social workers of the importance of human values.

“Always watch your language and attitude. When discharging your duty, you cannot be seen to be showing off and arrogant. You must carry out your duty in the spirit of charity, and give the recipients their due respect.”

Fatimah also reminded them that welfare work was more than just administration and management of products such as output, collection of data and statistics or just routine services.

“We must always be sensitive, concerned and transparent in collecting and processing data, feedback or information on welfare services,” she said.

Social workers were also told to bear in mind they were social workers and not administrators.

Assistant Minister of Early Childhood Education and Family Development Rosey Yunus, Assistant Minister of Welfare Robert Lawson Chuat, permanent secretary to the Ministry of Welfare, Women and Family Development Megir Gumbek, state Welfare Department director Abang Shamshudin Abang Seruji and director of state Welfare and Family Department Noriah Ahmad were also present at the function.-Borneo Post

KUCHING: Dayak interest groups and parents of a rural school have been urged to stop being “racially and religiously sensitive” about the appointment of an ustaz from Kelantan as the new headmaster of a rural school in Sarikei with a mainly Dayak enrolment.

Fatimah Abdullah, the state minister for education, said it was unfair to assume that Ustaz Roslin Che Mood was an extremist out to convert Dayak students just because he is a religious teacher and comes from Kelantan.

“In fact, he is gentle, not a religious extremist, and has no inclination towards PAS,” she said according to Malay Mail Online.

Roslin is expected to assume his duties on Monday at SMK Sungai Paoh in Sarikei.

Fatimah said the federal education ministry had thoroughly scrutinised Roslin’s background as officials were aware of sentiments among Dayaks against religious teachers from the peninsula.

“If he is found to be so bad later, then the parents and NGOs have every reason to complain,” she was quoted as saying.

Dayak groups have protested at the appointment of ustaz Roslin and urged the chief minister, Adenan Satem, to intervene.

Last year, state land minister Dr James Masing had criticised the education ministry for failing to monitor religious activities in schools, after reports of the conversions of 50 poor Dayak students of SMK Balai Ringin in Serian district.

Sarawak PKR chief Baru Bian had also alleged that Muslim teachers have attempted to convert pre-schoolers in his Ba’Kelalan state constituency.

In March a police report was lodged by a 13-year-old schoolgirl who said she was forced to convert to Islam by two religious teachers at SMK Lutong in Miri and that they gave her RM250. The two teachers have since been transferred out of Sarawak.-Free Malaysia Today

Sarawak striving to have 9 local teachers out of 10 in three year’s time through Initiative 90:10

KUCHING: Sarawak Education Department is working to reach a posting ratio of nine local teachers to one from outside the state under Initiative 90:10 by 2018.

As of September this year, the ratio in primary schools of locals to teachers from outside the state is 78:20 (20,369 locals, 5,211 from Peninsular Malaysia and 517 from Sabah and Labuan).

For secondary schools, the ratio of local teachers to those from Peninsular Malaysia, Sabah and Labuan is 73:25:2 (10,628 locals, 3,687 West Malaysians and 229 from Sabah and Labuan).

These figures were disclosed by Datuk Fatimah Abdullah, Minister of Welfare, Women and Family, who has been entrusted to hold a watching brief on education in the state.

“On average, we would say that the present ratio is 70:30. But the figures apply only to day schools and not special schools.

“Every year, there is a request for at least 3,000 teachers. Just for 2016, the applications to be transferred back to Peninsular Malaysia for secondary school is 1,890 and for primary schools, 2,301 but we can’t approve their applications because the state doesn’t have enough local new teachers to replace them,” she said.

She added Sarawak was now collecting data on the number of teachers applying to go back to Peninsular Malaysia and the number of new local teachers produced each year.

“We have to know the rate we can replace peninsula teachers with local ones and the progressive projection of the ratio of local teachers to peninsula ones year by year, until 2018 when the ratio must reach 90:10,” Fatimah told The Borneo Post yesterday.

To achieve the target, the state Education Department has already put up an advertisement on its website to recruit graduates majoring in education, both from public and private higher learning institutions (IPTA and IPTS).

“We also welcome those who are overseas graduates whose universities are recognised by Malaysian Qualifications Agency (MQA).”

Fatimah added that the projection plan now must be based on realistic figures and there were details that needed to be looked into to ensure the smooth running of every school.

“First of all, primary schools and secondary schools are two different things. Then, we must be very precise with some details such as the subject option a teacher can handle.

“For example, if a Peninsular Malaysian teacher teaching Bahasa Malaysia is leaving, we can’t replace her with a teacher teaching English. The local teacher taking over must also be majoring in Bahasa Malaysia,” Fatimah explained.

In the case where the department needs to recruit graduates not majoring in education, the state government may liaise with the federal government to revive in-service training course (KPLI) which offers Post Graduate Diploma in Teaching during holidays in the four local teachers’ training institutes.

“In achieving the Initiative 90:10 we will not comprise on the quality. We will not do it at the expense of compromising the quality of our teachers as well as our education standard,” Fatimah stressed.

She said outstanding results, achieving six credits and interest in the profession would still be required recruiting new teachers despite the urgent need for a large number of teachers.

Initiative 90:10 came about following the devolution of power in five areas – education, works, agriculture, welfare and housing.

“The Chief Minister (Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Adenan Satem) saw a need for devolution of power in these areas. And we all support him.

“We as the locals know the needs in the state better. Given the power to make decision, we can make instant and sound decisions based on the needs,” Fatimah stressed.-Borneo Post

BASIC FACILITIES The wooden bridge that purchase was completed in Kampung foster mother (right) and Kampung Hilir (left).