Category: Education

NIBONG TEBAL, Companies that have the expertise in Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) are encouraged to collaborate with the Education Ministry (MOE) to expand digital Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics (STEAM) education at the school level.

Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek said their participation as synergistic partners would help ministry efforts to strengthen education in the future in line with policies and direction outlined in the 2027 Schooling Curriculum.

“We have launched digital education policies based on classrooms of the future that require a bit of investment and participation from stakeholders,” she said after officiating the STEAM pioneer programme and STEAM lab at Sekolah Jenis Kebangsaan Cina (SJKC) Yok Eng, Sungai Udang here today.

Fadhlina said that her ministry supported efforts such as creating STEAM labs as such interactive labs using digital technology that involved student participation was a good effort in ensuring that the ministry’s digital education agenda achieves its objectives.

“What’s also important is the competency of teachers and students in terms of digital fluency. Teachers involved will be given courses so that digital based learning can be delivered effectively,” she added.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency

CYBERJAYA, The dedication of an Information and Communication Technology (ICT) teacher from Sekolah Kebangsaan (SK) Bagan Serai in Perak to highlight the aspect of cyber security to his students has received recognition through two awards at the Malaysian ICT Volunteer Excellence Awards 2023 (MEA 2023).

Azharul Faiz Zainal Abidin, 42, who is also the co-curriculum deputy head of SK Bagan Serai, emerged as the Best Overall Volunteer in MEA 2023, receiving the ‘Excellence Award’ for the Malaysia ICT Volunteer (MIV) with School category and the ‘Superstar Award’ for the Special MIV Award category.

Speaking to reporters after the MEA 2023 ceremony here today, Azharul Faiz said he chose to implement projects on cyber security and ICT awareness programmes due to the increasing prevalence of issues such as fraud and fake news on the Internet.

“The project was carried out from March to October in collaboration with the school’s Crime Prevention Club and all educators. The type of programme organised involved the dissemination of information about cyber security and smart online activities,” said Azharul Faiz who was celebrated alongside with 21 other MEA 2023 winners.

Affectionately known as Cikgu Faiz, he added that he has implemented various innovative activities before, involving ICT concepts, such as the ‘Jom Sifir’ concept, an application that allows users to practise mathematics through smartphones.

The MIV (Malaysia ICT Volunteer) project, introduced in 2016, is under the management of the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC). Up until now, it has trained 10,247 volunteers from various backgrounds capable of advancing and creating ICT applications and services that benefit daily life.

Among the other services provided by MIV volunteers are implementing online marketing strategies to assist local entrepreneurs in promoting their products, educating responsible use of ICT and fostering community awareness of MCMC’s advocacy messages.

Two additional award recipients in the MIV with School category are Tan Ke Sin of Penang and Jessica James Sikain of Tawau, Sabah.

Other categories under MEA include Individual MIV with Community and Best MIV Content.

Meanwhile, speaking at the event, MCMC chairman Tan Sri Mohamad Salim Fateh Din hopes the awards would inspire other volunteers to come forward and share ideas, skills, and expertise in implementing high-impact projects for the community.

“MCMC will further invest in all these programmes to make sure that we achieve a very high level of voluntary services that are out there so that it will serve every aspect of the people, the urban, semi-urban and the rural areas,” he said.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency

KUALA LUMPUR, The ‘Jejak Cemerlang’ programme, implemented by Perbadanan Nasional Berhad (Pernas) under its corporate social responsibility (CSR), has successfully increased the passing rate among students sitting for the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) examination.

An Executive Committee member of Pernas Afidah Azwa Abdul Aziz said that the programme, conducted at Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan (SMK) Seri Pantai here since 2015, has significantly helped students understand the proper answering techniques and methods, resulting in excellent results.

“I was made to understand that previous programmes have contributed to an upward trend in SPM results analysis. For the record, in 2022, the number of students who passed each subject also increased compared to previous years,” she said at the 2023 Jejak Cemerlang SMK Seri Pantai programme at Menara Pernas here today.

Her speech text was read by Pernas head of investment division Tengku Mohamed Fadhli Tengku Hamzah.

Afidah Azwa said what’s more meaningful is that some students who participated in the programme have pursued their studies in various fields at the university or college level.

“I’m confident that this success is also the result of the hard work of SMK Seri Pantai teachers in ensuring their students excel in the examinations.

“Today, once again, SPM candidates will gather for a two-day programme to learn the proper technique for answering examination questions,” she said.

She added that Pernas has carried out various Pernas Prihatin CSR programmes this year, such as Bakul Rezeki, spectacle contributions in collaboration with Focus Point and the Back to School programme.

Pernas is an agency under the Entrepreneur Development and Cooperatives Ministry responsible for the development of the country’s franchise industry.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency

PUTRAJAYA, The score of Malaysia Human Development Index (MHDI), one of the indicators used to analyse the socioeconomic development status of the nation and describe human development in a nation, has increased by 1.2 per cent to 0.816 in 2022 compared to 0.806 in 2021.

“Based on this score, MHDI is at a very high level of development category,” according to Chief Statistician Datuk Seri Dr Mohd Uzir Mahidin.

He said this in a statement following the release of the MHDI report for 2022 by the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM) today.

The MHDI, which has been developed based on the Human Development Index (HDI) Report from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), is measured based on three main dimensions namely long and healthy life; access to knowledge and a decent standard of living.

There are four categories of development level scores, namely the first category below 0.550 (low); the second category 0.550 to 0.699 (medium); the third category 0.700 to 0.799 (high) and the fourth category 0.800 and above (very high).

Mohd Uzir said an analysis by dimension index shows that the highest index score recorded in 2022 is the Gross National Income Index (GNI) with a score of 0.872 followed by the Life Expectancy Index with a score of 0.823 and the Education Index with a score of 0.757.

“All indices are at a very high level of development except for the Education Index that registered high-level development,” he said.

Mohd Uzir said the Life Expectancy Index score decreased by 0.4 per cent to 0.823 in 2022 as compared to 0.826 in 2021 due to the increase in the number of excess deaths during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Education Index score rose by 1.5 per cent to 0.757 as compared to 0.746, with two indicators namely expected years of schooling and mean years of schooling contributing to the increase of the Education Index, he said.

The GNI Index improved by 2.5 per cent to 0.872 in 2022 as compared to 0.851 in 2021 due to improved economic performance with Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth of 8.7 per cent, he said.

GNI Index falls in the range of 0.820 to 0.848 during the period 2015 to 2020.

On the performance of MHDI by state, Mohd Uzir said the state with the highest MHDI score was Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya with a score of 0.886.

This is followed by Selangor (0.842), Wilayah Persekutuan Labuan (0.839), Pulau Pinang (0.830), Sarawak (0.824), Negeri Sembilan (0.817), Melaka (0.810) and Pahang (0.803).

Source: BERNAMA News Agency

Kuala Lumpur – The Ministry of Higher Education (MOHE) in Malaysia is set to offer loans to final year students for enrolling in professional certification programs starting next year. This initiative was announced during a session of the Dewan Rakyat today.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, the government has allocated a fund of RM15 million for this purpose, aiming to enhance the marketability of graduates. The announcement came as the minister wrapped up the debate on the Supply Bill 2024 at the committee stage for the ministry.

Highlighting the challenges faced by graduates in securing employment, Minister Mohamed Khaled referred to the official data from the Graduates Tracer Study, which indicated that 29,000 graduates did not secure jobs six months after graduating in 2022. However, he also noted a decrease in the graduate unemployment rate, which fell to 3.7 percent in 2022 from 4.1 percent in 2021.

In addition to the loan program, the minister revealed that MOHE has identified various strategies to enhance the excellence of local universities. These strategies include continuous investment in research and a focus on not solely relying on international rankings to determine university excellence.

The Dewan Rakyat subsequently approved the estimated operating and development expenditures for MOHE, which amount to RM16,339,467,900 in the 2024 Budget. This approval marks a significant step towards improving higher education and graduate employability in Malaysia.

The sitting of the Dewan Rakyat is set to continue tomorrow.