Category: Literacy

Vice President and Education Secretary Sara Duterte on Tuesday visited oil spill-affected schools in Pola, Oriental Mindoro, and pushed for blended learning amid their high number of absences. In a statement, Duterte said she visited both the Tagumpay Elementary School and High School in Pola. “Kabilang ang mga paaralang ito sa may mataas na bilang ng absences ng mga estudyante dahil sa oil spill na nangyari sa probinsya. Iminungkahi natin na ipatupad ang blended learning sa mga panahong nahihirapan ang mga estudyante sa pagpasok dahil sa kalamidad (These schools are among those with a high number of student absences due to the oil spill in the province. We recommended implementing blended learning in times like this when learners are struggling due to calamity),” she said. Besides resorting to alternative delivery modes, such as online classes or modular setup, Duterte also urged learners to be collaborative with their classmates to improve their reading skills. ‘Dapat yung mga hindi pa marunong magbasa, huwag nating awayin, huwag nating kantyawan, huwag nating pagtawanan. Dapat yung mga hindi pa marunong magbasa, dapat nating turuan. Kailangan natin tulungan (For [your classmates] who are not yet able to read, we should not fight them or mock them or laugh at them. We should teach them. We need to help them),” she said. She said this is significant to help learners improve their communication skills and self-development. Apart from the two schools, Duterte also visited the Leandro Panganiban Sr. – Tagumpay High School, where the school head raised concerns and gave an update on the current situation. Meanwhile, the vice president provided financial aid to 289 parents of affected learners in the area, in partnership with the Department of Social Welfare and Development. The Office of the Vice President said four oil spill-affected barangays have received PHP20,216 worth of aid each.

Source: Philippines News Agency

The Ministry of Higher Education (MOHE) has never prevented any party, including politicians, from entering and holding programmes at public higher education institutions (IPTA).

Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin, however, said that those who want to hold any programme at IPTA need to discuss with their management first.

“Maybe there was a communication breakdown, so we really hope that both parties can meet up and rearrange the programme so that it can be held at another time,” he told a press conference after chairing the Johor UMNO Liaison Committee meeting here today.

The Kota Tinggi MP was commenting on an incident where Muar MP Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman was barred from entering Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) Shah Alam for a dialogue session on Thursday.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency

Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) and the Malaysian Institute of Translation and Books (ITBM) are collaborating to strengthen the field of translation and editing between the two parties.

UMS vice-chancellor Prof Datuk Dr Kasim Mansor in a statement said the collaboration, among other things, aims to increase the number of certified translators and editors among UMS academic staff.

He said the move was also to highlight UMS as a hub of quality translation and editing services in Sabah and in Malaysia.

The memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed by Kasim and ITBM managing director and CEO Sakri Abdullah and ITBM business development manager Nor Azanizan Anawar at the UMS Senate meeting room here today.

According to Kasim, UMS and ITBM have agreed to cooperate on three matters, including organising a Translation and Editing Workshop for UMS academic staff and to promote the university’s visibility and prestige as ITBM’s East Malaysia hub.

“Another is to give exposure, training and opportunities to UMS academics to publish books without the complexity of the publishing process and problems of cost,” said Kasim.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency

KUALA LUMPUR, A total of 13.4 per cent of children and teenagers living in People’s Housing Projects (PPR) in Kuala Lumpur and Selangor, have thoughts of suicide or hurting themselves due to the pressures of life, according to a study.

The study conducted by the Institute For Health Behavioural Research and the Health Ministry (MOH) in collaboration with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) also found 12.3 per cent of this group have mental health problems such as depression and anxiety.

Deputy Health Minister Lukanisman Awang Sauni said the study on ‘Contributing Factors to Psychological Distress, Coping Strategies and Help-Seeking Behaviours among Adolescents Living in the Klang Valley’s People’s Housing Projects’ was conducted in 37 PPRs involving 1,578 children and teenagers aged between 10 and 17.

He said the factors contributing to mental health problems among children and teenagers include economic pressure, cramped living conditions and peer pressure.

“The findings of such studies allow the MOH and other agencies to work together to understand mental health problems among this group and identify strategic solutions to overcome the issues holistically.

“All parties must focus on mental health and play their respective roles in the mental well-being of the community. It’s everybody’s business,” he said after launching the Myhealthymind@PPR community programme and technical report of the study here today.

Elaborating, Lukanisman said the study’s qualitative findings also showed that most teenagers experiencing emotional problems deal with stress in unhealthy ways, such as by smoking and consuming illegal substances.

He said the study, to be presented at the Mental Health Promotion Advisory Council Meeting to be chaired by Health Minister Dr Zaliha Mustafa on March 22, also suggested measures that need to be implemented through collaboration with various ministries, agencies and non-governmental bodies.

He further said that the MOH, through the Psychosocial Support Helpline, set up during the COVID-19 pandemic, received 308,445 calls between March 25, 2020 to Dec 31, 2022, of which 228,480 calls, or 72.2 per cent, were from those who needed emotional support and counselling due to chronic stress, depression and anxiety.

“The helpline service has been upgraded to the National Mental Health Crisis Line or HEAL Line 15555, which operates daily, including public holidays, from 8 am to midnight. The helpline is manned by MOH psychology counselling officers.

“The HEAL Line, operational since Oct 21, 2022, has received 8,904 calls, of which 97 callers had suicidal behaviour and attempted suicide, and of this, HEAL managed to save 51 cases of attempted suicide and referred them (callers) to hospitals,” he said.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency

PORT DICKSON, March 8 (Bernama) — The Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security (KPKM) intends to turn agribusiness into a more attractive, career choice using the latest trends, especially through the use of technology in line with the Industrial Revolution 4.0 (IR4.0).

KPKM deputy minister, Chan Foong Hin said this would foster an interest in farming among the younger generation as well as turn it into a highly regarded profession and ensure the country’s food security.

“Among KPKM’s directions this year is to rejuvenate the agricultural sector because we are now experiencing a challenge where padi farmers are getting older. Therefore, to attract the interest of young people in this field we should encourage the use of modern technology in agriculture,” he told reporters.

“They (younger generation) do not like using ‘cangkul’ (hoes), nor working in the sun so they can use drones. There is no issue of not having technology, it already exists in Malaysia, for example drones, artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics. Everything is already there, it is just how the farmer wants to adapt to the modern way of cultivation,” he told reporters.

He said this after officiating at the National Agricultural and Food Engineering Convention (NAFEC) 2023, organised by the Malaysian Society of Agricultural and Food Engineers (MSAE) and Federal Agricultural Marketing Authority (FAMA) which will take place here from today.

He said therefore, the ministry was undertaking various efforts towards this direction and this includes organising conventions such as NAFEC, the Malaysian Agriculture, Horticulture and Agro Tourism Exhibition (MAHA) and Young Agropreneur Tour as well as the offer of low-interest loans by Agrobank.

In the meantime, Chan said that in line with the development of the latest wireless communication technology such as 5G, it can also contribute towards the empowerment of smart agriculture which allows users to learn new and up-to-date agricultural knowledge virtually.

Meanwhile, he said NAFEC can be used as a platform to spread awareness, information, technology, and expertise to the community and support the government’s policy in making the agro-food sector a major contributor to the gross domestic product.

He said that it is also in line with the main thrust of the National Agro-Food Policy 2021-2030 (DAN 2.0) which emphasises the importance of applying the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) technology through modernisation and smart agriculture to increase the productivity of the country’s agricultural products.

“The agricultural engineering field needs to be emphasised in order to remain relevant in the development of the country’s agro-food sector through the adaptation of the latest technology, especially the application of smart agriculture and 4IR technology,” he said.

NAFEC is an MSAE initiative since 2018 with various agencies including academics, legal practitioners and industry parties among others to discuss the latest technology, needs and problems of the agriculture and food industry.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency