Day: June 23, 2022

SERDANG, A total of 7,150 six-year-old pupils from 362 Little Caliphs kindergartens participated in the Little Haj 2022 simulation programme organised by Little Caliphs International Sdn Bhd (LCISB), which was held at the Malaysia Agro Exposition Park Serdang (MAEPS) here.

Dressed in white ‘ihram’ (clothes donned by pilgrims) along with haj bags and passport replicas, Little Caliphs children from Putrajaya, Kuala Lumpur and Selangor, were given early exposure to the fifth Pillar of Islam with the help of 780 teachers.

In the programme which began at 8.30 am, the children were guided to perform the ‘Rukun Haji’ (Haj rituals) including the ‘tawaf’ (encircling) around a 10-foot-high replica of the Kaaba.

LCISB chief executive officer Datuk Roslan Nordin said the programme was a fun way for the Little Caliphs pupils to be introduced to God’s commandments at a tender age.

“They not only see and hear about it, but also experience the pilgrimage for themselves. At Little Caliphs, we also explain to students the meaning of each of the rituals and we relate it to history,” he told the media today during the simulation programme of the Little Haj.

He said teaching the pupils about the Haj was part of the national standard preschool curriculum for spiritual studies issued by the Ministry of Education, adding that a total of 15,000 six-year-old students from 480 Little Caliphs kindergartens nationwide were involved in the Little Haj Programme.

LCISB chief academic officer Datin Dr Sabariah Faridah Jamaluddin, who is also the programme director, said after a two-year hiatus of not being able to hold programmes physically, this year’s event was highly anticipated not only by students, but also parents.

“The last time it was held was in 2019 before it was postponed for two years following the COVID-19 pandemic, and during that period, every Little Caliphs kindergarten implemented the Little Haj programme on a small scale, she said.

“At that time, we monitored the Haj programme held at the respective kindergartens and we provided the softcopy for the management to set up replicas of the kaabah, signages and so on,” she said, adding that she was happy that this time, the pupils were able to gather in a central location in larger numbers.

According to her, the pupils were taught the practical methods of the Haj rituals in line with the hands-on project-based learning methodology approach of The Little Caliphs Programme.

“This is the two-week project where before they come here to perform Rukun Haji in practice, the students are first taught in class and perform them at their own kindergartens,” she said.

Sabariah said the LCISB management also sought advice from Lembaga Tabung Haji to ensure that everything taught to children was accurate.

Six-year-old Muhammad Ammar Mirza Sha Adli from Little Caliphs Puncak Utama, who participated in the programme along with 19 others from his class, was happy to perform the Rukun Haji.

“It’s fun and a novel way to meet friends. I want to perform the Haj when I grow up,” he said adding that encircling or circumambulating the replica of the Kaaba was his favourite part of the programme.

Waffa A.Rahim, who runs six Little Caliphs branches, said the programme was highly anticipated by parents every year and described the practical Haj programme as a culmination of the pupils’ understanding of the Five Pillars of Islam after being exposed to the basics of the religious tenets from an early age of four.

“When the Little Haj Programme comes around, it means that the children have completed (the Pillars of Islam) the journey from uttering the two ‘kalimah syahadah’ to Haj. This programme is an illuminating way for us to teach them in a fun learning environment and not just by reading about it from books,” she said.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency

PETALING JAYA, Malaysia,GSK Malaysia is committed to its long-term ambition of delivering net zero emissions across all operations by 2030. By striving to reduce its environmental impact, GSK Malaysia announced the launch of its very own Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) campaign called #GiveBack, focusing on safe and responsible disposal of old and used inhalers.

#GiveBack is held through collaborative working with over 50 outlets of Big Pharmacy across the Klang Valley and Seremban and will soon be extended to a nationwide campaign. During this pilot phase of the campaign, patients are encouraged to drop off their used, unwanted or expired inhalers at participating pharmacies to help reduce plastic waste and the adverse effects that the propellant has on the environment.

Source: NAM NEWS NETWORK

MELAKA, The National Level Rukun Negara Oratory Competition for The Tuan Yang Terutama Yang Dipertua Negeri Melaka 2022 Cup which will take place on Sept 15, targets some 3,000 entries in six categories with a total cash prizes of over RM40,000 on offer.

Melaka Unity, Community Relations, Labour and Consumer Affairs Committee chairman, Ngwe Hee Sem said the six categories to be contested are public, non-Malay, institutions of higher learning (IPT), secondary school, secondary schools, primary schools as well as a new category for civil servants.

He said the competition was to give exposure to the people and the younger generation so that they have a better understanding of the meaning of Rukun Negara as the basis of unity and identity of Keluarga Malaysia (the Malaysian Family) apart from nurturing and improving the public’s understanding about the principles of the Rukun Negara.

“Currently, we have received more than 1,000 entries for the secondary and primary school categories since participation opened on June 13. The number of entries is expected to continue to increase until the closing date of entries on July 15.

“The competition is open to the general public in Malaysia and this time, a new category has been introduced namely for civil servants,” he told a press conference here today.

Also present was the Advisor of the competition, Datuk Radhuana Salleh, and the competition director, Datuk Prof Baharudin Puteh.

Ngwe said for the non-Malay category, participation is open to all Malaysians who are non-Malays aged 20 and above while for the public it is open to all Malaysians aged 18 and above.

He said for the IPT category, participation is open to all IPT students while for the secondary and primary schools categories participation is in pairs.

“Participants will have to submit a video of their speech and the entry will go through two screenings before advancing to the finals. The finals will be held at the Melaka International Trade Centre (MITC).

“A total of five participants for each category will advance to the finals and in addition to the cash prizes, the winners will also receive a trophy, a book, and a certificate. Each category will have five winners, namely champion, runner-up, third, and two consolation prizes,” he added.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency

KUALA LUMPUR, United Nations (UN) Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar, Thomas Andrews, has expressed his appreciation for Malaysia’s increasing leadership on the crisis in Myanmar.

Speaking at a press conference in conjunction with his visit to Malaysia, here Thursday, he also urged other Southeast Asian states to adopt a similar approach to address the human rights catastrophe in Myanmar.

He noted that Malaysia has given voice to the obvious fact that more than one year after ASEAN leaders reached the Five Point Consensus (5PCs) on Myanmar, nothing has been moved and more people are being killed or forced to flee the country.

Andrews stressed that too much was at stake for Myanmar and its people to accept complacency and inaction by the international community, saying that was why the leadership being exhibited by Malaysia is so important.

“Foreign Minister Saifuddin (Abdullah) has implored his ASEAN colleagues to not wait for another year of inaction – to not just talk about the five-point consensus but create and engage in an action plan to move forward – an action plan with a time-frame for implementation.

“Malaysia has not only called for ASEAN to engage with the Myanmar National Unity Government (NUG), it has begun engaging with the National Unity Government’s Foreign Minister Zin Mar Aung,” he said.

Andrews who as a former member of the United States Congress is on a mission here from June 17 to 23 to gather information on the situation of human rights in Myanmar and to better understand both the Malaysian and ASEAN responses to the crisis.

Throughout the week, he had met with a number of Malaysian government officials, members of parliament, civil society leaders and individuals from diverse Myanmar communities who have fled the military’s violence and persecution.

Malaysia is the first country he visited in ASEAN.

Sharing his preliminary observations, Andrews said his mission here provided him with a unique opportunity to sit face to face with dozens of men, women and children who fled the horrors that have engulfed many areas of Myanmar, including those who have recently arrived in Malaysia.

“They provided me with firsthand accounts of what they witnessed or directly experienced. These stories, without exception, emphasised the terror that is raging across the country,” he said.

Andrews pointed out that since the Feb 2021 military coup, more than 2,000 civilians have been killed, over 14,000 arrested, and more than one million were internally displaced or have fled the country.

The crisis also plunged Myanmar into an economic and humanitarian crisis that threatens the lives and wellbeing of millions.

Citing his recently published report on children being impacted by the Junta military coup, he said armed groups have killed or injured at least 382 children, while more than 1,400 were detained and at least 142 have been tortured.

“The situation in Myanmar is a human rights catastrophe. People who are fleeing Myanmar are desperately seeking to escape attacks, persecution and torture. They are desperate to save their lives and those of their families,” he added.

He emphasised that it is impossible to address issues related to those seeking refuge in Malaysia and other nations in the region without directly and effectively addressing the crisis inside Myanmar.

“Malaysia not only recognises this fact, it has been willing, through the words and actions of Foreign Minister Saifuddin, to challenge ASEAN to re-examine their current policy on Myanmar,” he said.

Meanwhile, Malaysia’s Foreign Ministry in a statement today said Andrews’s visit reflects the country’s serious commitment to finding a peaceful and lasting solution to the crisis in Myanmar including the crisis in Rakhine, which has led to one of the biggest refugee situations in the region in recent years.

It said while in Malaysia, the Special Rapporteur had the opportunity to engage with the Foreign Minister, officials from the Foreign Ministry and Women, Family and Community Development Ministry, the Parliamentary Select Committee on International Affairs and Parliamentary Select Committee on Women, Children Affairs and Social Development, National Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (SUHAKAM), as well as civil society and community-based organisations.

He also held a roundtable discussion at the Institute of Diplomacy and Foreign Relations (IDFR) on “Human Rights in Myanmar: Perspectives and Realities” and addressed the “High-level Roundtable on Refugee Education: Moving the Agenda Forward” in commemoration of World Refugee Day, organised by the All-Party Parliamentary Group Malaysia (APPGM) and International Islamic University of Malaysia (IIUM).

The Ministry said the UN expert will be presenting an oral report of his visit to Malaysia during the 50th Session of Human Rights Council in Geneva on June 29.

Source: NAM NEWS NETWORK