Day: June 27, 2024

KUALA LUMPUR, Kotex Malaysia is donating 600,000 sanitary pad kits, over a period of three years until 2025, to benefit female students in 1,080 schools nationwide.

Kimberly-Clark managing director Lim Yu Chien said the contribution comprises various sanitary pads and educational materials to support the ‘Program Kasih Remaja: Advokasi SRH (Sexual and Reproductive Health)’ by the National Population and Family Development Board (LPPKN), in collaboration with Kotex Malaysia.

‘This is a commitment we made with the Women, Family and Community Development Ministry (KPWKM). It is a three-year programme involving various government agencies, NGOs (non-governmental organisations) and the private sector, in line with the National Reproductive Health Education and Social (Pekerti) Policy and Action Plan 2022-2025 to spread reproductive and social health education to teenagers throughout the country.

‘These kits will be given to schools nationwide, and so far 98,000 teenage girls have received these donations; we ar
e aiming for 200,000 people to receive this benefit by the end of this year,” he said at a press conference in conjunction with the launch of the programme at the International Youth Centre in Cheras here today.

The programme was officiated by Bandar Tun Razak member of parliament Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail. Also present was Women, Family and Community Development Minister Datuk Seri Nancy Shukri. A total of 500 students from 10 schools in the Bandar Tun Razak parliamentary constituency attended the event too.

Meanwhile, Lim said the initiative is also aimed at giving a clearer menstrual education for teenagers

‘Kotex Malaysia has produced two videos on menstrual education and SRH to be shown at schools. We have held discussions with medical experts, educators and woman NGO workers on the content of both these educational videos to ensure they (videos) are of good quality as well as appropriate for the Malaysian society,’ he also said.

Meanwhile, Nancy said the organisation of the programme is im
portant to curb unhealthy symptoms related to children and teenagers.

‘Reproductive and social health education needs to be applied because it is seen as lifelong learning that includes biological, social, psychological, spiritual, and cultural aspects that are capable of producing a healthy generation in future,” she said.

Nancy added that her ministry also hopes the programme will open a wider space for collaborations in efforts to benefit the community, especially the target group, in the future.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia ranks as the seventh most trusting nation in the 2024 Edelman Trust Barometer survey which covers 28 countries, rising two notches from ninth place last year.

According to the 2024 Edelman Trust Barometer – Malaysia Report, the country recorded a six-point rise to 68 in the overall Trust Index score, which represents the public’s average per cent trust across non-governmental organisations (NGOs), business, government and media.

In a statement today, Edelman said the government has seen a remarkable 13-point increase in public trust since last year.

Edelman Malaysia chief operating officer Chris de Cruz said Malaysia’s rise in trust underscores a positive shift in public perception towards our governance and institutional frameworks.

‘This increase signals a growing optimism in our ability to navigate economic challenges and foster inclusive growth,’ he said.

Businesses emerge as the most most trusted institution in the country with a score of 75, followed by NGOs (70), the governm
ent (67) and media (60).

Edelman said businesses are seen as pivotal in driving societal change as trusted institutions.

Based on the survey, Malaysians expect chief executive officers to stand on critical issues, including fair wages, climate change, and economic inequality.

‘Businesses that align with public values and actively address societal concerns are more likely to gain public support.

‘Business is the most trusted institution in the Edelman Trust Barometer, seen as an innovation machine. However, businesses must prioritise implementing and accepting change as much as it does research and development,’ de Cruz said.

The online survey, conducted from Nov 3-22, 2023, covered over 32,000 respondents across 28 countries, including more than 1,000 respondents from Malaysia, providing a robust snapshot of public sentiment on trust, innovation, and governance.

The Edelman Trust Barometer is the firm’s annual trust and credibility survey, a cornerstone of its thought leadership programme. It examines t
rust and credibility across industries, geographies, and demographics.

Other countries in the top 10 are China (with a score of 79), India (76), the United Arab Emirates (74), Indonesia (73), Saudi Arabia (72), Thailand (70), Singapore (67), Kenya (64) and Nigeria (61).

Source: BERNAMA News Agency

KUALA LUMPUR, The government is committed to ensuring that Malaysians have a healthy, safe and more humane workplace and working conditions, said Human Resources Minister Steven Sim Chee Keong.

Commenting on the Global Life-Work Balance Index which placed Malaysia at the bottom of 60 countries, Sim said the government has been making various improvements towards that goal including ratifying the Convention C155 of the International Labor Organization (ILO) on June 11.

He said the move was also in line with the enforcement of the Occupational Safety and Health (Amendment) Act 2022 from June 1.

‘Before the amendment, the Act applied only to 10 economic sectors, now under the amendment effective June 1, it applies to all economic sectors to ensure a safer and healthier workplace environment,’ he told a press conference after the launch of the Neurodiversity Inclusion Impact Programme here today.

Sim said, this year, the Ministry of Human Resources in collaboration with the National Institute of Occupational
Safety and Health (NIOSH) targetted to train more than 10,000 Occupational Mental Health First Aid providers in private companies and government departments.

‘This is to ensure that our workplace is safe and healthy not only physically, but also balancing mental health,’ he said.

Sim said the enforcement of the Employment Act (Amendment) 2022 from Jan 1 last year, which includes provisions related to anti-discrimination and flexible working hours, was also part of the government’s efforts to ensure a healthy work environment and atmosphere.

The Global Work and Life Balance Index released by global human resource services company, Remote, recently ranked Malaysia 59th out of 60 countries with the highest Gross Domestic Product in the world.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency

KUALA LUMPUR, The Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC) and Higher Education Ministry (MOHE) today signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to strengthen collaboration in developing the nation’s digital talents and enhance graduate marketability in digital technology and entrepreneurship.

MDEC said in a statement today that the MoU encompasses initiatives that have been planned to provide significant benefits to students, lecturers, and the higher education ecosystem in Malaysia.

The initiatives include reskilling and upskilling training, education and professional recognition programmes, knowledge and expertise sharing, exploring opportunities in new technologies, gig digital freelance and global outsourcing talent as well as e-entrepreneur programmes.

‘MDEC and MOHE have also launched the PDTI (Premier Digital Tech Institution) Tech Club, which focuses on enhancing students’ skills.

‘PDTI aims to benefit 5,000 students, providing them with practical experience, latest technology skills and learn
ing from industry experts such as Amazon Web Services and International Business Machines Corporation (IBM) SkillBuild,’ read the statement.

MDEC chief executive officer Mahadhir Aziz, in the same statement, said the MDEC-MOHE collaboration is aimed at assisting the ministry in producing digital technology experts, aligning with Malaysia Digital’s strategic initiatives to position the country as the ASEAN digital hub.

Mahadhir and MOHE deputy secretary (Policy) Datuk Megat Sany Megat Ahmad Supian signed the MoU in a ceremony which MOHE secretary-general Datuk Seri Dr Zaini Ujang and Digital Ministry secretary-general Fabian Bigar witnessed.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency

IPOH, A participant of the People’s Income Initiative-Agro-Entrepreneur (IPR-INTAN) has proven that what you reap, you shall sow after successfully harvesting his first batch of chilli and eggplant crops, earning up to RM450,000.

Mohd Helmy Mazli, 40, who operates a fertigation farm in Ulu Kinta, said he planted 40,000 polybags of chilli and 20,000 polybags of eggplant throughout the first season of farming from January to March.

He said from March to May, his workers managed to harvest 60 metric tonnes of chillies and 55 metric tonnes of eggplants.

According to him, yields of the first season were sold out as soon as they were harvested.

‘Through the sales I managed to pay salaries to 30 workers including contributions to the Employees Provident Fund (EPF) and Social Security Organisation (Perkeso) every month,’ he told Bernama recently.

IPR is an initiative under the Economy Ministry encompassing INTAN, Food Entrepreneur Initiative (INSAN), and Service Operator Initiative (IKHSAN) and was launched on F
eb 26, 2023, as part of the efforts to increase the people’s income in line with the rising cost of living.

Mohd Helmy said he started working on the farm on land leased from Tanjung Rambutan Hospital in September last year, with an initial grant of RM1.86 million from the government, which was spent on infrastructure and crops.

‘I have to use my own money to cover operating expenses. Money generated from the sales of the yields will be used to pay operating costs for the next season,’ he said, adding that he is leasing the land for three years.

Mohd Helmy said they are preparing to resume farming on July 1, adding that it will take 75 days before they can start harvesting.

‘For July, we are concentrating on chillies, totalling 60,000 polybags…we are not planting eggplants because chillies have more demands,’ he said, adding that the second season crop is expected to be ready for harvest by the end of September.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency