Latest news with #NeverSuchInnocence
Daily Express
23-04-2025
- General
- Daily Express
Keningau Vocational College student third in speech contest
Published on: Wednesday, April 23, 2025 Published on: Wed, Apr 23, 2025 By: Johan Aziz Text Size: Nurul Nadiirah's speech, titled 'To Thwart a War is to Educate the Young,' emphasised the importance of school education in equipping students with basic skills to handle conflict peacefully, while nurturing the minds and hearts of the younger generation to always prioritise human wellbeing and global peace. KENINGAU: Nurul Nadiirah Naquyyah Jusinin, 18, a third-year student at the Electrical Technology programme at Keningau Vocational College (KVC), secured third place in the Conversation on Conflict competition under the speech category for the 16-18 age group. The results of this international competition, organized by UK-based Never Such Innocence, were officially announced on its website on April 18. She was the only Malaysian to place in the top three of the competition, which was divided into four categories across four age groups ranging from 11 to 18 years old. Nurul Nadiirah's speech, titled 'To Thwart a War is to Educate the Young,' emphasised the importance of school education in equipping students with basic skills to handle conflict peacefully, while nurturing the minds and hearts of the younger generation to always prioritise human wellbeing and global peace. This category required participants to submit an original written speech along with a video or audio recording of the oral delivery of the speech. The first-place winner for the 16-18 age group was an American while second place winner was a British. Nurul Nadiirah expressed her deep appreciation for the achievement, noting how competitive this annual Never Such Innocence competition is, especially since she was the only Malaysian to make it into the top three across all categories. The college director, Lumang Anak Lang, congratulated the student for this historic achievement since English language is extremely vital for vocational students to thrive in the industry. This also aligns with the mission of the Malaysian Ministry of Education to enhance English proficiency among students including those in vocational colleges.
The Independent
28-03-2025
- Entertainment
- The Independent
In a time of global conflict, we can learn from war poems
WAR POEMS I once tossed a couple of war poems into one of my books Like hand grenades, because war was happening right then When 'then' was 'now'. 'They will be out of date and irrelevant', The critic wrote, her pen attaching my irrelevance To that war and her own smile, as if catching those killings Like netted butterflies, but between words, was futile, As if war poets were pointless and even a poem about the fall Of the Berlin Wall would be outdated before it hit the page Because it could only happen once, and is already over. Her observation Was distilled in a head that so badly wanted to undo me, It was as if she disinvented all the wars that festered and boiled At the edges of humanity for that sole purpose. But they are the cautionary tales in which we tread The sharply splintered bones of our ancestors, so we should know better. As judge I now turn the pages of teenage poems, the poets Tending the graveside flowers of their own battlefields In competition for a charity: Never Such Innocence. They write about new wars, old wars, wars with body part metaphors, So many wars to choose from. They each describe the means Of all possible endings, in their efforts to end new beginnings.
