mengingati kebesaran Allah...

Hari ini 2009 genaplah peritiwa terkandas kerana Banjir yang saya lalui bersama anak -anak dan isteri ketika dalam perjalanan balik dari memberi ceramah dengan ICAT di Lundu. Saya sempat menelefon Puan Jossie Nyigor dan berterima kasih kepada beliau serta anak yang bersusah payah menumpang kami berempat bermalam di rumah mereka di perkampungan Grogo bersebelahan sebuah Restoran Red Dragon jalan Bau-Lundu.

Kami bertolak sekitar jam 6.15 pagi dari Union Resort di Lundu dan sampai di Kawasan Grogo sekitar jam 7.00. Air sudah separas lutut. Jam 1030 pagi kami cuba berpatah balik mencari jalan pulang alternatif tetapi tanah runtuh di pertengahan jalan. Jam 12 tengahari air sudah memenuhi jalan raya di hadapan restoran Red Dragon ditambah hujan turun terus-terusan. Jam 9 malam air semakin naik dan keluarga Puan Jossie menjemput kami ke rumah termasuk dua keluarga yang lain(tetapi mereka menolak). Lalu kamipun bermalam di rumah Puan Jossie dan bertolah balik ke Kuching 12 Januari 2009 (Isnin melalui Jalan Rambungan).

Satu pengalaman yang amat mendidik dan mengajar kami erti kebesaran Illahi yang sebetulnya. Subhana Allah Walhamdulillah,Walaillahaillallah wa Allahbhu Akhbar.

Ramadhan Al Mubaraq datang lagi...

Sudah agak lama blog ini saya tidak berkesempatan mengurusnya. Kesibukan demi kesibukan datang dan pergi. Kini sinar Ramadhan datan lagi membawa imbauan kesyahduan ibadah tahun-tahun silam, bersama keluarga, sanak saudara terdekat yang kini sudah tiada. Sesungguhnya bulah penuh barakah ini adalah bulan tafakur yang banyak sekali menyimpan rahsia akan kebesaran Allah swt. Marilah kita sama-sama menunaikan fardhu puasa dengan penuh kesyukuran dan keimanan.

Talking to SK Kidurong teachers: a lecture preview

On the 19 of June I was invited to deliver a lecture at Teachers' Day Celebration for Bintulu Division. The chairperson for the program was Mdm Caroline, the school head of SK Kidurong, Bintulu. As soon I came out of the arrival hall Bintulu Airport, I was driven to SK Kidurong when I was invited to meet teachers of SK Kidurong. I took it as my lecture preview which I was supposed to deliver in the afternoon at UPM Bintulu.

Teachers who attended the preview were young, enthusiastic and very forward looking. Sharing my experience as a primary school teacher with them was based on a notion that a teacher stood conspicuously wherever he/she serve. Three points that I shared were:

1. Teachers need to make the difference
2. Stand firmly by the profession
3. Promote professional development.

Caroline, the school head was always referred as a living example as she had just graduated as an adult learner and passed with first class honours in Education Management from UiTM Sarawak, Samarahan.

SMK Ulu Balingian perlu perhatian segera atasi masalah bekalan air bersih

Lawatan saya ke SMK Ulu Balingian pada Februari 24 yang lalu telah mendapati masalah kritikal dari segi bekalan air di sekolah tepi jalan besar itu. Pengetuanya Encik Wong telah memeberitahu saya bahawa mereka telah mengalami masalah bekalan air sejak peristiwa banjir Januari tahun ini apabila enjin pam sekolah telah musnah. Kini mereka menunggu enjin pam dibaiki sementara pihak berwajib telah dimaklumi akan keperluan enjin pam yang baru. Namun kedud-dua harapan tersebut masih mereka tunggu dengan penuh harapan.

Lawatan kedua saya pada 23 April yang lalu mendapati kedua-duanya belum menjadi realiti. Langkah yang sedang diambil pihak sekolah ialah membeli air dari Jabatan Kerja Raya Sibu. Pengangkutan air ke sekolah ialah tiga atau empat kali sehari dengan penghantaran sekitar 400 galon satu perjalanan. Tangki di tandas guru dan murid telah kering sejak lebih tiga bulan yang lalau sementara guru-guru dan pelajar asrama menghadapi masalah kritikal pada sebelah malam.

Kini musim kemarau. SMK Ulu Balingian terus menghadapi masalah bekalan air. Sejak sekolah ini wujud lebih 20 tahun yang lalu, ia beroperasi dengan kemudahan asas seperti bekalan api dan air dengan operasi sendiri. Janakuasa yang dioperasi sendiri pihak sekolah dikendalikan oleh pekerja am sekolah yang tidak terlatih dalam pengoperasian janakuasa. Begitu juga enjin pam air yang dikendalikan pekerja am sekolah. Masalah pembaikpulihan dikendali sendiri pekerja am berkenaan.

Situasi yang dialami SMK Ulu Balingian berlaku di beberapa sekolah pedalaman yang lain di neheri Sarawak, sama ada sekolah menengah mahupun sekolah rendah. Kebijaksanaan pengetua dan pengurusan sekolah amat penting apabila masalah seperti yang dihadapi SMK Ulu Balingian terjadi.

Peserta NPQEL IAB yang saya lawati Jackson Apong mempunyai program pengisian yang baik untuk SMK Ulu Balingian. Fokus beliau ialah kecerian sekolah dengan membina pondok bacaan dan riadah bagi para pelajar dan guru. Saya sempat memberi beberapa input penambahbaikan untuk program tersebut memandangkan sekolah tersebut mempunyai pelajar yang datang dari kawasan pedalaman dan lebih 90 peratus adalah adalah penghuni asrama.Gambar di atas dan kanan bawah menunjukan kesan hujan lebat Januari 2009 yang menyebab banjir
di kawasan rendah sekolah dan meranapkan rumah pam air sekolah.

Saddam dalam kenangan..

Apabila mengikuti perkembangan di Iraq hari ini, tidak dapat tidak kenangan terhadap Saddam Hussein kembali mengimbau. Terbaru, ialah peristiwa melontar kasut oleh Muntazah Al Zaidi, wartawan Iraq, kepada Bush. Peristiwa tersebut masih menjadi bahan berita yang hangat. Ekoran laporan mengenai peistiwa tersebut juga beberapa individu dan kelompok tertentu telah menyatakan kesanggupan membiayai kos perbicaraan AL Zaidi. Ada juga yang membuat kasut gergasi menyerupai kasut yang telah dilontar Al Zaidi. Tidak kurang juga yang mendakwa kasut tersebut telah dibeli Al Zaidi dari kedainya di samping beberapa syarikat mengeluarkan model kasut tersebut sebagai nilai tambah jualan kasut syarikatnya.

Al Zaidi adalah manusia biasa yang telah mengambil tindakan luar biasa. Kesannya, dua insiden serupa berlaku di Britai dan di India selepas itu.Ini semua pengaruah seorang insan bernama Saddam Hussein yang dibunuh oleh rejim pro Amerika. Kematian Saddam Al Zaidi ditali gantung bukan sahaja mengaibkan ahli keluarganya tetapi turut diratapi para penyokongnya, tidak kurang juga di kalangan pemimpin negara-negara Islam seluruh dunia.

Seminar Budaya Melayu Sarawak 15-21 Mac 2009

Seminar Budaya Melayu Sarawak 2009 akan berlangsung dari 5 hingga 21 Mac 2009. Acara perasmian akan dilangsungkan di Dewan Santapan Dewan Udangan Negeri Sarawak Petra Jaya pada 15 Mac bermula jam 7.30 malam.

Beberapa acara menarik telah dirancang sepanjang minggu. Antaranya Seminar budaya, Bazarnita, Ceramah Tokoh, anugerah budaya melayu persembahan bangsawan dll.

Tempat-tempat acara ialah di Dewan Santapan DUN Sarawak dan Kompleks Pusat Pelancnongan

Mesyuarat Cadangan Bajet Seminar
dengan YB Datuk Amar Hj Awang Tengah
Ali Hassan, Timbalan Pengerusi AYBMS

Perasmian dijangka disempurnakan oleh YAB Penhin Sri Haji Abdul Taib Mahmud, Ketua Menteri Sarawak sementara penutupan akan disempurnakan oleh TYT Yang DiPertua Negeri Sarawak pada 21 Mac 2009.

Menangani Perubahan.. Kembara Pendidikan Yayasan Sarawak di SMK Mukah

It has been no easy task talking about change to students. The concept itself is a little bit ambiguous. Explaining it requires tangible examples, demonstration and articulatory justification while students' own experience is substantially needed.

Sarawak Foundation annual education tour (Kembara Pendidikan) this time around set-foot at Mukah Secondary School, with both parents and students as their target group.

About 200 students attended my two-hour session; to convince them why they need to prepare for change and how to equip themselve for a quite "uncertain" future of the job market.

The students were very active, well-behaved and responsive. The teachers who took charge of the session provided excellent assistance altogether. Zakiah's leadership as a senior principal was proven effective and proactive

Selamat Hari Raya 1429

Kepada semua teman dan taulan saya mengucapkan Selamat menyambut Hari Raya 1429, mohon ampun dan kemaafan sekiranya terdapat kesilapan sepanjang tahun ini dan semoga kita semua mendapat pahala daripada ibadah puasa yang telah kita tunaikan, Amin.

"Revisiting" PPSMI..

16 NGO telah menggesa supaya Sains dan Matematik diajar dalam Bahasa Melayu. Setelah enam tahun dilaksanakan keberkesanan PPSMI adalah belum ketara. Keberkesanan perbelanjaan adalah 100% mengambilkira semua agihan untuk tujuan tersebut telah dibelanjakan oleh semua PTJ seluruh negara dan di setiap lapisan institusi pendidikan negeri. Yang ketara ialah terjejasnya penguasaan Bahasa Melayu di kalangan pelajar. Kekhuatiran NGO berkenaan memang berasas sebab kesan serta-merta PPSMI ialah bukan pada konteks pelaksanaannya tetapi terhadap masyarakat umumnya khususnya rakyat yang berpendidikan luar negara dan golongan rakyat yang bukan penutur asli Bahasa Melayu. Namun di kalangan sekolah-sekolah jenis kebangsaan, kegelisahan mereka juga telah ditunjukkan sejak awal-awal lagi kerana sebelum 2003 sekolah berkenaan menggunakan bahasa Ibunda dalam pengajaran semua mata pelajaran kecuali Bahasa Inggeris dan Bahasa Melayu. Bagi orang Melayu sendiri pun ramai yang masih melihat dasara sebelum ini telah cukup mantap dan telah terbukti hampir setengah abad akan kesan positifnya. Syabas kepasa Datuk Hassan Ahmad, Mantan KP DBP, Datuk Hashim Omar, Mantan Timbalan Ketua Pengarah Pendidikan Malaysia dan NGO-NGO yang telah mengadakan perbincangan meja bulat mengenai pelaksanaan PPSMI.

SELAMAT BERPUASA

Saya mengucapkan selamat berpuasa kepada semua teman dan sahabat semoga kita semua diberi kesihatan dan kesejahteraan sepanjang bulan ibadah penuh barakah ini.
Kesabaran kita adalah kunci iltizam memenuhi seruan Allah SWT menunaikan puasa yang sempurna. Amin.

Akhirnya Kerajaan bersikap perihatin..

Saya telah menulis tentang harga minyak yang turun-naik sejak Julai, sebulan setelah Kerajaan menaikkannya dari RM1.90 kepada RM2.70 (RM2.69 bagi Sarawak/Sabah). Hari ini harga minyak diturunkan sebanyak 15 sen bagi RON97 dan 22 sen bagi RON92; dan masing-masingnya akan turun kepada RM2.55 dan RM2.40 mulai tengah malam ini. Pasaran hadapan minyak ialah sekitar USD120.00-USD121.00, penurunan sebanyak antara USD12.00-USD13.00. Syabas dan terima kasih atas pertimbangan dan tindakan tersebut. Berikut ialah petikan daripada laporan Bernama

Petrol And Diesel Price To Drop Saturday

PUTRAJAYA, Aug 22 (Bernama) -- The petrol and diesel price will drop by between eight sen and 22 sen respectively Saturday.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi announced Friday that the Cabinet had decided that the price of RON97 petrol be reduced by 15 sen to RM2.55 a litre from RM2.70, while RON92 would cost 22 sen less at RM2.40 a litre from RM2.62 a litre.

The retail price of diesel would drop by eight sen to RM2.50 a litre, he said in a statement.

The petrol price was determined by taking into account the actual price from Aug 1 to 21 and the 30 sen per litre subsidy borne by the government while the subsidy for diesel, based on the new price, was 50 sen a litre.

"The cabinet today decided to bring forward the enforcement date for adjustment of the new petrol price," he said.

Abdullah said the decision was made after taking into account the fall in the world fuel price in recent weeks and the steep rise in the inflation rate last month.

The Consumer Price Index (CPI) for last month, as announced today, rose by 8.5 per cent compared with July last year.

"It is the government's hope that the reduction in the petrol and diesel price will help ease the burden of consumers and reduce the inflationary pressure, especially on the low- and middle-income earners. The decision is also based on the current economic development," the prime minister said.

On Aug 1, the government announced that the petrol retail price till the end of the year would be adjusted on the first of every month, with the subsidy maintained at 30 sent per litre.

However, the prime minister said the adjustment formula would only be implemented if the retail price of petrol was less than RM2.70 per litre. Otherwise the price would be capped at that.

On June 5, the government raised the petrol price by 78 sen or 41 per cent from RM1.92 to RM2.70 a litre and diesel by RM1 or 63 per cent from RM1.58 to RM2.58 a litre.

At that time the world oil price was US$125 a barrel and it continued to rise to hover at US$140 a barrel at one time but has been on a downward trend since early this month.

The price was around US$115 a barrel last week and US$121 a barrel yesterday.

With today's announcement, the drop in price of RON97 petrol was 5.5 per cent, RON92 (8.4 per cent) and diesel (3.1 per cent).

-- BERNAMA

Just One More Time..What satisfy teachers?

Findings based on my research on teachers' career satisfaction about eight years ago when pursuing my doctoral studies at UWA, has been shared in a number of forums locally and abroad. When the initial proposal was submitted to the Graduate School of Education, UWA in Perth in 1999, I secured a travel grant from the Australian Government, giving me an opportunity to present my paper at an international conference on teaching in Hong Kong. I remembered one question was asked by one of the participants: What actually satisfy teachers?

Last Wednesday, 20 August 2008, on my way back to Kuching via Brunei, Dr. Haji Loji Haji Saibi, Principal of Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Foundation Secondary School invited me to talk to his teachers (including those from the primary and preschool). I recalled giving him my book "Quality Burnout: an investigation of teachers' career satisfaction in Sarawak" and he ticked me on it this time. I recalled Dr. Loji's research was on work attitude and has also written a book on it. His interest on the subject began when pursuing his doctorate at QUT Brisbane more than 15 years ago.

Conceptually, career or job satisfaction refers to the pleasurable emotional state resulting from the appraisal of one's job as achieving or facilitating the achievement of one's job values (Locke, 1969:319). On the notion, coupled with a few other definitions, I discussed the context in which the environment Asean teachers are working. There are subjective situations. In Brunei, I presumed, there is no such thing as an issue of satisfaction with regards to pay and work environment. However, I was given to understand that there are things of cultural and professional in nature especially in term of sustaining the particular level of satisfaction among teachers. The school where Dr. Haji Loji is the CEO (in professional sense) is well funded. Teachers are trained and experienced. Quite a number are foreign teachers. The time I spent with the teachers was quite limited as I was rather in a hurry to catch my flight back to Kuching, happened to be the last flight on schedule. Thanks to Dr. Haji Loji and his teachers for giving me the opportunity to visit and talk to the teachers; brief but meaningful indeed.

Voice of concern- what should be the basis for teachers' quota in Malaysian schools?

How does curriculum implementation influence teachers' quota? This was the question I posed to a group of about 30 school inspectorates in Sabah when presenting a staff development lecture on Curriculum Management las Monday 18 August 2008 (1400-1600) at Kompleks Tabung Haji Kota Kinabalu. It is indeed almost insignificant to deliberate on teachers' quota in Malaysian schools based on the National Curriculum because there is no mention how schools subject are used as the determinant for teaching personnel a school should have. I was (again) mentioning the skill-based teachers' quota whereby each subject is sub-allocated into various skills as coherent to the learning objectives set for the students. In language subjects, at least five skills ought to be looked into: writing, spelling, grammar, composition and oral skill. The allocation of teachers based on these will allow a school to have five teachers for English Language for lower primary (year 1-3). This has been practised in a number of countries, developing and developed.