USE YOUR MOTHER-TONGUE LANGAUGE   LOOKING....Joseph Pairin Kitingan looking at the work done by the KadazanDusun language teachers. DEPUTY Chief Minister, Joseph Pairin Kitingan wants more KadazanDusun language classes to be taught in primary and secondary schools in Sabah. He especially wants the younger KadazanDusun generation to speak in their mother tongue not only in daily conversations but also as a means to preserve their cultural heritage. Pairin, who is also the Minister of Infrastructure Development said that the KadazanDusun Cultural Association (KDCA) and United Sabah Dusun Association (USDA) have decided on the Bundu Liwan language to be used in teaching at schools, after a debate on the status of language to be chosen. However, vocabulary from the KadazanDusun dialect will also be used in the teaching. Pairin said this at the closing ceremony of Kursus Dalam Perkhidmatan Bahasa Kadazandusun Kohot 2012 organised by Bahagian Pendidikan Guru (BPG) of Ministry of Education, Sabah Education Department and Institut Pendidikan Guru (IPG) Keningau. Pairin said that so far he is very pleased with the progress of the teaching of the KadazanDusun language in primary schools that was started in 1997. "Our language is our identity. Teaching our mother-tongue in schools will encourage it's usage among our younger generation. However he said that the question of using which dialect in schools should not be debated as many other dialects are used to further enrich the KadazanDusun grammar. Also present at the ceremony were the Director of IPG, Rujinah Miki, the Coordinator of Ethnic and Indigenous Language of Bahagian Pendidikan Guru (BPG) of the Ministry of Education, Norliza Yusof , Kadazan Language Coordinator, Joseph Yabai and IPG Keningau and Kadazan Language Course Coordinator State Department of Education, Sitiamah Sahat. Pairin also supports the idea of establishing a KadazanDusun Language Teachers' Council or Tungkus (Tinimungan Mongingia Boros KadazanDusun) as proposed by a KadazanDusun language instructor. It's mission is to elevate the Kadazandusun language as a language for everyday communication. The council will also serve as an avenue to preserve our national heritage. Meanwhile, Sitiamah Sahat the Kadazan Language Course Coordinator of the State Department of Education said, as of now, 861 primary schools and 100 secondary schools in Sabah have made the KadazanDusun language part of the subjects taught in schools. 368 primary school teachers and 37 secondary school teachers are involved in teaching the language. A total of 25 teachers for the second intake of the KadazanDusun Language course from across the state have completed their 6 months training and received their certificates at the ceremony at IPG Keningau. (Insight Sabah)

Maktab Perguruan Sandakan

The photograph above was taken toward the end of 1975, the last year for the first batch of trainee teachers of Maktab Perguruan Sandakan, Sandakan. There were only three classes then, two for primary schools trainee teachers and a class for future teachers of secondary schools.

I am one of those in this photograph ( standing - second from left). It 34 years now and so far I had only met a few of those in the photograph. Latest I had met in Tanjung Aru was Foo Siang Yong, who had retired early this year.

Since we were the pioneer of the college, which had now been closed down, there were endless happy and sad memories share between us. I, for one, would like to meet up with all of the first batch for old time sake.

I am making an appeal here, for those of you ex-Maktab Perguruan Sandakan 1974-1975 trainees, please dropped me a line on any of my email. I promise to promptly reply to arrange for a reunion.

Sandakan Teachers' College

This Logo is gone forever

After being postponed for several times, organiser of the Maktab Perguruan Sandakan ex-trainees second reunion dinner had agreed to hold it on Nov 3, 2007 at Hotel Juta, Keningau, about 120km from Kota Kinabalu.

The main sponsor of the dinner is Datuk Haji Sairin Karno, the State Assemblyman for Liawan, who is a former trainee (1975-1976) himself, one year my junior.

Although the organiser comprises of teachers from the 1974, 1975 and 1976 batch, the dinner is now open to all ex-MPS trainees. The reason being, MPS is no longer and will never ever be there again. It had been closed down.

Further information about the dinner can be obtained from Juliana Jusit (0198081948), Iskandar Amat (0198529448), Veronica Chin (0198229636) and Mohd Rizwan Emik (0198318263).

Corruption and Sabah teachers

Speaking to Grade 48 education officers at the closing of an integrity management workshop in Kota Kinabalu yesterday (Aug 22), Sabah Anti-Corruption Agency (ACA) director Latifah Md Yatim said 18 per cent of the teachers in Sabah were involved in corruption. She said majority of them were head of schools.

There are 35,000 teachers and about 1,300 schools in Sabah.

Sensing that journalists were present at the function, the director moved on to other subjects in her speech. Speaking to reporters after the function, Latifah told them not to quote her on the `corrupted teachers'.

My Say:

Corruption is everywhere, its a way of life. It is corruption when parents gave extra money to their children when asking them to buy something from the shop. It is from here gratification take root and grow.