Politeknik, kolej swasta akan dipantau dalam usaha meningkat kualiti

Penarafan MyQUEST, PolyRate dilaksana tahun ini: Khaled

Mulai tahun 2011 ini, semua politeknik dan kolej swasta di negara ini akan dipantau dan diberi penarafan selaras hasrat kerajaan untuk meningkatkan kualiti institusi pengajian tinggi (IPT) negara, kata Menteri Pengajian Tinggi, Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin.

Beliau berkata, semua 402 kolej swasta akan dinilai menerusi Sistem Pengukuran Kualiti dan Kesetaraan Kolej Swasta (MyQUEST) manakala politeknik akan diukur menggunakan Sistem Penarafan Politeknik (PolyRate).

Dua sistem ini dibuat bagi mengukur tahap pencapaian politeknik dan kolej swasta di negara ini, selaras hasrat kerajaan untuk meningkatkan kualiti IPT negara.

Kita sudah mempunyai SETARA (Sistem Penarafan IPT awam) untuk mengukur pencapaian universiti dan kolej universiti, tidak lengkap jika kita tidak melihat kualiti kolej swasta dan politeknik

Kadar caruman berkanun KWSP 11 peratus mulai 2011

Kadar caruman berkanun bahagian pekerja Kumpulan Wang Simpanan Pekerja (KWSP) dinaikkan kepada 11 peratus berbanding lapan peratus ditetapkan sebelum ini berkuat kuasa tarikh pembayaran gaji bagi Januari 2011.

Pengurus Besar Perhubungan Awam KWSP, Nik Affendi Jaafar berkata, majikan perlu memastikan jumlah caruman yang betul dipotong daripada gaji pekerja berdasarkan kadar caruman baru ditetapkan dan dibayar kepada KWSP bermula daripada caruman bulan Februari 2011.

Sebelum ini kadar caruman berkanun bahagian pekerja diturunkan daripada 11 peratus kepada lapan peratus untuk tempoh dua tahun bermula gaji Januari 2009 hingga Disember 2010.

RM100m for Belaga

Prime Minister announces eight mammoth projects which will directly benefit some 28,000 villagers

Belaga District and its population of 28,000 people yesterday received tremendous benefits from the government.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak announced eight projects there worth over RM100 million when he declared open the town’s new health clinic costing RM46 million.

Najib, accompanied by Chief Minister Pehin Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud and Belaga assemblyman Liwang Lagang, was here for a one-day visit, following which he flew to the Sungai Asap Resettlement Scheme for a meet-the-people session at Uma Belor longhouse.

To loud cheers from the over 1,000 people present, he first announced the government’s approval for the 35-km Belaga Town-Bakun Dam Road project, saying the project would be undertaken by the army under its ‘Projek Jiwa Murni’ (community project) to save cost.

“The government is aware this is a very important project for the 15,000 people who now cannot travel by express boat to Kapit Town because of certain shallow stretches along the Rajang River due to the Bakun Dam impoundment process.

“The federal government will allocate a sum of RM62 million for its construction which will begin by next month,” he said.

He said a RM35 million project to provide treated water supply to the people in the town and its immediate surrounding areas was implemented in November last year and is expected to be ready by October next year.

Najib also said the government, through the army, would construct a prefabricated steel bridge crossing the Linau River in Lusong Laku soon while a kindergarten would be built in this Penan settlement area.

On the request by the people for a commercial bank, he said Malayan Banking Group had agreed to set up a Maybank counter in three to four months’ time while Bank Simpanan Nasional would set up its branch by end of this year.

Meanwhile, he said a new contractor would be appointed to complete the construction of the boarding house for SMK Belaga.

He said the service of its current contractor had been terminated due to its inability to complete the project as scheduled.

Najib said all these indicated that the government was very serious and committed in bringing development to all rural areas.

“We have allocated a very big budget for rural development under the Tenth Malaysia Plan as well as under the National Key Result Areas projects,” he said.

He added the government too was aware that the rural people had been very strong supporters of Barisan Nasional since the country’s independence.

At the function, Najib also advised the people to take good care of their health and not to take things for granted.

He also said the government would send an X-ray machine as well as medical officers to be stationed at the new clinic.

Among those present were Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Alfred Jabu, Defence Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, Minister of Rural and Regional Development Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal and Deputy Health Minister Datuk Rosnah Rashid Shirlin.

January 16, 2011, Sunday

Wedding of 2011 - A truly glittering wedding

KUCHING: Amidst slight drizzle and an army of security personnel, the mood inside the new State Legislative Assembly complex last night was thoroughly festive with lavish decorations as Chief Minister Pehin Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud and wife Puan Sri Ragad Waleed Alkurdi held their wedding reception.

It was indeed a ceremony full of pomp and pageantry as some 500 dignified VVIPs, along with an impressive list of ‘who’s who’ in Sarawak, rub shoulders with the nation’s key public and corporate figures in attendance at the reception which was held at the DUN’s Dewan Santapan.
The guest list included Head of State Tun Datuk Patinggi Abang Muhamad Salahuddin, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak and federal and state Ministers.

Arriving at 8.15pm, Taib was handsomely clad in a black tuxedo while his bride Ragad looked radiant in a stunning white wedding gown. The newly-wed couple was welcomed by deputy chief ministers Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Dr George Chan and Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Alfred Jabu Numpang, along with Taib’s daughters Jamilah Hamidah and Datin Hanifah Hajar.

Najib and his wife Datuk Seri Rosmah Mansor were the next to arrive at 9pm, followed by Salahuddin and his wife Toh Puan Datuk Patinggi Norkiah about 10 minutes later.

Although not on the same scale as the fairy tale wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer back in 1981, the Chief Minister’s wedding was certainly a class on its own.

Taib’s eldest son Dato Sri Mahmud Abu Bekir, in his appreciation speech, started off by wishing Ragad a ‘Happy Birthday’ as yesterday also marked Puan Sri’s 29th birthday.

“This unification would not have happened if not for Datuk Raziah Mahmud (Taib’s sister) and husband Datuk Robert Geneid. It was Robert’s cousin Iqbal who introduced Puan Sri to my father.

“About five months ago, Puan Sri dreamt that she married King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia and he took her away in a Rolls Royce. Coincidentally, a year ago Robert’s niece Rasya also dreamt to have met King Abdullah.

“In her dream, Puan Sri had asked Robert to help Rasya. He gave her (Ragad) a piece of paper and a pen to write her wishes down. Then Puan Sri saw her late father smiling at her,” said Mahmud, adding that now Ragad had moved to Kuching to be with the family and the people of Sarawak.

Among the highlights of the night, apart from the cake cutting ceremony by the couple, were cultural performances by the Ministry of Social Development and Urbanisation troupe.

Entertainment for the evening included orchestral music led by Safie Obe Haruni, while Sarawak Imam Besar Jorji Suhaili led the prayers for the couple.

Held only the second week into the new year, the ‘Wedding of the Year’ was auspiciously marked as the first of many grand events anticipated in 2011. Taib and Ragad’s `akad nikah’ (marriage solemnisation) was held last Dec 18.

Born in Damascus, Ragad is the youngest of four children to Waleed and Khayami Alkurdi. Along with her brothers Samer and Mohamad, and sister Samar, the family moved to Riyadh when Ragad was still young. Sadly, their father passed away in 2003.

Tracing her roots, Ragad’s great great grandfather was a ‘Wari’ from Orfa, Turkey. His name was Khalil Orfali but only to change it to Alkurdi upon moving to Syria.

Having a background in interior design, Ragad loves singing, dancing, fishing and driving.