2 theSun
news without borders
by Husna Yusop
newsdesk@thesundaily.com
PUTRAJAYA: The government
will conduct a study to assess the
quality of the country’s education
system by getting views from both
local and foreign experts.
Deputy Prime Minister Tan
Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said the
study would be used as a guide
to draft the strategies to be taken
to enhance the quality of national
education.
“Quality is the key word. For
our children’s future, we cannot
compromise on quality. We want
to see how far we have succeeded
and what additional initiatives can
be taken to enhance the quality of
our system.
“We received feedback that
when compared with elsewhere,
there is still room for improve-
ment. We hope the study will tell
us exactly where we stand,” he
added.
Muhyiddin, who is also educa-
tion minister, spoke to reporters
after delivering his message at his
maiden ministry staff monthly as-
sembly yesterday.
On Prime Minister Datuk Seri
Najib Abdul Razak’s call for inno-
vation and creativity to be instilled
in schools, Muhyiddin said the
ministry would look into what has
been implemented thus far.
“The prime minister wants to
see how we should enhance it (in-
novation) not only at the level of
educators or teachers but more so
among the students, for example
in terms of examination, IQ test
and intelligence level.
“Some tests can be organised
to see whether they are creative
in thinking. Some of the activities
in class which has something to
do with innovative ideas can also
be looked at. Students who come
briefs
Govt to buy Sabah
Medical Centre
KOTA KINABALU: The govern-
ment will buy a private hospital
– the Sabah Medical Centre, to help
overcome the health service prob-
Govt to assess
quality of education
up with new bright ideas can be
rewarded,” he said.
Asked to comment on Deputy
Education Minister Datuk Dr Wee
Ka Siong’s repeated calls for his-
tory textbooks to be reviewed and
his concern that there was very
little mention of the contribution
of all races towards independence,
Muhyiddin said: “What is history,
is history. People cannot rewrite
or reinvent history. What is past
and has been recognised as part
of history of this country, should
be recognised and of course hope-
fully, is written in a manner that
is correct.
“I have not had a chance to look
at the history books but, obviously,
there must be some basis why they
were written that way. Of course,
it can be improved from time to
time, but you cannot reinvent his-
tory by adding something which
is not there. We have to see what
Wee wants, whether it fits in with
the real history or not.”
He stressed that the government
had never denied the contribution
of any race in the country’s history
or development.
“But what is important in
history is to recognise whatever
the races have done. The Malays
fought for independence first and
they were joined by leaders of
other races. That’s part of history.
lems here after the Queen Elizabeth
Hospital’s main tower block was
found to be unsafe for occupation.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib
Abdul Razak, in announcing this yes-
terday, said he wanted the purchase
process to be speeded up.
“We have approved the purchase
of SMC by the Health Ministry at
a very reasonable price of about
RM245 million,” he said at a meet-
the-people session yesterday.
– Bernama
There are different roles and con-
tributions.
“What is important is to give a
correct and right picture, not to add
to something which is not there or
extract or subtract something is
Koh (centre)
which is already there.”
with Tan
Asked whether he was saying
(left) and Au
there was no need for a review,
at Padang
Muhyiddin said: “I am always
Merdeka
open to ideas and people can al-
in Kota
ways make proposals. We will see
Kinabalu
whether they are reasonable and
yesterday.
there is a need to make changes to
books but they must be based on
certain principles of correctness
and truth.”
Pregnant snatch theft
victim dies
JOHOR BARU: A two-month
pregnant woman, the victim of
a snatch theft on Sunday, died
without regaining consciousness
in the Sultanah Aminah Hospital
here yesterday. Jamilah Selamat,
32, died at 7.35am, after slipping
into a coma following a fall from
her motorcycle in Taman Ayer
Hitam, Batu Pahat. – Bernama
Sabah deputy CM
to join Gerakan
KOTA KINABALU: Deputy
Chief Minister Datuk Raymond
Tan is joining Gerakan after
being partyless for almost nine
months.
Gerakan president Tan Sri Dr
Koh Tsu Koon announced this
minutes before Prime Minister
Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak’s
arrival for a meet-the-people
session at Padang Merdeka
here yesterday.
Former Sabah Progressive
Party (SAPP) Youth chief and
Elopura assemblyman Au Kam
Wah also made a similar com-
mitment.
Koh thanked Tan and Au
for choosing Gerakan as the
political platform to continue
their struggle with the Barisan
Nasional (BN) and said both
would hand over their applica-
tion forms to Gerakan soon.
“We welcome their commit-
ment to join Gerakan. Raymond
and Au have been my friends
and Gerakan’s friends for over
15 years and have jointly strug-
gled for Sabahans and Malay-
sians in general within the BN,”
he said.
He said their decision was
apt and understandable as
Gerakan “is a multiracial party
and its door is always open to
Malaysians”.
He said Najib, as BN chair-
man, and Sabah Chief Minister
| WEDNESDAY MAY 6 2009
Datuk Seri Musa Aman had
been informed of Tan and Au’s
decision and they had given
their blessings.
Asked whether Tan, a former
SAPP deputy president, would
be given a post in Gerakan, Koh
said he would make the an-
nouncement at the appropriate
time.
Speaking to reporters later,
Tan said: “I have chosen Ger-
akan because Gerakan is a safe
home and it is the home that I
have been looking for. I didn’t
do it just because I picked what
I like. I think it’s more of what
the grassroots want. It doesn’t
matter what happens to me.
What is important is the people
who have been with me and
I told them that I would find
them a home.
“It’s not easy because we
have to talk to so many com-
ponent party leaders and all
of them are very supportive of
me. .”
On calls for him to relinquish
his deputy chief minister’s post,
he said: “These people who
make statements against me
will probably continue to do so
but it doesn’t matter.”
Tan, who is also state infra-
structure development minister,
became partyless after SAPP
left the BN on Sept 17. – Ber-
nama
BERNAMAPIX