Latest news with #EducationMinistry
Free Malaysia Today
12 hours ago
- General
- Free Malaysia Today
Cops probe viral sex video involving teacher, married electrician
Alor Gajah police chief Ashari Abu Samah said the case is being investigated under laws covering indecent acts and online misconduct. (Facebook pic) PETALING JAYA : Melaka police have launched an investigation into a leaked sex video allegedly involving a female teacher and a married electrician. Alor Gajah police chief Ashari Abu Samah said the investigation paper was opened under Section 509 of the Penal Code for outraging modesty, and Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998, which deals with the misuse of network facilities. 'The teacher lodged a report as she was dissatisfied with the circulation of the video,' Harian Metro quoted him as saying. He said a preliminary probe into the mobile phone of the man did not uncover any pornographic content. The case will be referred to the deputy public prosecutor for further action. The case went viral on social media, with people sharing video clips of the man's wife confronting the teacher. Also shared were screenshots of lewd conversations on WhatsApp, said to be between the pair. The scandal prompted the education ministry to temporarily suspend the teacher from her duties. Following the uproar, the Melaka shariah high court fined both the teacher, Nur Fadilah Zainal, and the electrician, Hairul Ezuan Hamzah, RM5,000 each for attempting to commit an immoral act earlier this year. They were charged under Section 52 of the Melaka Syariah Offences Enactment 1991. Both paid the fines.
The Star
20 hours ago
- Politics
- The Star
Why is A- no longer an A?
Call for consistency: Dr Wee says the ministry should avoid making arbitrary decisions and changing the goalpost. KUALA LUMPUR: Many students with straight As in their Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) are questioning the fairness of the Education Ministry's matriculation entry requirements. Some 190 of these students have turned to MCA for assistance after the ministry's sudden change in the entry qualifications – where those who scored A- in SPM are not considered to have attained an A, and only A+ and A are accepted, said MCA president Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong. He questioned the 'ad-hoc change' in government policy. In a Facebook video yesterday, Dr Wee noted that the Education Ministry had released a circular on April 30, which was confirmed by Deputy Education Minister Wong Kah Woh on Facebook, that only students with 10As comprising A+ and A in all subjects will be given an automatic offer to enrol into the matriculation programme for the 2025/2026 session. Dr Wee pointed out that this was a significant shift from the government's policy last year when students with 10As in SPM were allocated a place in matriculation, as announced by the Prime Minister. In June last year, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said all SPM students, regardless of background, who scored 10As and above, will get a place in the matriculation programme. Yesterday, Dr Wee said it was odd that now, the matriculation division of the ministry said only 10A+ and A will be automatically given places. 'Last year 5A+, 2A and 3A- is considered 10A. This year, 5A+, 2A and 3A- is considered 7A. What is this?' he asked. With these changes, he said, the ministry has let down many, including outstanding Malay, Chinese, Indian and Orang Asli students from Sabah and Sarawak. 'Now A- is not considered an A anymore. Why move the goalpost? 'Under the Education Ministry standards, A+ is defined as exceptional, A as par excellence and A- as excellent. So, is an excellent grade (A-) no longer excellent?' he asked. Dr Wee said it was common sense to regard all As as excellent, adding that this was something which is practised worldwide. He asked about next year's policy, specifically regarding the Public Service Department's scholarships. 'Avoid making arbitrary decisions and changing the goalpost when people rely on a policy that was promised,' he said. Dr Wee also pointed out that there were no countries that discriminated A- from A+ or A, with varying conditions imposed on the three grades. 'This is common sense and long adopted and accepted globally,' he said. He further said that the Education Minister and her deputy needed to explain where A- sat in the categories now. 'If A- is not in the Grade A category, what then? B? C?' Dr Wee questioned. Earlier yesterday, the party's think tank Insap released a position paper on the matter, saying that the ministry's step undermined Anwar's promise last year that students who score 10As and above in their SPM would be guaranteed entry into the matriculation programme, regardless of racial background. 'This controversy is not a mere technicality. It adversely affects the future of students and their families, erodes trust in the public education system and raises serious questions about policy integrity and administrative transparency,' the paper said. MCA is launching an online complaint channel for affected students and their families. 'Legal aid will be provided to explore judicial review of the retroactive policy change. Town hall sessions and dialogue platforms will be held nationwide,' it added.
Indian Express
a day ago
- Politics
- Indian Express
Students moving away from govt schools, disturbing: Centre to states
Pointing to the 'disturbing trend' of students 'moving away from government schools', and the steady increase in private school enrolment in states, including Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Uttarakhand, the Ministry of Education has asked them to take steps to reverse the trend, official documents show. The enrolment of students came up in meetings that the Education Ministry held with states in March and April to discuss projects for 2025-26 under the Samagra Shiksha scheme. In 10 of the 30 states and Union Territories, minutes of meetings made public so far show, the Union ministry has raised the matter of increasing or higher enrolments in private schools, despite the presence of a higher number of government schools. Additionally, across eight of the 30 states and UTs, the ministry has pointed to decreasing enrolments in government and aided schools. The issue of decreasing enrolments in government schools was also raised in recent meetings that the Ministry had with the states on the PM-POSHAN or midday meal scheme. In Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Uttarakhand, for instance, the secretary of the Education Ministry's Department of School Education and Literacy 'expressed his concerns that in spite of spending a large amount of funds, students are moving away from government schools, which is a disturbing trend'. The minutes of the ministry's meeting with Andhra Pradesh refer to UDISE+ data from 2023-24 to state that out of the 61,373 schools in the state, around 73 per cent (45,000) are government schools, and around 25 per cent (15,232) are private. However, enrolment in government schools is around 46 per cent of the total, while those in private schools is a little more than 52 per cent, according to the minutes. 'Enrolment trend during 2021-22 to 2023-24 suggests that enrolment in unaided schools is steadily increasing,' the minutes state. In Telangana and Uttarakhand, the minutes state that enrolment during the 2018-19 to 2023-24 period suggests that 'except during 2021-22 (COVID-19)', unaided schools witnessed a steady increase. In Telangana, the minutes refer to UDISE+ 2023-24 data to point out that 70 per cent of the 42,901 schools in the state are of the government, but their enrolment accounts for only 38.11 per cent of the total, compared to 60.75 per cent in private schools. Similarly, in Uttarakhand, close to 72 per cent of the total number of schools are of the government. 'However, total enrolment in government schools is only 36.68 per cent as compared to 54.39 per cent enrolment in unaided schools,' the minutes read. In the case of Andhra Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Telangana, the secretary has suggested that the state 'should make a sincere analysis of the root cause so as to take remedial steps and to reverse this trend'. In Tamil Nadu, the Union ministry has pointed out that government schools constitute 64 per cent of the total, and account for 37 per cent of enrolment. In contrast, unaided schools make up 21 per cent of the total, and account for 46 per cent of enrolment. 'In this regard, the State was urged to build the government school brand so as to increase enrolment and make the best use of the available resources,' the minutes state. In Kerala and Maharashtra, the Union ministry flagged a drop in government and aided school enrolments in 2023-24 compared to 2018-19 in Maharashtra, and compared to 2022-23 in Kerala. In response, these states have said they have done a 'data cleansing exercise using Aadhaar verification'. In Mizoram, Nagaland, Tripura, Arunachal Pradesh and Meghalaya, the ministry has raised a drop in enrolment in government and aided schools in 2023-24 compared to figures in 2018-19 for some states and 2022-23 for others. In the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Delhi, Ladakh, Puducherry, and Dadra and Nagar Haveli & Daman and Diu, the Education Ministry has noted that enrolment in private schools is higher compared to government schools, and has referred to this as a 'matter of concern.' A senior official in the Ministry of Education said private school enrolments are particularly high in the junior classes, and that states have been asked to check for reasons for the drop in government school enrolment. The official said, 'With aspirations, demand for private schools has also gone up.' The meetings on the PM-POSHAN scheme referred to a drop in enrolment in government and aided schools, with officials citing a data clean-up and a move to private schools in the post-Covid years as possible reasons. The UDISE+ 2023-24 data shows that private school enrolment accounts for 36 per cent (a little over 9 crore) of the total of 24.80 crore. In 2022-23, private school enrolment was 33 per cent of the total, the same as in 2021-22, and a little less than the 36 per cent recorded in 2020-21. In the pre-pandemic year of 2019-20, private school enrolment accounted for 37 per cent of the total.
Barnama
a day ago
- Science
- Barnama
Saudi's Education Ministry Participates In ITEX 2025 Exhibition In Malaysia
RIYADH, May 30 (Bernama-SPA) -- The Saudi's Education Ministry is participating in the International Invention, Innovation and Technology Exhibition (ITEX 2025), which is being held in the Malaysia's capital, Kuala Lumpur, from May 29 to 31. The ministry's participation includes 20 high school students who are inventors and innovators, having qualified through the National Olympiad for Scientific Creativity (Ibdaa), Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported. They will compete in the accompanying World Young Inventors Exhibition (WYIE). bootstrap slideshow The Saudi team will showcase their innovative projects in the fields of technology and invention. These projects reflect the students' application of higher-order thinking skills and problem-solving through research and innovation. The exhibition also provides an opportunity for them to exchange expertise with leading young minds from around the world and learn from inspiring experiences in a creative, scientific environment that fosters their abilities, skills, and talents. The ministry's participation in this scientific event aligns with its commitment to supporting innovation and scientific creativity, nurturing the skills of talented students in the fields of innovation, scientific research, and entrepreneurship. It aims to empower and motivate students to develop their projects into marketable products, while also enhancing their competitiveness in global exhibitions, according to SPA. This effort contributes to enhancing an educational environment that fosters creativity and innovation, in line with the objectives of Saudi Vision 2030.
Indian Express
2 days ago
- Politics
- Indian Express
Education Ministry flags steady increase in private school enrolment in states, asks them to reverse trend
Pointing to the 'disturbing trend' of students 'moving away from government schools', and the steady increase in private school enrolment in states, including Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Uttarakhand, the Ministry of Education has asked them to take steps to reverse the trend. The matter of enrolment of students came up in meetings that the Education Ministry held with the states in March and April to discuss their projects for the 2025-26 year under the Samagra Shiksha scheme. In 11 of the 23 states and Union Territories, for which meeting minutes have been made public so far, the Union ministry has raised the matter of increasing enrolments in private schools, and decreasing enrolments in government and aided schools, despite these states having a higher number of government schools. A similar matter, on decreasing enrolments in government schools, was raised in recent meetings that the Ministry had with the states on the PM-POSHAN or midday meal scheme as well. In Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, and Uttarakhand, for instance, the secretary of the Education Ministry's Department of School Education and Literacy 'expressed his concerns that in spite of spending a large amount of funds, students are moving away from government schools, which is a disturbing trend.' The minutes of the ministry's meeting with Andhra Pradesh refer to UDISE+ data from 2023-24 to state that out of the 61,373 schools in the state, around 73 per cent (45,000) are government schools, and around 25 per cent (15,232) are private ones. However, enrolment in government schools is around 46 per cent of the total enrolment, while enrolment in private schools is a little more than 52 per cent of the total, going by the minutes. 'Enrolment trend during 2021-22 to 2023-24 suggests that enrolment in unaided schools is steadily increasing,' the minutes state. In Telangana and Uttarakhand, the minutes say that the enrolment trend during the 2018-19 to 2023-24 period suggests that 'except during 2021-22 (COVID-19)', enrolment in unaided schools is steadily increasing. In Telangana, it refers to UDISE+ 2023-24 data to point out that 70 per cent of the 42,901 schools in the State are government ones, but enrolment in government schools accounts for only 38.11 per cent of the total enrolment, compared to 60.75 per cent of the total enrolment being in private schools. Similarly, in Uttarakhand, close to 72 per cent of the total number of schools in the state are government ones. 'However, total enrolment in government schools is only 36.68 per cent as compared to 54.39 per cent enrolment in unaided schools,' the minutes read. In the case of Andhra Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Telangana, the secretary has suggested that the state 'should make a sincere analysis of the root cause so as to take remedial steps and to reverse this trend.' In Tamil Nadu, the Union ministry has pointed out that government schools constitute 64 per cent of the total number of schools, and account for 37 per cent of student enrolment. In contrast, unaided schools make up 21 per cent of the total, and account for 46 per cent of enrolment. 'In this regard, the State was urged to build the government school brand so as to increase enrolment and make the best use of the available resources,' the minutes stated. In Kerala and Maharashtra, the Union ministry flagged a drop in government and aided school enrolments in 2023-24 compared to 2018-19 in Maharashtra, and compared to 2022-23 in Kerala. In response, these states have said that they have done a 'data cleansing exercise using Aadhaar verification'. In the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Delhi, Ladakh, Puducherry, and Dadra and Nagar Haveli & Daman and Diu, the Education Ministry has noted that enrolment in private schools is higher compared to government schools, and has referred to this as a 'matter of concern.' A senior official in the Ministry of Education said that private school enrolments are particularly high in the junior classes, and that states have been asked to check for reasons for the drop in government school enrolment. The official added: 'With aspirations, demand for private schools has also gone up.' The meetings on the PM-POSHAN scheme had referred to a drop in enrolments in government and aided schools, with officials citing a data clean-up and a move to private schools in the post-COVID years as possible reasons. The UDISE+ 2023-24 data shows that private school enrolment accounts for 36 per cent (a little over 9 crore) of the total school enrolment of 24.80 crore. In 2022-23, private school enrolment was 33 per cent of the total, the same as the figure in 2021-22, and a little less than the 36 per cent recorded in 2020-21. In the pre-pandemic year of 2019-20, private school enrolment accounted for 37 per cent of the total. (UDISE+ data. Total enrolment includes govt aided schools)
