Johor crown prince scoffs at '1Malaysia', moots 'Bangsa Johor' schools

Johor crown prince Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim has criticised Putrajaya's "1Malaysia" slogan, questioning whether it really promotes unity as claimed.

"I hope in the near future... the Johor government will introduce an education module for Johoreans. We'll make Bangsa Johor.

"Malaysia has it too - 1Malaysia. But answer me, where is 1Malaysia?

"You have Indian schools, you have Chinese schools, you have Malay schools. From young, you tell them not to be united.

"Then when they grow up, you tell them to be united?" he said in a dialogue session which was later uploaded on the Johor Southern Tigers Facebook page.

Tunku Ismail said he envisioned a different direction for Johor's education system.

"In future, there will not be Indian, Chinese or Malay schools in Johor... There will only be Bangsa Johor schools.

"From a young age, we'll teach them how to be united, how to respect each other's religion and how to respect other races," he said.

However, he said religious schools would be retained for the purposes of the religion.

"You need to educate young Johoreans. They must know Johor's history. They must know the strengths of Johor and why the federal government needs us," he said.

Tunku Ismail went on to suggest that Johor should emulate the assertiveness of Sarawak.

"Look at Sarawak, Sarawak is smart, Sarawak is united. That is why when Sarawak rants something, the (federal) government has to listen.

"If there is no Sarawak, they would be gone. If there is no Johor, they would also be gone.

"This is the important part, when you (Johoreans) are united, the Johor government has more power and can speak up. It can do anything and they (the federal government) is forced to listen because they need our support," he said.

You can be the start of the change this nation needs, Ambiga tells UTM VC

Former Bar Council president Ambiga Sreenevasan today shared her thoughts on the erroneous information contained in Universiti Teknologi Malaysia’s teaching modules regarding Hindus and Sikhism.

In an open letter to UTM vice-chancellor Wahid Omar, she outlined the root causes of such incidents, and suggested solutions.

Below is her letter in full:

Open Letter to the Vice-Chancellor of Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Prof Ir Dr Wahid Omar

Dear Vice-Chancellor,

Your apology and expression of remorse together with your commitment to investigate the Titas slides is most welcome.

Let me, however, offer you a perspective which I hope you will consider.

What happened at your institution is, in my view, merely a symptom of a much larger problem that the country is facing. Years of brainwashing, racist supremacist statements by our leaders, and a system that condones and encourages racial polarisation have brought us today, to those infamous slides. As an educator, I am sure you are equally alarmed at where we are, given that this is the 21st century we are talking about and we are no longer a young nation.

The systematic creation of a narrow and bigoted thought process may help in a political agenda, but does nothing for the recipients of such tutelage. We can only rewrite history and social science so much. I hope that you share my view that those who have manipulated our young minds into becoming so closed have done the community a great disservice. They have also done a great disservice to those who are made to feel they are lesser mortals. Indeed, what they have done is to stunt the potential of our youth, both in heart and mind, making it difficult for them to compete in the global village.

Thus I see your latest problem as an inevitable result of a system that has been in place for years and which is sanctioned by those in power. You know the system I am talking about. You said this is an isolated incident. I don’t believe it will be the last of such incidents to surface in our education system. The only reason we know about the slides is because they went viral. But how many other such incidents are undetected? It may even be happening discreetly and may manifest in so many different ways.

Do you not think it is time to change, sir?

As an educator you must know that this brainwashing and feeding of young minds with false information must stop. Not all fall prey to this abuse, mind you. Many students, due to their parents’ and other teachers’ positive influences, do not succumb. I also know there are many good and dedicated teachers and these teachers are not the ones I am speaking of.

Having somewhat identified the source of the problem, I think I should be constructive. But before that, I believe you should ignore those who have suggested that you should not offer an apology. They are the ones who would encourage the system of “them and us”. They do not want Malaysians to live in harmony. They love the polarisation. They do not believe that human beings are all equal. They certainly do not believe in our diversity, as you do. They fail to understand that your tendering an apology is a sign of strength and courage, not weakness and that it is an acknowledgement that human beings are not infallible but that we can become better.

Now the solutions. You have stated that you are conducting investigations and that due action will be taken as necessary. I have some other suggestions.

May I suggest that you take your inquiry much further than just this incident. I suggest that you delve deeper and identify the root causes of the thought process of the educators who were responsible for the slides. It appears that they too are a product of the system I spoke of. I suggest you also engage all your lecturers of all races and ask them what they truly feel about each community in the country. Do they feel superior, or do they feel like second-class citizens? Investigate where your educators are from. Their schools, their influences and the reasons for their mindsets.

Engage your students in the same way. Ask if they stick to groups of one race or do they engage harmoniously with one another. I believe the polarisation is stark in most institutions and this has been the case for many years.

After all that, tabulate the findings and then move on to your second phase. The difficult one. Changing the mindsets of both the lecturers and students.

Teach them to value each others’ cultures. Show them how rich each culture is. Let them learn how much a diverse Malaysia can teach them. That we are all humans with the same aspirations. That they must open up their minds and embrace all the knowledge that they can acquire and can share. And most importantly that they must have an inquiring mind, free of prejudices and bigotry. In fact, why not have them all learn about the different religions? Did you know that when I want to give speeches, I can go to any religious text and I will have no problems finding beautiful passages on peace, justice, compassion and integrity.

What do you think, sir? Are you willing to carry out this experiment for the sake of the nation? There are many people who will gladly help you. Take it not only as a challenge but as a necessary step to reverse our intellectual decline.

Were you aware, sir, that there is a wonderful article in the latest The Economist about how to make a good teacher? It is worth a read. And it is worth asking your teachers to read it too. It is clearly time to invest in our teachers.

It is also time we aimed for a system of education with integrity and intellectual excellence. We need to encourage true scholarship. I am not an education professional but I believe we have to keep politicians out of deciding education policy and leave it to educators instead. In other words, let’s take the politics out of education.

You can be the start of the change that this nation needs. I hope that as an educator you will set an example and consider what I have said with an open mind. It is time. Our children deserve much better.

Thank you.

Yours sincerely,
Ambiga Sreenevasan

Higher Education Ministry to work with UTM to resolve slides issue

KUALA LUMPUR: The Higher Education Ministry is to work with Universiti Teknologi Malaysia to resolve the issue over lecture material which is said to be derogatory to the Hindu and Sikh communities.

Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Idris Jusoh (pic) said UTM vice-chancellor Prof Datuk Dr Wahid Omar would take all the required steps and action as necessary.

“The UTM vice-chancellor has gotten in touch with me and is looking into the issue. He has given his assurance to get to the bottom of it and take all required corrective steps,” he told Bernama when contacted on Wednesday.

UTM’s Tamadun Islam dan Tamadun Asia (Titas) subject slides caused an uproar among the Hindu and Sikh communities after they went viral on social media recently.

The slides claimed that Islam had introduced civility to the lives of Hindus and that they considered the dirt on the body as part of their religious practice to attain nirvana.

The Titas module was made mandatory for all tertiary students regardless of religion in 2013.

On Tuesday, Dr Wahid issued an apology over the slide material and said the slides were not approved by the ministry.

He gave the assurance that UTM would only use Titas slides endorsed by the Higher Education Ministry and experts on Asian Civilisation would be engaged to provide input when needed to prevent a recurrence of the incident.

Several Indian leaders, among them MIC president Datuk Seri Dr S. Subramaniam and Deputy Education Minister Datuk P. Kamalanathan, as well as NGOs also reacted to the matter. – Bernama

Subramaniam: Trend of distorting facts in text books on the rise

PETALING JAYA: There has recently been an increasing trend of people distorting facts to fit into the disordered and disturbed perception of individuals, says MIC president Datuk Seri Dr S. Subramaniam (pic).

In a statement on Tuesday, Dr Subramaniam said such individuals have led to the release of educational contents where facts have been dangerously mutilated by their disordered perception.

"Distorted historical facts are in school text books, in examination questions and now in university slides," he said.

He was speaking about a teaching module belonging to Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) which was derogatory to the Hindu and Sikh communities in Malaysia.

The matter recently became viral on Facebook and deputy education minister Datuk P.Kamalanathan had met the vice-chancellor of the university on the matter on Monday.

The vice-chancellor had apparently claimed the module to be a 'mistake' and agreed to have it taken down.

Speaking on this matter, Dr Subramaniam said the “so-called mistakes" in the lecture slides of UTM have triggered a serious concern on the level of knowledge and depth of understanding of the various cultures and religions in Malaysia.

"This current case reflects that this desire to be ignorant had permeated to the dons of the ivory tower and the supposed pedestal of knowledge has become a pool of ignorance.

"We have seen this in schools before and now we realize it is also evident in universities," he said.

He then questioned the lack of intellectual honesty and added that there has to be a sincere desire by those in the educational system to be historically and factually true.

"Attempts to compare cultures and religions are always dangerous. It is dangerous even in the most liberated intellectual environment, what more in a multicultural and multi religious Malaysia?.

"Any attempt to do so has to be treated with careful steps," he said.

On Monday, Kamalanathan had posted a screen grab of the teaching module which had made claims that Hindus preferred to be 'dirty' and that Islam had taught Hindu followers "manners in life".

It stated that "some Hindu followers believed that dirt on the body is a form of ritual which could lead to attainment of Nirvana"

Another slide claimed that Sikhism is a combination of Hindu and Islam, but the founder of the religion had a shallow understanding of Islam.

Take stern action over offensive teaching module, Kamalanathan urges UTM

PETALING JAYA: Datuk P. Kamalanathan (pic) has called on the authorities of Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) to investigate and take stern action against individuals responsible for the teaching module which was derogatory to the Hindu and Sikh communities.

In a Facebook post on Tuesday, the Deputy Education Minister wrote that he was really disappointed by the incident.

"Not as a politician or a deputy minister but as a Malaysian I was really disappointed about the UTM Islamic and Asian Civilisation Studies (Titas) misrepresentation of certain religions.

"I can't help but feel only someone who willfully and purposefully filled with ill intent would produce such a document," he wrote.

The Hulu Selangor MP also called for the Higher Education ministry to ensure that the Titas syllabus of all public universities be first verified by experts in the religion before being included in the syllabus.

"This will ensure such painful experiences are not repeated," he said.

Kamalanathan however added that the incident did not represent the views of the ministry or the leadership of the university.

"Being a former deputy minister in the Higher Education Ministry I am aware this incident is not at all representative of the values imbibed and demonstrated by the Ministry nor the Universities topmost leadership," he said.

On Monday, Kamalanthan had posted a screen grab of the teaching module which had made claims that Hindus preferred to be 'dirty' and that Islam had taught Hindu followers "manners in life".

It stated that "some Hindu followers believed that dirt on the body is a form of ritual which could lead to attainment of Nirvana".

Another slide claimed that Sikhism is a combination of Hindu and Islam, but the founder of the religion had a shallow understanding of Islam.

Kamalanathan said that he had spoken of the matter to the vice-chancellor of the university who acknowledged the mistake.

Hold inquiry on UTM slides insulting Hindus, Sikhs

Hindraf Chair P Waythamoorthy says the skewed teaching at a government university was deliberately meant to denigrate the beliefs of Hindu and Sikh students.

KUALA LUMPUR: Hindraf Makkal Sakthi wants the Education Minister to hold an inquiry on a slide presentation at Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) which deliberately insulted Hindus and Sikhs.

The Education Minister should immediately suspend the relevant lecturers involved in creating “disharmony” among the student population in UTM, demanded Hindraf Chair P Waythamoorthy in a statement. “Such irresponsible and unconscionable behaviour should not be allowed.”

“Any inaction would go to show the government’s tacit support to promote hate and bigotry in educational institutions.”

The offending slides, said the Hindraf chief, claimed that Islam was introduced courtesy to Hindus in India, and taught them the importance of personal hygiene and a healthy lifestyle. The slides alleged,
he added, that personal hygiene was against the beliefs of Hindus.

“The slides preached that assuming and maintaining dirt and an unhygienic lifestyle was part of slaving oneself to achieve nirvana (state of eternal bliss).”

Having insulted and misled the students, fumed Waytha, UTM does not have the decency and courtesy to apologise to Hindus and Sikhs. Instead, he lamented, Deputy Education Minister P Kamalanathan has been trotting out lame excuses on the university’s behalf.

The Hindraf statement stressed that the human rights movement was furious with the UTM module for humiliating members of the Hindu and Sikh faiths.

The skewed teaching at a government university, driven by an inferiority complex, was deliberately meant to denigrate the beliefs of Hindu and Sikh students,” charged Waytha. “This is typical of lecturers, in public universities, who have been trained under the racist and religious supremacist Biro Tata Negara (BTN), a body fully funded by the government.”

The mini Napoleons within the bureaucracy are disintegrating the community through the BTN content which reeks of racism and bigotry, continued the Hindraf Chief who was briefly in the Federal Cabinet and the Senate after the 2013 General Election.

The Ministry of Higher Education introduced Tamadun Islam dan Tamadun Asia (TITAS) – Islamic and Asian Civilization – in 1999 in government-run universities.

Apparently, the objective of the syllabus was to inculcate an appreciation of philosophy, values and history, and broaden knowledge, according to the Malaysian way, to create national harmony, unity and integration within the context of a multicultural nation.

There’s a basic module, published by Universiti Malaya in 1999 under the direction of the Ministry of Higher Education, to be used as the reference book with additional supporting materials.

Unfortunate some Muslims are 'loose cannons', MCA raps UTM modules

The controversial Tamadun Islam and Tamadun Asia (Titas) modules which contained erroneous claims about Hindus and Sikhs have incurred the wrath of an MCA leader.

Ti Lian Ker said such episodes are not only demeaning to other faiths, but also cast Muslims in a negative light.

“It is rather unfortunate that Muslims, on the one hand, demand high reverence for their religion but at the same time some are loose cannons when it comes to understanding and respecting the religious practices of others,” he added in a media statement.

The MCA central committee leader was commenting on the slides used by Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) for the subject.

The vice-chancellor had agreed to fix the errors expeditiously, but this did not silence demands for action to be taken against those responsible.

Ti, who heads the MCA religious harmony bureau, pointed out that Islam taught its followers to respect, honour and never insult another religion.

“But the said lecturer or head of department had failed to be a better Muslim... It is a weakness of the human ego to belittle the practice of other religions.

“It is even worse if there is a direct reference of one's own religion as superior or above another's,” he said.

Therefore, Ti wanted the authorities to take immediate action on this issue to serve as an example and reminder to others on the need to be more sensitive in future.

“The recent trend of one-upmanship of one religion over another is a sign of inadequacy or immaturity of such individuals.

“What they are doing is in fact giving their religion a bad name and ought to be reprimanded,” he said.

The UTM modules stated that Islam taught Hindus manners and cleanliness, as some of them believed dirt on the body is part of a ritual to attain nirvana.

Another Titas slide circulated online said the founder of Sikhism borrowed elements from Islam, but had poor understanding of the religion.

Sikhs want author of erroneous UTM module sacked

The Malaysian National Sikhs Movement (Geraksikh) today urged Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) to sack the person responsible for the "erroneous" slides used to teach students about Sikhism and Hinduism.

Urging for a public apology, Geraksikh also lodged a police report at the Ipoh police headquarters over "factual errors" on Sikhism, published in UTM's module.

A slide bearing UTM's logo circulating online showed that students were taught that Sikhism's founder had borrowed elements from Islam, but he had a shallow understanding of the religion.

"The Malaysian Sikhs are upset with the move by UTM seen trying to change the history or dilute the facts on the foundation of Sikhism, especially to students in this country.

"This is utterly wrong," Geraksikh secretary-general Amarjit Singh Gill said in a statement.

He said any future modules on religion should be vetted by historical experts, including those who practise the religion in question, he said.

UTM yesterday promised Deputy Education Minister P Kamalanathan it would rectify the slides.

The slides were for the Tamadun Islam and Tamadun Asia (Titas) subject, compulsory for all undergraduates in public universities.

Earlier, Malaysia Hindu Dharma Mamandram also lodged a report against UTM over its teaching module.

UTM conducting probe on erroneous slides on Hinduism, Sikhism

Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) is currently conducting an investigation into the matter of erroneous claims on Hinduism and Sikhism being taught to their students, said the university's vice-chancellor.

"We are currently conducting a thorough investigation on this incident, and due action will be taken... We are truly sorry for what has happened," UTM vice-chancellor Wahid Omar said in a posting on the university's Facebook account.

UTM yesterday said it would fix its Tamadun Islam and Tamadun Asia (Titas) modules which state that Islam taught Hindus manners and cleanliness, as some of them believed dirt on the body is part of a ritual to attain nirvana.

Another UTM Titas slide circulated online also said the founder of Sikhism borrowed elements from Islam, but had poor understanding of the religion.

Wahid said that the language used in the slides did not reflect the true content of the subject matter in question and that the slides were not the Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) slides endorsed by the Higher Education Ministry for the Titas subject.

"What was written on the slides does not reflect the true content and has been presented out of the full context," he said.

As a "direct result" of this incident and to prevent such recurrence, he said that UTM would ensure that their lecturers only use slides for Titas which have been endorsed by the Higher Education Ministry, as well as engage experts on Asian civilisation to provide input when needed.

"At the same time, we will continuously remind our academics to be more vigilant in future and be more aware of the language and presentation of content on their teaching slides and modules so as not to touch on sensitivities of others," he said.

He added that this was an isolated incident and did not reflect the true values of UTM.

Wahid said the university promoted understanding in celebrating diversity and it has testimony of the vibrant and dynamic activities on its campus.

UTM has its code of ethics as a guide to all academic staff, which stresses on the need to uphold true values and nobility of character in order to instil the right mindset and principles among staff and students.

The code also encourages respect for one another and inculcate understanding among diverse cultures, creeds and religions, he said.

"The university subscribes to these important values and every member of the university community should adhere to and strive to achieve this," he said.

UTM has been receiving brickbats from the Hindu and Sikh community since the slides bearing UTM's logo went viral on social media.

Several police reports have also been lodged on this matter, with MIC treasurer-general S Vell Paari calling for this matter to be investigated under the Sedition Act.

UTM to fix erroneous claims on 'dirty' Hindus

Universiti Teknologi Malaysia will amend a teaching module which includes erroneous claims about Hinduism and Sikhism, said Deputy Education Minister P Kamalanthan.

He said the vice-chancellor admitted there were mistakes and the module would be "corrected expeditiously".

"I also asked him to please ensure that such errors are not repeated as they can cause confusion and hurt in some segments of students besides not being factual.

"He has totally agreed to my suggestion," Kamalanthan said in a statement on his Facebook page.

This comes after screenshots of the module slides bearing UTM's logo went viral on social media.

The slides showed that UTM students were taught that Hindus preferred to be "dirty", and that the presence of Islam taught former Hindu followers "manners in life".

It stated that "some Hindu followers believe dirt on the body is a form of ritual which could lead to the attainment of nirvana".

Another slide claimed that Sikhism is a combination of Hindu and Islam, but its founder had a shallow understanding of Islam.

While it is not stated on the slide, it is believed that this is part of the Tamadun Islam and Tamadun Asia (Islamic and Asian Civilisation) module compulsory for all undergraduates at public universities.

Hostel warden pleads guilty to assaulting students

SHAH ALAM: A school hostel warden pleaded guilty in the magistrate's court Friday to two charges of assaulting two Form Four students.

Mahbut Yaacob, 53, pleaded guilty to charges under Section 323 of the Penal Code of beating up and kicking the boys at the SMK Vokasional Sungai Buloh hostel on May 3.

Magistrate Raja Noor Adilla Raja Mahyaldin compounded Mahbut RM3,000 and ordered the victims to receive RM1,500 each from the amount under provisions stipulated in Section 260 of the Criminal Procedure Code.

The decision was made after the boys' parents agreed to the terms and voiced their intention for an amicable solution.

The incident went viral in cyberspace after another student witnessing the assault recorded it and uploaded it on Facebook.

Mahbut was unrepresented while DPP Rustam Sarip prosecuted.

SPM: Results Still Following Trend - Muhyiddin

Tan Sri Muhyiddin YassinKUALA LUMPUR, March 3 (Bernama) -- Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said although the overall performance in last's year's Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) examination dipped slightly, it was still following the trend and was not very much different than in the three years before 2013.

Muhyiddin, who is also Education Minister, said the performance could be deemed satisfactory because the candidates were able to use Higher Order Thinking Skills (HOTS) well despite the percentage of questions requiring this increasing.

"This method of questioning could have been among the fatcors affecting the performance of candidates. Apart from this, several other factors that might have contributed to the swings in performance will be analysed in detail.

"However, the results also showed that the performance gap between urban and rural candidates has narrowed as compared to 2013," he said in a statement in Kuala Lumpur, Tuesday.

The results were also announced earlier Tuesday. Of the 455,839 candidates who took the examination, 11,289 or 2.62 per cent obtained excellent results.

Muhyiddin in congratulating candidates who achieved excellent results said the results analysis announced showed the academic achievements of students who had undergone secondary education and sat for the examination at certificate level.

"Hopefully, they will continue the culture of excellence in their lives and fields they excel in. To all candidates who did not do well, take it as a challenge and opportunity to achieve success in future," he said.

The deputy prime minister also congratulated all special need candidates for recording comendable improvements.

According to him, their success showed all candidates had the opportunity to perform well in the SPM examination if they worked hard.

Muhyiddin said the ministry had explored the latest pedagogical approach to raise the quality of teaching and and learning in the classroom.

"Among them is student thinking skills as well as various learning programmes and the implementation of standard-based curriculum.

"HOTS is a skill required to be mastered by students as preparation to be global citizens. Among HOTS skills required by students are mathematical reasoning, language interpretation, making inferences, scientific reasoning and problem solving skills which were measured in the 2014 SPM examination," he said.

He clarified that apart from these, the ministry was also actively working to strengthen support for school teachers and administrators.

This included introducing full-time guidance teachers and guidance principals or headmasters at district education office level (PPD).

"They would be able to give complete focus as mentors and strengthen relations between teachers and principals or headmasters.

"Competent leaders are a factor which contributed to the performance of students and as such the ministry will seek measures to enhance the quality of leadership at JPN and PPD," he said.

Muhyiddin said the ministry was determined to raise the quality of students' achievement in line with the aspiration to place Malaysia's education system within the top one third in the world and it was starting with the quality of public examinations in the country.

He said the ministry would continue to implement various suitable intervention programmes to raise the excellent performance of students in various aspects including the SPM examination.

"This is important to meet the six student aspirations under the 2013-2025 Malaysia Education Blueprint and to produce holistic human capital as desired under the National Education Philosophy (FPK).

"Apart from that, the ministry will conduct studies to identify factors which influenced the performance and results of students so that suitable follow-up action could be taken," he said.

Muhyiddin said the ministry would ensure effective and meaningful programmes for student learning especially for subjects which recorded lower achievement to be implemented more thoroughly and with full responsibility.

Dad shocked at son’s excellent STPM results

Father says the Form Six student was too involved in football and had to be reminded to concentrate on his studies.

FMT

KUANTAN: K Mathavan was shocked to see his son Kabilan named one of Pahang’s excellent students in the Sijil Tinggi Pelajaran Malaysia (STPM) because there were times when the second child of three had to be reminded to pay less attention to football.

“He loves football, especially if Manchester United is playing. He not only watches football, but also plays in the evenings,” he said. Kabilan, a student of SMK Ketari, Bentong, said he was quite “scared” to get the results, as he had obtained a C in geography in the second and third semesters.

“I was disappointed when I got the C grade. But I decided to meet my teachers and discuss how I could improve my grades. I did not expect to get an A in my final results,” said the student who received an Accumulative Credit Point Average (CGPA) of 4.0.

Kabilan’s sister, who is studying in Form Four, felt challenged to emulate Kabilan’s success.

“We are always competing in everything…and now he has a reason to “talk big” about his success. I have to listen about him until I get similar results,” Kaarrtini, 16, said.

A student of SMK Muadzam Shah, Rompin, Khamisah Ismail, 20, did not let her routine of helping her mother Rosidah Rasman, 43, sell nasi lemak be a deterrent to getting a 4.0 CGPA in her STPM after she got 9As in the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM).

She said, as the eldest of three siblings, she had to help her mother prepare the ingredients for the dish as soon as she reached home from school, while her mornings began at 5am when she had to help her mother at the stall near their house in Ladang Rompin, near here.

– BERNAMA

Tales of ‘Cikgu Gatal’ in Malaysian schools

Apart from the sub-standard quality of education, our schools are also infested with quite a few “perverts” who masquerade as teachers.

FMT

Lately there has been lots of talk about the quality of our Malaysian education system.

While our ministers proudly boast of our world-class education standards, the people have a different view. Many parents whom I have spoken to claim that these ministers themselves send their kids to private and international schools and do not know what they are talking about.

As a parent myself, I have lots of tales to tell about how screwed up our education system is. You see, it is not just the sub-standard quality of education, but the calibre of our teachers too.

You see, when I was 13 years old, my parents sent me to an all-girls school. There I met Mr Wong – my English teacher. He was very friendly and nice to talk to. Unlike other teachers who were strict and sometimes “garang”, Mr Wong was cool and laid back. And because of this, most of the girls in my school loved chit-chatting with him.

One day, during our English lesson, Mr Wong decided to teach us the correct way of writing essays. He started by explaining the importance of describing things. For some unknown reason, he chose to describe how a woman takes a bath.

As 32 girls sat in the classroom transfixed, Mr Wong, with a smirk on his face, described in painstaking detail how a woman prepared for her bath. How she would take off her clothes and undergarments one by one until she stood completely naked in the bathroom. He explained how the cool water splashed all over her bare skin, and how the soap was slathered all over her body including the hidden places and the secret places.

While he clearly enjoyed telling his story, I, for one, felt extremely uncomfortable. So when I went home that day, I decided to tell my dad about it. Furious, dad called the school that very moment and vented his frustration at the principal over how Mr Wong conducted himself in a class full of girls who were at the age of puberty. Dad – without mentioning his or my name, claimed it was totally unacceptable and demanded the principal take action.

The next day at school, my discipline teacher walks into the class first thing in the morning, demanding to know who made the complaint. I was terrified.

From her tone, I felt like a spy who had sold the secret of my nation to the enemy. After her half-hour lecture, I felt regretful for “betraying’ Mr Wong.

“What happens in school stays in school,” said my discipline teacher. “If you want to make a complaint, I am here. The principal is here. Other teachers are here. We are responsible for you while you are in the school – not your parents. Remember, DO NOT tell your parents whatever takes place in school – come to us first. Be loyal to your school.” I remember her words very clearly after all these years because in a funny way, it made sense to me.

Two years later, a new teacher was transferred to my school – Cikgu Azmi. He had x-ray vision and would ogle us as if he was mentally taking snapshots of every inch of our body. Interaction with him was always an uncomfortable encounter.

My friends and I collectively disliked him. We used to have sessions during recess time specially to talk about how much we despised him. Cikgu Azmi wasn’t just a pervert, he was also a lousy teacher who always came to class unprepared and would instead read word for word whatever was in the text book.

However, our dislike for him turned into hatred when he started inviting himself to the school field every time we had PE lessons. During this time, Cikgu Azmi would pick the perfect spot on the field to squat and smoke his cigarette as he watched us run.

Being at an age when our bodies were developing, we felt uneasy knowing his x-ray eyes were on us as we ran “towards” him. With our boobs bouncing north, south, east and west, Cikgu Azmi would blow cigarette smoke almost in slow motion. And realising this, we would subconsciously slow our pace as we attempted to cover our chests.

Remembering never to disclose school matters to our parents, we tried confiding in our teachers about how uneasy we felt about Cikgu Azmi and his “gatal”-ness. But no one took us seriously. Most of them simply laughed it off. Perhaps they taught teenagers like us tended to exaggerate.

When I left school in 1992, Mr Wong got transferred while Cikgu Azmi continued to ogle our juniors.

I thought that was the end of my unfortunate events with “Cikgu Gatal” but I was wrong.

When my kids were in primary school some eight years ago, they had a teacher with itchy fingers. He loved pinching female students… on their chests.

When the parents of the students who complained brought up the matter, the principal stood by the teacher and claimed it was a big misunderstanding and the complaints were flushed down the toilet.

Even after the incident, the teacher continued to pinch other female students. But this time it wasn’t only on their chests, but thighs as well. I know of a few parents who decided to transfer their daughters because of this.

Last year, a good friend of mine told me about a new teacher who was transferred to her daughter’s school. Apparently there was a rumour going around about this teacher and so my friend decided to dig for news on the Internet.

She found out that this particular teacher was suspended earlier after one of his ex-students made a complaint of being molested by him. Apparently he requested the student to assist him in the store room where he took advantage of her. And when he was done, he gave her RM1 as a token of his appreciation.

I believe tales such as these do not stop here. A quick check online about cases involving teachers who molest students in Malaysia gave me a shocking list of cases to view.

One of the cases that caught my eye was filed by 11 female students against one male teacher. There were 23 witnesses but the teacher was acquitted because one prefect who witnessed the incident was not present.

Another case involved a student being forced to perform oral sex by the teacher for more than a year.

I have often wondered what happened to these teachers at the end of their suspension period. My guess is that they would just be transferred to a new school.

World-class education system?

Pfffftt!!!

Growing demands for transfer of teacher in conversion case

Upko President wants errant teacher transferred as far away as possible from non-Muslim students.

FMT

KOTA KINABALU: United Pasokmomogun Kadazandusun Murut Organisation (Upko) President, Wilfred Madius Tangau, has taken to Facebook, to demand that a teacher involved in the scam conversion of an underaged Christian schoolgirl at the SMK Kinarut in Kinarut, in the outskirts of Kota Kinabalu, be transferred out immediately.

He wants the errant teacher to be transferred as far away as possible from non-Muslim students, preferably to a religious school where all the students are Muslims.

“I have requested the Sabah Education Director to transfer her to somewhere without a lot of non-Muslim students,” said Wilfred who is also Tuaran MP.

“Instead, she should be moved to a Sekolah Menengah Agama where 100 per cent of its students are Muslim.”

The Upko Chief’s Facebook page was flooded with Likes from irate parents and other netizens.

One posting which supported Wilfred’s statement said the move would prevent the errant teacher from “breaking up another family”.

Angry Sabahans have taken to social media to campaign for the errant teacher to be dealt with by way of a transfer and disciplinary measures, an example made of her for neglecting her duties and for playing politics with religion at a school which the parents trusted to look after their children and educate them.

Social media and Whatsapp have been flooded with pictures of the errant teacher apparently in a bid to “name and shame her” and serve as a warning to others out there.

The errant teacher was apparently moved to SMK Kinarut recently. Following the eruption of the controversy over the alleged conversion, there were reports in social media that she had been temporarily transferred to SMK Tamparuli.

“Please monitor her. What she did, breaking up families, was wrong,” said a posting from a Facebook user.

Another wrote; “Her washing of hands in this incident was also very inappropriate. Do take precautionary measures. Don’t let your children be the next victims.”

Other comments called for the Education Director and the principal of the school concerned to be held accountable for breaching the trust that parents have in the school system. “A school is not the place to carry out missionary work,” was the general thrust of the comments.

Sabah Commissioner of Police, Jalaluddin Abdul Rahman, has since confirmed that the girl concerned is not Muslim and there’s no documentation supporting the alleged conversion.

He has also come under criticism for declaring a person’s faith instead of investigating the report lodged against the errant teacher and the school by rubber tapper Jilius Yapoo, the girl’s father.

Parti Bersatu Sabah Secretary-General, Johnny Mositun, has also stressed that it won’t do for the authorities concerned to take their cue from police declaring that a 16-year-old girl student in Sabah at the heart of a growing controversy over conversion in boarding schools “is not a Muslim” and leave things at that.

“The girl’s religious status is not for the police to declare. The school cannot be allowed to go scott-free if they have broken the law.”

The Director of Education, he reiterated, has some explaining to do. He was referring to his statement that “the girl wanted to be Muslim.”

Muslim boy 'forced' to lodge report against Hindu dad

A 14-year-old schoolboy has alleged that he was locked up in a room in an Islamic missionary centre in Negri Sembilan for more than three hours.

S Thiyaggurudeen said he was locked up before being forced by two of his teachers to lodge a police report against his Hindu father, who is trying to change the boy's religion from Islam to Hindu.

The boy, who goes to a school near Port Dickson said two Muslim teachers took him out of the school on Feb 13 and made him drink some 'air penawar' before forcing him to sign the police report blindly.

He was forced to sign the police report against his father at the Lukut police station, the boy said.

In Malay traditions, 'air penawar' commonly refers to water which is prayed over giving it healing properties.

He related this in a police report he lodged on Feb 17 on the incident, sent to Malaysiakini by PKR leader S Jayathas.

The boy said he was taken to the missionary centre where he was grilled for more than three hours by a group who claimed to be Islamic affairs department officers.

He was eventually rescued by his father who managed to track down the boy's whereabouts.

The teenager is still listed as a Muslim on his MyKad identity card although his father is a Hindu and his mother an Indonesian Muslim.

His father, S Ganesan, had applied to the Syariah Court to change his son's religion but was told he needed to wait until the boy is 18 years of age to obtain his consent.

Hindu, Muslim, back to Hindu

Ganesan said the police report the two teachers forced his son to sign alleged that Ganesan had been physically abusing the boy since 2012 to ensure the boy left Islam.

"Until now, I have not received an explanation from the school as to why the teachers acted in such a manner," an unhappy Ganesan told Malaysiakini.

Ganesan himself was once Muslim. He converted to Islam when he married a Muslim woman in 1982 but was successful with his apostasy application in 1987 along with his wife and three kids.

His second wife, an Indonesian Muslim, left for Indonesia with the couple's second child after divorcing him.

Thiyaggurudeen is the eldest child from Ganesan's second marriage and has faced problems with his identity card and birth certification ever since.

Ganesan tracked down his son after being tipped off by a security guard at his son's school.

Both the teachers, when confronted, denied any suggestion that they took the boy anywhere, Ganesan said.

Teachers or religious officials?

"About three weeks before the incident, the school had acknowledged my request not to teach my son Islamic Studies after I explained his status and his situation to them," he further said.

Ganesan said he lodged a police report regarding his son's ordeal on the night of Feb 13, while Thiyaggurudeen lodged his own police report at the Seremban police station on Feb 17.

Jayathas said that the teachers had acted in an "improper manner" by bringing the child about without the father's consent.

"There is rule of law in this land. There is no need for teachers to behave like religious officials," he said.

Govt orders Mara to lift religious ban

Shafie Apdal: It's not right, no government policy to restrict religion in Mara colleges.

FMT

KUCHING: Mara will be ordered to lift a religious ban at its colleges and university campus in Sabah and Sarawak, the federal minister in charge, Shafie Apdal, announced today after protests by native non-Muslim parents whose children are enrolled in Mara institutions.

There is no federal government policy to restrict religious practices among Mara students, Shafie Apdal said at a hastily-convened press conference this morning, the Malaysian Insider reported.

He said if there were any such restrictions, “they were not right”. He added: “If there is a rule, we will withdraw it.”

Shafie, as minister for regional and rural development, has oversight over Mara, set up as a bumiputera trust agency, which also runs residential science junior colleges and the Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM).

The press conference was called after Sarawak chief minister Adenan Satem met Shafie last night, over concerns of Dayak parents that their children were not being allowed to practice their faiths while enrolled at Mara colleges.

Adenan is reported to have told Shafie that such rules went against the Sarawak government’s policy on the freedom of religion, according to Malaysian Insider.

Baru Bian of Parti Keadilan Rakyat had said earlier today that he would consider legal action against Mara as the ban on non-Islamic activities was unconstitutional and against the constitutional guarantee to practice religious faiths.

Three Mara colleges are reported to have banned all non-Islamic religious activities within the campus; forbidden the use of non-Islamic religious symbols; and students forbidden from non-Islamic religious activities outside campus on weekends except with college permission.

Dayak parents have also said their children were forbidden to bring their Bibles or home-cooked food, and banned from using college transport to attend church services.

Shafie said a “misinterpretation” of the rules might have cropped up because the rules were first drawn up in 1972 when Mara colleges were first established in the peninsula, where all bumiputera students were Malays and Muslims.

Parents have said the restrictions amounted to religious discrimination and would breed intolerance and lack of respect. One parent refused to send his daughter to college and posted online a copy of additional rules for non-Muslim students.

Shafie denied there had been any discrimination. “There has been no prohibition on non-Muslim students to practise their faith. On weekends, we provide transport for Christians to attend church very much like we do for Muslims students to attend Friday prayers.

“They can take their Bible to campus and if there is anyone who tries to stop them, report them to us and we’ll act,” Shafie said.

Sarawak second minister of resource planning and environment Awang Tengah Ali Hassan said the rules for all Mara colleges in Sarawak should be rewritten.

State land development minister James Masing has said the restrictions were constitutionally and morally wrong. State DAP chairman Chong Chieng Jen had appealed to the Sarawak government to reject the rules.

Curb fanatics in private schools, says Salleh

Speaker calls for tighter rules to prevent spread of extremist teachings.

FMT

KOTA BELUD: The federal government should monitor and tighten existing rules, especially on private schools in the country, which were suspected to instill fanatic ideologies, says Sabah State Assembly speaker, Salleh Said Keruak.

He said the measure was needed to curb fanatic ideologies spreading among students, and it would also prevent children from being influenced by extremist teachings that could trigger chaos and hostility.

Salleh, who is also state asseblyman for Usukan said through this monitoring, earlier decisive action could be taken by the government.

He said matters which could cause dispute should be discussed in private in the spirit of mutual respect.

“This is important in order to maintain peace, especially in Sabah, where we have been peaceful since independence,” he said in a statement here Saturday.

Salleh, who is also the former chief minister of Sabah said the education system should be able to produce a new generation of Sabahans that were disciplined, self-confident, skilled and practised moderate thinking in racial and religious relationships.

“They (students) should understand the history of the country’s formation and be able to take advantage of economic and work opportunities available anywhere, including those abroad. It has been proven, that Sabahans are capable, and can compete in all professions,” he said.

– BERNAMA

Utilise The "1TeachersCard" Facility - Muhyiddin

PUTRAJAYA, Jan 14 (Bernama) -- Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin advised holders of the '1TeachersCard' credit card comprising teachers and staff of the Education Ministry to utilise in the best manner the privileges and facilities provided instead of using it to the extent of creating problems to the holders.

The Deputy Prime Minister, who is also the Education Minister, said the main privilege for the card holders was the interest rate which was the lowest in the market, which was 8.88 per cent annually and various other priveleges.

"The credit card must be utilised wisely and with caution. As long as it is properly used, it will certainly be benificial to us," he said when speaking at the prize presentation ceremony for the 1TeachersCard 'Kerana Anda Begitu Istimewa' (Because You Are Very Special) organised by the Yayasan Guru Malaysia Bhd (YBGM) in collaboration with Bank Simpanan Nasional (BSN) here, Wednesday.


He said a portion of the proceeds from the transactions or use of the credit card would be channeled to the YBGM welfare fund which would be contributed back to the teachers through various activities and welfare programmes.

"This is in line with the YBGM slogan 'Daripada Guru Untuk Guru' (From The Teachers To The Teachers) and as such, I hope more teachers will utilise the credit card because indirectly the consumers will also contribute for the benefit of teachers," he said.

Muhyiddin said more than 50,000 teachers had become users of '1TeachersCard' since the credit card was launched in 2013 and the number was expected to rise further as the condition of the card ownership had now been extended to the staff of institutions of higher learning throughout the country.

He said the introduction of the credit card was an element of creativity and innovation and it was most significant with the aspiration of the ministry in Malaysia's National Education Blueprint 2013-2025 to transform the national education system.

"In the efforts to transform the national education system, the cooperation and roles of the non-governmental organisations and the private sector are most welcome and appreciated including in the context of the teachers' welfare," he said.

In this regard, Muhyiddin suggested that more parties would emulate the initiatives of the YGMB and BSN to come forward with various methods and approaches which were more innovative for the benefits of teachers.

At the event, a teacher from SMK Seri Jengka, Maran, Pahang, Muhamad Nor Hidayat was named as the main winner of the campaign 'Kerana Anda Begitu Istimewa' and walked away with a BSN Premium Savings Certificate (SSP) worth RM100,000.

Five other winners walked away with the BSN SSP worth RM10,000, while 20 others won consolation prizes in the form of a smart phone.

UM urged to withdraw unconstitutional circular

Unesco recommendations also provide that higher education teaching staff should not be hindered as citizens.

FMT

KUALA LUMPUR: Padang Serai Member of Parliament, N. Surendran has warned Universiti Malaya that it cannot, by circular, take away a right enshrined in Article 10(1) of the Federal Constitution.

Unesco recommendations, he added, also provide that higher education teaching staff “should not be hindered or impeded in exercising their civil rights as citizens”.

“The circular must be withdrawn immediately, and academic freedom upheld and respected,” said Surendran who is also a member of the PKR Political Bureau. “We call upon the UM administration not to make a laughing stock of the university and of higher education in Malaysia.”

“This ban on staff organizing ‘political activities’ is unconstitutional and a serious threat to academic freedom. It is particularly shocking that UM as the premier university in the country has disregarded UN standards and guidelines.”

He was commenting on a Universiti Malaya circular dated 23 December 2014 banning staff from organizing “political activities”.

Higher education teaching and other staff are entitled to exercise their fundamental rights just like any other citizen, he added. “Article 10(1) of the Federal Constitution guarantees the right to freedom of speech and association. Organizing or participating in political activities is thus protected as freedom of association.”

The ban, he charged, goes even further than the restrictive UUCA 1971 which, through amendments passed in 2012, “now allows students to carry out political activities outside campus”.