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The Star
29-06-2025
- General
- The Star
Small school sparks big dreams
BANELE Phaladi wolfed down a thin slice of bread and kissed his mother goodbye before walking around the dilapidated streets of Alexandra township to his colourful classroom at the Kgololo Academy. At this elite primary school in one of the most destitute areas of Johannesburg, classes are small, teachers enthusiastic, and every child is known by name – a learning environment miles away from the under-resourced local state school marred with overcrowding and discipline issues. Jumping between potholes and puddles, 12-year-old Phaladi passed the gates at dawn, welcomed with a cheerful greeting of hugs and high-fives from school staff and his classmates. The daily greeting 'allows us to make sure everyone is seen, who's in a good or bad mood but also who has been injured, sick, or has a bruise,' explained Waahida Tolbert-Mbatha, the 45-year-old American founder of the Kgololo Academy – meaning 'to set free' in local Setswana language. With only 173 learners – an average of 25 per class – the independent school says it aims to provide children with 'a world-class education, within their community'. 'In the public school next door where classes have more than 50 pupils, the teachers have to focus on the few more advanced kids,' said maths teacher Portia Mamba, 32. 'Here we are able to focus on the ones who are struggling. Any child can learn when given the right platform,' she said. Tolbert-Mbatha co-founded the school 10 years ago with her husband Thulani Mbatha, a native of the poverty-stricken township which borders the affluent neighbourhood of Sandton, known as Africa's richest square mile. When Mbatha was a child, a visiting American teacher spotted him writing his homework in an abandoned bus. The teacher tutored him and his friends and eventually funded their university education. 'This completely changed the trajectory for him – but it is problematic that all the people who made it were 'discovered' because they happened to be at the right place at the right time,' said Tolbert-Mbatha, who has a background in teaching. 'We wanted to create an environment where everyone gets discovered,' she said. Quality education at home To achieve academic success, Alexandra's best pupils usually rely on scholarships to private schools in more affluent areas. South Africa's ongoing legacy of racial segregation, even 30 years after the end of apartheid, means the children often stand out in rich, white-majority schools. Kgololo Academy aims to give them – at least at primary school level – access to 'high quality education that doesn't focus on academics only' without having to leave their community, says the school's principal, Nelly Mhlongo. 'It brings a new, fresh air in our community to have a private school in a township,' agrees Phaladi's mother, Eva, who raises her son as a single mother in a house shared with his uncle, aunt and cousins. The fees of about 30,000 rands (RM6,962) per year, a fortune in one of the country's poorest neighbourhoods, are covered more than halfway by NGOs and private donors. Parents and grandparents scrape pennies together to afford the rest. To support the children, who face a myriad of challenges in a community plagued with unemployment and crime, the school has hired two psychologists and a social worker. 'It has been a game-changer' and many pupils now see the counsellors even for everyday issues, said Tolbert-Mbatha, whose own children are also enrolled at the academy. Unlike other prestigious private schools, the key to admission at Kgololo Academy isn't the child's academic prowess, but rather the parents' involvement. 'We can take any student, we cannot take any parent,' the founder said. 'They must create habits to help their kids be successful.' Before heading to their first-period isiZulu lesson, Banele Phaladi and his classmates warmed up with a lively game of musical chairs in the courtyard. The teachers here know how to make learning 'interesting and fun', the good-natured pre-teen said. Next year, Phaladi's commute to school will be very different: like 90% of Kgololo's learners, he has just been awarded a fully-funded ride to a prestigious high school. — AFP
New Straits Times
17-06-2025
- Business
- New Straits Times
Wan Saiful gets court nod for bank statements in Jana Wibawa trial
KUALA LUMPUR: Former Bersatu information chief Datuk Wan Saiful Wan Jan has been granted access to three bank statements to support his defence in the corruption trial involving the Jana Wibawa project. Sessions Court judge Rosli Ahmad allowed the application, ruling that the documents were not privileged and should be disclosed to the defence. Wan Saiful filed the application by naming the public prosecutor, Maybank Taman Tun Dr Ismail branch executive Raja Muhammad Aiman Raja Sa'adi—who is also the 15th prosecution witness—and Maybank Islamic Bhd as respondents. Wan Saiful is seeking a court order compelling all three respondents to provide three Maybank account statements belonging to Nepturis Sdn Bhd from January 2021 to December 2023, in physical or digital form. "This court finds that the three bank statements are not privileged documents, and Maybank should provide those documents to the defence. "If this application is allowed, it will facilitate the cross-examination of the prosecution witness. "If the application is not allowed and is only granted at a later stage, it would require a fresh application to recall Raja Muhammad Aiman. This would clearly delay the trial process and waste the time of all parties involved. "It is also in the interest of the first respondent, as the prosecution, to ease the disclosure of documents that favour the applicant," he said in his ground of judgment dated May 29. The court said the respondents also have a duty to disclose documents favourable to the defence under Section 51 of the Criminal Procedure Code. "In this case, the applicant is charged with soliciting a bribe from Lian Tan Chuan in return for helping Nepturis Sdn Bhd secure the Central Spine Road project: Sertik to the East Coast Expressway Interchange, valued at RM232,000,000 from the government. "The applicant is also accused of receiving RM6,962,694.54, which was transferred from Nepturis Sdn Bhd's Maybank Islamic account to a CIMB Bank account belonging to WSA Advisory Group Sdn Bhd, as a reward for assisting the company in obtaining the letter of award for the project. "The documents requested have the potential to prove the falsity of the charges against the applicant. "This court agrees with the applicant's argument that these documents are important as they will provide a more comprehensive picture of the case," the court said, adding that the respondents would not be prejudiced if the application is allowed. In his supporting affidavit, Wan Saiful said Wan Muhammad Aiman when testifying on Sept 19 and 20, last year, had been referred to and verified several documents, including Nepturis's Maybank account statements. However, the defence was only furnished with bank statements covering the period of July to December 2022 and January to June 2023. The prosecution opposed the application, contending that the three Nepturis's bank statements requested by the Wan Saiful were not essential to the defence.
New Straits Times
16-06-2025
- Business
- New Straits Times
Palm gains higher on Chicago's soyoil, crude oil rally
JAKARTA: Malaysian palm oil futures rose for the third straight session on Monday, tracking gains in Chicago soyoil after the US proposed increasing biofuels blending, and supported by the crude oil rally following tensions in the Middle East. The benchmark palm oil contract for September delivery on the Bursa Malaysia Derivatives Exchange gained RM156, or 3.98 per cent, to RM4,078 (US$961.79) a metric ton by the midday break. US President Donald Trump's administration on Friday proposed increasing the amount of biofuels that oil refiners must blend into the nation's fuel mix over the next two years, driven by a surge in biomass-based diesel mandates, pushing soyoil prices higher. "The broader edible oils market tracked gains in crude oil, as investors reacted to heightened risks of conflict between Israel and Iran. Supply disruption fears lead to heightened risk premiums," said Darren Lim, commodities strategist at Singapore-based brokerage Phillip Nova. The push in higher energy prices increases both palm oil production costs and potential demand for biofuels. In essence, the biofuel sector acts as an alternative energy source to crude oil-derived fuels, he added. Soyoil on the Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT) gained 4.51 per cent. Dalian's most-active soyoil contract was up 2.57 per cent, while its palm oil contract rose 3.76 per cent. Palm oil tracks the price movements of rival edible oils as it competes for a share of the global vegetable oils market. Oil prices were volatile on Monday after surging seven per cent on Friday, as renewed strikes by Israel and Iran over the weekend increased concerns that the battle could widen across the region and significantly disrupt oil exports from the Middle East. Stronger crude oil futures make palm oil a more attractive option for biodiesel feedstock. Exports of Malaysian palm oil products for June 1–15 rose 26.30 per cent to 662,580 metric tons from 524,596 metric tons shipped during May 1–15, cargo surveyor Intertek Testing Services said on Sunday. Palm oil still targets the RM3,962 (US$933.33) to RM3,998 range, as it has almost broken resistance at RM3,927 per metric ton, according to Reuters' technical analyst Wang Tao.
Express Tribune
14-06-2025
- Business
- Express Tribune
K-P proposes Rs157b surplus in Rs2.1tr budget
Listen to article The PTI-led Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa government on Friday presented a Rs2,119 billion surplus budget for fiscal year 2025-26, featuring no new taxes, a 10% salary increase, and a 7% pension hike for government employees. The budget session, presided over by Speaker Babar Salim Swati, began with the recitation of the Holy Quran. Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Ameen Gandapur, opposition leader Dr Ebad Khan, PPP parliamentary leader Ahmed Kundi and leaders of all parties were in attendance. At the outset of the session, opposition members gathered in front of the speaker's desk, carrying placards and banners bearing slogans against alleged corruption and nepotism in the province. Earlier, Governor Faisal Karim Kundi declined to immediately summon the budget session, stressing that he would not act under political pressure. He emphasized that while he was legally bound to respond within 14 days, there was no obligation to comply instantly, especially under what he termed undue influence from the chief minister or other quarters. The chief minister has sent a summary to the governor, requesting to convene the assembly's budget session, but the governor has chosen not to return the summary immediately, leading to a delay in scheduling the session. Presenting the annual budget, Finance Minister Aftab Alam announced that estimated expenditures for the fiscal year 2025-26 would total Rs1,962 billion, with a projected surplus of Rs157 billion. Providing a breakdown, he said the government expects to receive Rs292.340 billion from the federal government for the merged tribal districts. This includes Rs80 billion in current budget grants, Rs39.600 under the Annual Development Program (ADP), Rs50 billion through the Accelerated Implementation Programme (AIP), Rs42.740 billion as inter-provincial share, and Rs17 billion for Temporarily Displaced Persons (TDPs). The minister added that the province anticipates Rs3.293 billion from the Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP), Rs1,506.92 billion in federal transfers, Rs129 billion from provincial own-source revenues and Rs10.250 billion in other receipts, Rs291.340m from merged district receipts, and Rs177.188m in federal project assistance. He said Rs137.912 billion would be collected through the one percent share of the divisible pool allocated for the war on terror, Rs57.115 billion as straight transfers under gas and oil royalties, Rs58.151 billion from the windfall levy on oil, Rs34.580 billion as net hydel profit for current year, and Rs71.410 billion as net hydel profit arrears. The finance minister added that no new taxes have been imposed in the budget. Instead, the tax base has been broadened, with projected tax receipts of Rs83.500 billion and non-tax receipts of Rs45.500 billion for the upcoming fiscal year. Similarly, the other receipts of Rs10.25 billion would include capital receipts of Rs0.250 billion and Rs10 billion other ways and means and Rs1147.761 billion as federal tax assignment. The minister said the government has estimated Rs1,255 billion current expenditures for settled areas including Rs288.514 billion for provincial salaries, Rs288.609 billion tehsil salaries, Rs190.297 billion for pension, Rs334.028 billion for non-salary expenses, Rs65.657 billion on Medical Teaching Institutions (MTIs), Rs37.545 billion non-salary expenditure for tehsils, Rs40.350 billion capital expenditure and Rs10 billion under the head of "other ways and means". Similarly, the current expenditure of merged areas is estimated at Rs160 billion, including Rs56.842 billion for provincial salaries, Rs46.865 billion for tehsil salaries, Rs4.670 billion for pension, Rs24.285 billion for non-salary expenses, Rs17 billion for TDPs and Rs10.339b non-salary tehsil expenditure.
Economic Times
13-05-2025
- Business
- Economic Times
Is the ghost of past subsidies, under-recoveries troubling IndianOil?
What does one expect from an oil marketing major when crude is on a downtrend and retail fuel prices are still high? A robust financial. On paper, that should have been the case with Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL). And yet, the numbers tell a different story. IOCL's net profit for FY25 collapsed to INR12,962 crore – a whopping 67% plunge from INR39,619 crore the year before. Even in the fourth quarter of FY25, when crude prices stabilised
