Tag: Education

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

PUTRAJAYA, March 6 (Bernama) — A regulation or guideline is being studied to ensure the security of social media applications and devices used by civil servants, especially among administrative officers, to protect government secrets, according to Communications and Digital Minister Fahmi Fadzil.

He said Cyber Security Malaysia (CSM) has been asked to scrutinise several aspects relating to security issues involving the use of social media applications at all government offices and agencies.

Fahmi said this was because the use of social media applications, such as TikTok and Facebook in government offices would indirectly reveal some secrets or sensitive matters to the public.

“I have asked the CSM to really scrutinise all social media applications because we don’t want any violation of the Official Secret Act, especially when the administrative officers are handling classified documents. So, the security aspect is really important.

“Secondly, in terms of filming (social media content). We have to make sure whether the filming can be allowed at certain places. That is among the aspects to be looked into,” he told reporters after attending his ministry’s monthly assembly here today.

Noting that some countries had already advanced in the security aspects, Fahmi said his ministry will study the basis, as well as decisions made, so as to ensure that everything can be easily understood and adopted in the Malaysian context or at least provide suitable options.

As such, the minister said agencies such as the Information Department, Broadcasting Department and also the Malaysian National News Agency (Bernama) to intensify efforts to educate people about the dangers of scammers.

He said the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) had also been asked to call up social media platforms that are being used by scammers to commit crimes.

Fahmi also advised Communications and Digital Ministry (KKD) personnel to change their computer passwords regularly to avoid data theft.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency

PUTRAJAYA, March 3 (Bernama) — Malaysia and Spain have inked a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on cooperation in the field of science, technology and innovation, the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MOSTI) said in a statement.

The ministry said the major thrust of the MoU is to promote mutually beneficial cooperation between both countries in the areas of joint research and development, exchange of expertise, joint scientific conferences, common utilisation of scientific facilities and any other areas of cooperation within the framework of the MoU.

The MoU, signed by MOSTI Minister Chang Lih Kang and Science and Innovation Ministry of Spain (MCIN) Secretary General for Research Raquel Yotti, will serve as a catalyst for cooperation in science and technology as well as forging a closer bilateral relationship towards economic advancement.

“With the signing of the MoU, both countries are ready to explore further cooperation and collaboration in the areas of science, technology and innovation, including biotechnology, space sciences, materials and advanced manufacturing,” read the statement.

MOSTI said one of the successful programmes to signify the synergy of collaboration between Malaysia and Spain is the Malaysia Spain Innovating Programme (MYSIP).

The MYSIP is a joint programme between the Malaysian Industry-Government Group for High Technology (MIGHT), an agency under MOSTI, Malaysia’s Higher Education Ministry, and the Centre for the Development of Industrial Technology (CDTI), Spain.

“MYSIP allows for the exploration of new business opportunities through strong industrial research and development partnership towards commercialisation as well as business-led research and development and innovation (R&D&I) collaborative projects between entities, including start-ups from both countries,” it said.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency

JOHOR BAHRU, March 2 (Bernama) — Some 200 students from 10 schools here received assistance in the form of school bags and uniforms worth RM56,000 through the UDA Cares: Back To School 2023 programme.

UDA Holdings Bhd senior vice president of Investment and Property Management Mohd Nazri Jamiran said the assistance was part of the company’s proactive efforts to help and give back to the community, especially those in need.

“It also coincides with UDA’s corporate social responsibility initiative and as one of the agencies under the Entrepreneur Development and Cooperatives Ministry, we are pleased to provide the aid.

“This annual programme is also aimed at easing the burden of parents in preparing for the new school term,” he said in his speech at the Back To School 2023 programme at Angsana Johor Bahru Mall, here today.

Also present were UDA Land (South) Sdn Bhd chief operating officer Muhammad Ismail Dasuki and Angsana Johor Bahru Mall chief operating officer Imran Salleh.

Mohd Nazri said among the schools involved in the programme were Sekolah Kebangsaan Bandar UDA 2, Sekolah Kebangsaan Taman Perling, Sekolah Kebangsaan Sungai Danga and Sekolah Kebangsaan Tasek Utara.

Meanwhile, he said that recently, similar aid was also distributed to 449 students from 14 schools in Kadamaian and Penampang in Sabah involving an allocation of RM60,000.

He added that the programme was also in line with UDA’s new branding concept of ‘LIFE’, which demonstrates UDA’s commitment to building sustainable communities.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 28 (Bernama) — Issues related to education and food security were among the matters raised by several MPs during the debate session for the Supply Bill 2023 at the Dewan Rakyat here today.

Datuk Seri Saifuddin Abdullah (PN-Indera Mahkota) touched on education as he urged the government to mobilise education reform measures to evaluate the implementation of the national education philosophy and policies, beginning at the university level.

“Two reasons it shoud start at universities. First, the goal of nurturing a good man and not merely a good worker should be instilled through the concept of insan kamil (a perfect soul) modelled after the Prophet Muhammad PBUH.

“Secondly, because almost every spectrum of life is determined by university qualifications,” the Perikatan Nasional Education and Higher Education Portfolio chief said.

He also suggested that the Education Ministry consider options to encourage beneficiaries of previous national education policies or programmes to contribute to the country.

“For instance, certain school alumni like full boarding schools or premier schools can be given tax incentives to encourage them to collect funds more aggressively, which can then be used to fund their alma mater’s needs partially,” Saifuddin said.

Touching on the same topic, Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong (BN-Ayer Hitam) urged the government to continue the provision of allocations to all national-type schools, including Chinese-language national-type schools, Tamil national-type schools and also missionary schools under Budget 2023.

“The presentation of the Budget this time is slightly different, so I ask that it (allocation for national-type schools) not be removed as (Finance Minister) Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz had stated RM1.1 billion (in alliocations) in the past and it was ‘over and above’ that of dilapidated schools,” he said.

On food security, Datuk Mohd Shahar Abdullah (BN-Paya Besar) said Malaysia should emulate other developed countries, including four-season countries in terms of food storage technology for use during disasters to control the price of food.

He said though Malaysia was blessed with various crops, livestock and fish, the country often faced food supply shortages and imports have been steadily rising each year.

“A combination of infrastructure and technology is critical to help normalise the fluctuating prices of food due to supply shortages caused by political bans, market inefficiencies, as well as general and environmental crises.

“Food storage technology will boost (food) security levels, logistics is also another issue that needs to be tackled in food security,” Mohd Shahar said.

The Dewan Rakyat will reconvene tomorrow.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 15 (Bernama) — The Ministry of Education (MoE) will appoint school pupils nationwide as the ‘Madani Ambassadors’ at the ministry level in an effort to foster the spirit of unity in line with the Malaysia Madani concept.

Minister Fadhlina Sidek said the matter was inspired by the ‘Festival Semarak Ilmu Tahun 2023’ organised by the Sentul Education Office here today.

“This programme must continue and that the school children who participated in the programme today have been declared by me as ‘Duta Madani Perpaduan’ (Ambassadors of Unity Madani), especially at the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur level.

“MoE will continue programmes like this in an effort to foster unity and also build a Madani nation and strengthen it through this kind of programme,” she told reporters after launching the festival.

Fadhlina said the function of the Madani ambassador is important to create a clearer perspective on unity at the school level and racial integration.

Fadhlina said the MoE-level Ambassador of Unity Madani would be expanded and announced as part of her visits to other states from time to time.

“MoE will appoint school children as Madani Ambassadors of Unity from time to time,” she said.

Meanwhile, the festival was held to highlight the talent, creativity and potential of school students in the Sentul district through a variety of activities including storytelling, folk and traditional dances, choirs, poetry recitation, gamelan and angklung.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency