4 theSun | FRIDAY NOVEMBER 14 2008

news without borders

Varsities told to focus on

KUALA LUMPUR: Datuk Seri kindergarten and early education,
Najib Tun Razak has called Najib said the government
on universities to focus more is committed to revamping
on developing “intellectual kindergarten education through the
infrastructure” and not just Permata curriculum.
physical infrastructure to make “The Early Education and
them “a centre of learning of the Childcare Policy is aimed at

liberated and inquisitive minds”.
Saying he did not subscribe to
the idea of emphasising physical
infrastructure, the deputy prime
minister said yesterday universities
should move towards an era of
intellectual renaissance.
“You’ve got to have not just a
university but a quality university...
a centre of learning of the liberated,
open and inquisitive minds.”
Speaking at the opening of
a one-day seminar on Creating
A Blue Ocean in Education and
Training Sectors, Najib called for
“a paradigm shift” in the education
system, starting from primary
school.
“Our education system must
change, the paradigm must
change,” said Najib at the seminar
which was jointly organised by the
intellectual infrastructure
Malaysia Productivity Corporation
and Malaysian Association of
Private Colleges and Universities.
“Malaysians are very good at
rote learning; they learn very well
and they are studious. They spend
long hours learning but they are
not inquisitive enough.
“Their minds have not been
challenged because our system has
not challenged them.”
This was probably due to cultural
factors, said Najib, where culturally,
being passive was seen as being
respectful to someone senior.
But he said the people should
now promote inquisitiveness
among children.
“They must be curious about the
world. They must ask questions.”
Najib noted that the “blue ocean
strategy” – a business concept
advocated in a book with the same
title – could also be adapted by
public and private universities in
their quest for competitiveness in
education and training.
The book Blue Ocean Strategy,
co-authored by Prof W. Chan Kim,
promotes a systematic approach
to creating uncontested market
spaces that will make competition
irrelevant.
“As an educationist, you should
also look at the big picture. We
should look at where we are today
and where we want to be in the
coming years,” Najib said.
“We should ask what are our
strengths and weaknesses. Can we
leverage on our strength? Can we
add value to it and create a real
‘blue ocean’ so that we can grow?”
Later in the afternoon,
when launching a seminar on
ensuring the holistic development
of the potential of children under
four years old,” he said.
The new policy emphasises
“whole brain learning”, ensures
that kindergartens and childcare
centres (Taskas) have adequate
physical, environmental and
learning facilities, that teachers and
educators have at least a diploma,
and that parents spend at least four
hours a month at Permata centres
with their children.
“During the budget debates last
week, I allowed the allocation of
RM200 million for early education
programmes for children from the
ages of one to six,” Najib said.
He also said the Permata
curriculum would be made
compulsory for all kindergartens
by 2010. – Bernama

Najib and wife Datin Seri

Rosmah Mansor browse through
the Permata curriculum booklet
at the seminar on kindergarten
and early education yesterday.

Pressmen called in to help mob attack probe

KUALA LUMPUR : Nine Chinese newspaper crime reporters and pho-
tographers were called in by police yesterday to assist the probe into a
mob attack on a motorist and his four passengers near Jalan Loke Yew
on Sunday. Sin Chew Daily, Guang Ming Daily, Kwong Wah Daily, Oriental Daily,
Nanyang Siang Pau and China Press journalists had covered the incident which
took place at 3am. According to Sin Chew Daily crime reporter Lim Ling Fong,
officers at the Dang Wangi police headquarters asked them what they had
witnessed and the information they had gathered. It is learnt that police
also obtained photographs from the press photographers. The driver and
his four passengers suffered injuries when they were set upon by the
mob after a minor accident in a traffic jam. The driver lodged a report later
that day but his testimony apparently contradicted that of witnesses.

Ayah Pin in Terengganu recently, says IGP

KUALA LUMPUR: “Sky Kingdom” cult leader Ariffin Muhamad, 65,
also known as Ayah Pin, who fled to a neighbouring country after
allegedly leading a deviant group in Terengganu, was reported to
have returned to the state recently, Inspector-General of Police Tan
Sri Musa Hassan said yesterday. “Police have information that Ayah
Pin, who is believed to have been living in southern Thailand, had
come home.” Police, however, could not take any action as they
were told by the Terengganu Islamic Religious Affairs Department
that there was no need to arrest the man, he said. Musa said the
Terengganu police chief had been asked to get further explanation
from the department on the reasons why they felt Ayah Pin need
not be arrested. He said coordination between the department and
the police should be enhanced. “The police are just helping the depart-
ment in the enforcement. We do not want the public to think that both
the department and the police are not doing their jobs.” – Bernama

Clinton lecture e-mail

THOSE who want to attend former US president Bill Clinton’s inaugural
BC Sekhar Memorial Lecture, organised by Sekhar Foundation and Petra
Group with the support of Asian Strategy and Leadership Institute, on
Dec 6 can e-mail your personal details, MyKad or passport number to
clintonlecture@petragroup.net and not as published yesterday.