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)

Form One students can't read and write: How true can this be???

This story is from HERE.

KENINGAU: Despite having completed six years of primary education a number of students in Trans Pegalan still do not know how to read and write. More alarmingly, their number has increased.
An educational activist, Garius Pukin, when revealing this yesterday claimed that based on statistics in the last five years at least 40 students who entered Form One bridge class had been identified having no ability to read and write.
“This is a serious matter,” he said.
Garius, who is also the Village Development and Security Committee chairman of Kg Ambual, lamented that the situation had forced 20 worried parents to relocate their children to other schools.
“It’s impossible that they still don’t know how to read and write after having spent six years in the primary school…but this is a reality and it’s happening in Trans Pegalan,” he said.
But Garius claimed that the causes were obvious, one of which is that some teachers are over-preoccupied with political and business commitments.
“Many teachers who are holding political positions frequently abscond from their teaching duties for weeks especially when their parties are having activities like divisional and national meetings,” he alleged.
He urged the Education Ministry to investigate the matter or better still, ban teachers from any involvement in politics.
“Their job is to teach.”

My Say:

I have my reservation about the truth of this story. But coming from a teacher and a community leader, I assume that something must be done to correct the situation. Kampung Ambual is in Keningau (Interior Division of Sabah).

We have had Yang Dipertua Negeri (Two), Ex-Chief Minister (Two), Ex-Deputy Chief Minister (two and another one is still in that position now), Ministers, Assistant Ministers, Members of Parliament and Assemblymen from this area.

It is impossible that they did not know about this thing happening in their own area. Teachers should be at schools teaching students, not out there in politics and business.

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).