Is education a scapegoat in the economic turmoil?

Britain secara amnya sedang mengalami tekanan ekonomi yang paling teruk pada dekad ini. Hutang yang mencecah trillion pound, pengangguran yang meruncing, lambakan pendatang dari negara-negara sekutu Eropah dan masih lagi dalam proses memastikan kestabilan kerajaan campuran konservatif dan Liberal Demokrat. Adakah keruncingan-keruncingan ini memungkinkan sistem pendidikannnya menjadi kambing hitam dengan kenaikan drastic yuran pengajian tahunan sehingga mencecah 13,000 pounds dan terkini pengetatan pemberian Visa pelajar kepada pelajar dari negara bukan sekutu Eropah.

Britain tengah kepeningan... polisi-polisi yang tidak sinkronise terutama yang berkaitan dengan aspek pendidikan. Memang benar mereka kalut. Puluhan ribu anak muda berdemontrasi mengecam polisi mengenai kenaikan yuran... keluhan akademia tentang visa pelajar luar negara yang diketatkan. Barulah mereka nak mengaku betapa mereka bergantung kepada yuran pelajar asing selama ini... jangan berbangga sangat ya. cuba baca di bawah ni.

Universities warn migration limit cuts won't just hurt their finances

Cuts to migration limits will mean less of the £2.2bn overseas student share, universities warn, and a drop in research staff

Rachel Williams guardian.co.uk, Tuesday 23 November 2010 20.28 GMT

 

Universities have warned that cuts to migration limits will affect their budgets – and their academic reputations. Photograph: Alamy

Universities fear limits on migration will hit their finances and their academic output and reputation, despite Theresa May's plans to include talented scientists in the number of highly-skilled workers without job offers who can come to the UK.

This is is an expanding market – last year income from international students' fees was worth more than £2.2bn to British universities – a total of 9% of the sector's income. Institutions like the London School of Economics, University College London and the University of Manchester, who all take high numbers of international students, are likely to be worst affected by any changes.

Such students' contributions to the local economies where they are based are also worth billions, according to the vice-chancellors' body Universities UK. In research last year it found that they spent £2.3bn off-campus.

But it is not just about money. Overseas students' academic contribution is also key, vice-chancellors say, with over 40% of postgraduate students coming from overseas, and international students sustaining the teaching and research base in engineering, sciences and mathematics. Universities UK's analysis of staff data has shown that non-EU nationals made up 11% of all academic staff in 2008-9.

Almost half the postgraduate research students studying here are international, compared to one third in the US. University heads fear a cap will make it harder for the UK to attract the world's best researchers and compete against countries like China and US, where investment in higher education continues.

And although May played to public concern about "bogus colleges" by singling out students coming to do sub-degree level courses, legitimate colleges point out that half the overseas degree students recruited by universities start out on these programmes. They warn that cutting the numbers allowed to come in by this route will penalise quality providers and universities who need tuition fee income, while the unscrupulous will carry on looking for loopholes.

Demonstrasi pelajar-pelajar di kota London pada 24 November 2010, klik

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-11566509

Pertunangan Prince William dan Kate Middleton

Semalam dan hari ini boleh dikatakan seluruh akhbar di UK ni menyiarkan berita pertunangan Putera William dengan orang kebanyakan atau 'commoner' Kate Middleton. Banyak-banyak berita kenapalah berita ni yang nak di kongsi disini...saya pun bukanlah orang 'raja'.... Semasa Charles-Diana kahwin, saya masih disekolah menengah, kemudian 'terpaksa' mengikuti perkembangan perkahwinan mereka yang sensasi sebab saya bermusafir di London dalam tahun 90an. Seterusnya berpeluang menyaksikan London yang disirami dengan kalungan bunga meratapi kematian mengejut Diana pada tahun 1997. Kini mungkin bakal menyaksikan (dalam TV je!) perkahwinan anak mereka, William...walaupun ceritanya tidak sehebat Charles-Diana.

Pasangan William dan Kate semasa di interview selepas pengumuman pertunangan mereka

Apa yang menarik untuk dikongsi?

Perkahwinan ini nanti menyaksikan keliberalan keluarga diraja Britain khasnya dan rakyat Britain sendiri untuk menerima orang kebanyakan sebagai bakal ratu. Putera William merupakan waris kedua selepas ayahandanya, Prince Charles, manakala Kate Middleton adalah orang kebanyakan 'middle-class'. Orang tuanya adalah staff penerbangan yang kemudiannya menjalankan perniagaan online sehingga kini. Kebobrokan perkahwinan Charles-Diana adalah mangsa polemik diraja Britain yang mahukan ratu mereka sekurang-kurangnya berdarah aristokrat. Diana adalah anak kepada Earl of Spencer, yang digelar 'Lady'. Saya masih ingat lagi bagaimana Charles telah di'pertemukan' dengan sekalian gadis baik dari kalangan aristokrat ataupun orang kebanyakan. Pelbagai telahan sehinggakan warna rambut yang menjadi pilihan Queen Elizabeth menjadi antara pengukur kepada gadis yang akan menjadi calon isteri Charles. Yang terakhirnya, Charles telah dipertemukan dengan Diana yang mempunyai package yang diperkenan oleh baginda Queen. Namun, perkahwinan mereka dilanda dengan episod-episod sensasi dan kemungkinan peristiwa tersebut telah melembutkan hati nenda Elizabeth untuk menerima gadis kebanyakan ini.  Nampaknya baginda Queen seperti tiada halangan...dia pun dah penat jadi Queen!

Pasangan ini  juga bakal memberi gambaran kepada keluarga diraja Britain yang lain bahawa 'perkufuan' adalah elemen penting dalam institusi suami-isteri. Masyarakat kini melihat sekufu lebih kepada intelektualisma pasangan mereka. Justeru keduanya mampu berbicara dalam nada dan bahasa yang sama. William dan Kate adalah graduan Universiti St Andrews di Scotland dan disini jugalah titik perkenalan mereka bermula. Seumpama apabila di tanya bertubi-tubi mengenai kemasukannya kedalam keluarga diraja dan dibandingkan dengan Diana, Kate yang menyifatkan sebagai 'daunting' dan 'will be doing at my stride'. Kenyataan ini disokong oleh Putera William yang menyifatkan 'nobody coud fill my mother's shoes'. Kesefahaman seumpama ini sangat perlu apatah lagi selepas ini Kate bakal di telusuri setiap pergerakannya oleh sekelian rakyat Britain. Jadi bahan beritalah dia ni!!!!  Ini sangat berbeza dengan Charles-Diana. Charles lulusan Cambridge, manakala Diana tidak mempunyai latarbelakang pendidikan tinggi yang setaraf dengan Charles...Charles dilihat sebagai dominant dan authoritative dalam pasangan ini...tapi mungkin ia menjadikan Diana seorang yang penyayang!

Cuma, mungkin pengumuman pertunangan ini kurang 'kick' apabila dibuat pada masa Britain dilanda krisis ekonomi yang parah. Bajet tahunan diraja telah dipotong sebanyak £3juta untuk tahun ini... kalau ini diambilkira, mungkin pesta perkahwinan mereka tidak sehebat orangtuanya, Charles-Diana yang telah mampu meraih 750juta penonton secara 'live' seluruh dunia. Itu pada tahun 1981 yang medianya hanya bergantung kepada TV dan seumpa dengannya!

Walaubagaimanapun, bagi kerajaan campuran Cameron-Clegg, berita ini sekurang-kurangnya dapat mengalih pandangan masyarakat seketika dari kemelut pentadbiran negara. Rata-rata stesyen penyiaran memberi tumpuan kepada pertunangan 'of the year' waris takhta ini. Dan yang pasti, perkahwinan ini juga bakal mencairkan business memorabilla souvenirs dan seumpama dengannya. Semalam umum bertunang.... hari ni dah keluar iklan souvenir tu.... hebat! hebat! Saya akan tunggu di CBS!

Walau apapun, kita ke'raja'an di Tanah Melayu lebih dulu menerima rakyat jelata sebagai 'royal consort'....Tuanku Bainun, Tuanku Siti Aishah, Tuanku Nur Zahirah... tiada apa yang kurangnya pada mereka.

Power vs Students

Education should stand as neutral without any standing of political milestones. By far it should not be commercialised. But now, it seems inevitable for students in the UK to bear the pinch of politicians on them. The almost confirmed rise in the fees pushed them onto the streets... voicing out their worries and not to forget hopes.

They want to be heard... they are concerned of future generations... but they are helpless. 

Student fees protest: 'This is just the beginning'
(The Guardian, 10 Nov 2010)
Tens of thousands of students took to the streets of London in a demonstration that spiralled out of control when a fringe group of protesters hurled missiles at police and occupied the building housing Conservative party headquarters.

Ministers and protesters acknowledged that the demonstration – by far the largest and most dramatic yet in response to the government's austerity measures – was "just the beginning" of public anger over cuts. Police, meanwhile, were criticised for failing to anticipate the scale of the disorder.

An estimated 52,000 people, according to the National Union of Students, marched through central London to display their anger over government plans to increase tuition fees while cutting state funding for university teaching.

A wing of the protest turned violent as around 200 people stormed 30 Millbank, the central London building that is home to Tory HQ, where police wielding batons clashed with a crowd hurling placard sticks, eggs and some bottles. Demonstrators shattered windows and waved anarchist flags from the roof of the building, while masked activists traded punches with police to chants of "Tory scum".

Police conceded that they had failed to anticipate the level of violence from protesters who trashed the lobby of the Millbank building. Missiles including a fire extinguisher were thrown from the roof and clashes saw 14 people – a mix of officers and protesters – taken to hospital and 35 arrests.

Sir Paul Stephenson, Met police commissioner, said the force should have better anticipated the level of violence. He said: "It's not acceptable. It's an embarrassment for London and for us."

While Tory headquarters suffered the brunt of the violence, Liberal Democrat headquarters in nearby Cowley Street were not targeted. "This is not what we pay the Met commissioner to do," one senior Conservative told the Guardian. "It looks like they put heavy security around Lib Dem HQ but completely forgot about our party HQ."

Lady Warsi, the Tory party chair, was in her office when protesters broke in. She initially had no police protection as the protesters made their way up the fire stairs to the roof. Police who eventually made it to Tory HQ decided not to evacuate staff from the building but to concentrate on removing the demonstrators.

The NUS president, Aaron Porter, condemned the actions of "a minority of idiots" but hailed the turnout as the biggest student demonstration in generations. The largely good-natured protest was organised by the NUS and the lecturers' union the UCU, who have attacked coalition plans to raise tuition fees as high as £9,000 while making 40% cuts to university teaching budgets. The higher fees will be introduced for undergraduates starting in 2012, if the proposals are sanctioned by the Commons in a vote due before Christmas.

The NUS president told protesters: "We're in the fight of our lives. We face an unprecedented attack on our future before it has even begun. They're proposing barbaric cuts that would brutalise our colleges and universities."

Inside parliament the deputy prime minister, Nick Clegg – the focus of much anger among protesters for his now abandoned pledge to scrap all tuition fees – came under sustained attack, facing 10 questions on tuition fees during his stand-in performance during prime minister's questions. He said there was consensus across the parties about the need to reform the system.

Labour's deputy leader, Harriet Harman, said the rise in fees was not part of the effort to tackle the deficit but about Clegg "going along with Tory plans to shove the cost of higher education on to students and their families". She said: "We all know what it's like: you are at freshers' week, you meet up with a dodgy bloke and you do things that you regret. Isn't it true he has been led astray by the Tories, isn't that the truth of it?"

Meanwhile one student won an unexpected concession from the coalition. In answer to a question from a Chinese student during his trip to China, David Cameron said: "Raising tuition fees will do two things. It will make sure our universities are well funded and we won't go on increasing so fast the fees for overseas students … We have done the difficult thing. We have put up contributions for British students. Yes, foreign students will still pay a significant amount of money, but we should now be able to keep that growth under control."

Additional reporting by Rachel Williams and Matthew Taylor

Tak pasal-pasal

9 November 2010 Last updated at 17:53
Director resigns after University of Wales concerns

Fazley Yaakob has four hit albums to his name

Concern at uni's overseas degrees Uni's US college link 'damaging'Second uni to award own degrees. The executive director of a Malaysian college offering University of Wales degree courses has resigned after questions about his own qualifications.

Fazley Yaakob, a pop star who runs the Fazley International College (FIC) in Kuala Lumpur, has two degrees from a bogus university.

Week In Week Out examined the way in which the University of Wales validated courses in overseas institutions.

The university has said concerns relate solely to Yaakob and not the courses.

The programme reveals that Yaakob claimed to have both a masters and a doctorate in business administration. But both were from a bogus university.

Yaakob, who has four hit albums to his name, claimed to have qualifications from the European Business School (Cambridge), an offshoot of the Irish International University - which was exposed as a sham by the BBC in 2008.

Continue reading the main story
“
Start Quote

I sincerely apologise for having caused the university and its officials embarrassment. ”

Fazley Yaakob
Fazley International College
He said the University of Wales did not ask about his credentials, which were displayed prominently on the college website, until he was confronted by BBC Wales' education correspondent Ciaran Jenkins in Kuala Lumpur.

In his resignation letter, Yaakob said: "My role in Fazley International College is one of an investor.

"Though I hold a director's position, I have never been a part of the academic team nor have I sat at any of the academic meetings.

"As such, you can be assured that at no stage was the academic standards or the reputation of the university put at a compromise. To be honest I have only sat in at management meetings.

"Upon further reflection, I consider that to continue as a director could be damaging to the college, its student community and the dedicated staff who have worked hard to uphold the academic standards and integrity.

"It is quite clear that this continuing public controversy will undermine the reputation and the good relations between the college and the university, which I cannot, in any circumstances, allow.

'Public confidence'

"Therefore, I have decided to tender my resignation as the executive director of the college.

"It is my intention to keep fighting to clear my name and restore public confidence of my reputation.

"I sincerely apologise for having caused the university and its officials embarrassment.

"I do hope that the matter will be laid to rest and that the link between the university and FIC can be restored."

The University of Wales has suspended its relationship with the college - one of three educational institutions it collaborates with in Malaysia - following the controversy.

The university signed an agreement with FIC in 2007 and saw the first students admitted to its validated courses the following year, having gained provisional approvals from the Malaysian Qualifications Agency.

But it has now decided not to recognise any additional admissions to its BA (Hons) Business Administration and MBA courses at the college until concerns have been fully investigated. The 35 students currently enrolled on University-validated courses will not be affected.

University vice chancellor Marc Clement said: "The principal doesn't himself teach on the course and I don't want to pre-judge the case, but I've taken this decision as a precaution to protect the reputation of the University of Wales.

"We are proud of the work we're doing internationally to take the educational values of a great Welsh institution to people who might not otherwise have the opportunity to study on validated courses, and it is important this mission isn't diluted by doubts about any of collaborative centres.

"Our validation team is experienced and highly skilled and travels regularly to collaborative centres to check the quality of the provision and work with local people to build capacity.

"Their job is to validate the courses we recognise, not the institution itself, and we're confident the university's validated courses at FIC meet our high academic standards.

"Our concern relates solely to the fact that the head of the institution has informed us of a controversy relating to his personal academic qualifications.

"This would not normally be relevant to the validation process, but we feel we have a duty to go beyond the letter of our rules so that the integrity of our courses is beyond any doubt."

The University is the second largest degree awarding body in the UK after the University of London. In 2010, it awarded 20,000 degrees and other awards and had around 70,000 people studying on its courses, of which 13,704 were on validated programmes outside the UK.

Week In Week Out: University Challenged is available on the iPlayer for seven days from its transmission date, Tuesday, 9 November.

Obama di Jakarta - "Pulang kampung nih"

Sekalian rakyat Indonesia pastinya tahu yang Presiden Amerika Syarikat itu akan datang melawat negara mereka. Makanya Universiti Indonesia yang dijadikan tempat sebagai ucaputamanya itu khabarnya dicutikan untuk tujuan persiapan (ini menurut seorang teman yang berkerja disitu). Nah! Mungkin tidak sia-sia kerana ia mampu meraih seramai 5,000 hadirin kesitu bagi menyaksikan seorang Presiden Amerika Syarikat yang bukan calang-calang... tapi yang nostasgik ialah beliau pernah menghirup udara Jakarta...bukan sebentar tapi empat tahun!

Namun di kala ini Indonesia sedang benar-benar digugah dengan pelbagai ujian dari Pencipta. Dari gegaran mukabuminya di Sumatera lantas disusuli dengan pancuran tsunami yang cukup menghiris setiap manusia yang melihatnya.Belum pun pulih dari kocakan itu, maka Indonesia sekali lagi di gegeri dengan letusan Merapi. Sungguh berat benar ujian ini bagi rakyatnya yang sudah sedianya banyak diuji dengan kemiskinan.

Lantas apakah ziarah seorang ketua negara yang katanya mampu menerajui dunia ini menjanjikan apa-apa? Apatah lagi ini bukan ziarah sebarang ziarah tetapi kepulangan ke tempat permainannya. Kalau kita berziarah mangsa musibah, pastinya ada huluran yang boleh menulusi hati mereka, makanya apa yang bakal di huluri oleh Obama ini kepada mereka? Omong-omongan manis belum cukup untuk merawat duka mangsa ini...mereka tentunya tidak hairan Obama masih bisa menuturkan bahasa Indonesia... apa yang lebih dibutuhkan mereka adalah secubit bantuan untuk memulakan kehidupan bersama keluarga!

Atau 'kepulangan' Obama ke Indonesia tidak ubah seperti ke'pulangan'ku ke negeri Inggeris ini? Aku rakyat marhaen yang tidak punya apa-apa...sekadar ingin melampiaskan nostalgiaku disuatu masa dulu.

Obama... oh! Obama... Siapa kamu sebenarnya????

JAKARTA, Nov 10: US President Barack Obama opened his address before a crowd of around 5,000 people at the University of Indonesia, telling the story of his childhood in Indonesia.

WHEN YOU ARE IN INDONESIA... First Lady Michelle in a Muslim scarf during a visit with her husband to Jakarta's Istiqlal Mosque, early today

“Pulang kampung nih [This is my homecoming],” Obama said in Indonesian to a roaring applause.

He went on to say he had spent four years of his childhood in Indonesia, arriving in Jakarta in 1967 when the country was facing economic difficulties.

At that time, he said, the highest buildings in Jakarta were Hotel Indonesia and Sarinah mall on Jl. M H Thamrin.

He also recalled a time when he lived in Menteng Dalam, and street hawkers’ cries of "sate" and "bakso" filled the night.

“Indonesia bagian dari diri saya [is part of me]," Obama said, adding that his sister, Maya Soetoro, was born when he was in Jakarta.

Obama’s mother also spent much of her life in Indonesia working to help the community through her award-winning research on microfinance.

“When I went back to Hawaii, no one would anticipate that I would return [to Jakarta] as the President of the United States,” he said

Source: Jakarta Post/Kompas

Mangsa bah kian kurang

Alhamdulillah setelah banjir semakin reda...semoga mangsa-mangsa banjir redha dengan ujian daripada Allah. Semoga ujian ini akan menguatkan keimanan dan ketaqwaan kepada Allah. Bagi yang berkemampuan, bantulah mereka... dan janganlah pula mereka ini dijadikan mangsa kepentingan diri dan peribadi. Allah Maha mengetahui akan apa yang tersurat dihati walaupun sebesar zarrah!



Sumber: Berita Harian

2010/11/09

Penghuni pusat pemindahan di Kedah 22,829; Perlis 7,947

ALOR SETAR: Keadaan banjir di dua negeri utara Semenanjung semakin baik apabila jumlah mangsa yang ditempatkan di pusat pemindahan berkurangan kepada 22,829 orang di Kedah dan 7,947 orang di Perlis.

Di Kedah, daripada 22,829 orang yang masih menghuni 56 pusat pemindahan membabitkan 5,761 keluarga adalah dari daerah Kota Setar dan Kubang Pasu, manakala semua tiga pusat pemindahan di Pokok Sena dan Pendang sudah ditutup selepas 1,245 mangsa sudah dibenarkan pulang semalam.

Jurucakap Bilik Gerakan Banjir Majlis Keselamatan Negara (Kedah) berkata, daerah Kota Setar mencatat penurunan jumlah mangsa apabila hanya 16,760 daripada 4,112 keluarga masih menghuni 39 pusat pemindahan sementara berbanding 21,116 orang kelmarin.

Di daerah Kubang Pasu pula, katanya, hanya tinggal 6,069 mangsa yang masih ditempatkan di 17 pusat pemindahan dan banjir di daerah itu kini beransur pulih.

Tinjauan di beberapa lokasi di bandar raya ini semalam mendapati ramai mangsa banjir sibuk membersihkan rumah yang dipenuhi lumpur berikutan air bah turut membawa selut tanah merah.

Sementara itu, Malaysia Airports Berhad (MAB) belum memutuskan tarikh operasi Lapangan Terbang Sultan Abdul Halim (LTSAH) di Kepala Batas, di sini sehingga kerja pembersihan dilakukan terutama di landasan dan jalan termasuk sistem pencahayaan landasan.

Pengurus MAB Kedah, Azmi Darus berkata, pihaknya dalam proses mendapatkan kontraktor untuk kerja pembersihan.

“Kini Unit Bomba MAB membersihkan sekitar terminal yang tidak membabitkan kawasan luas,” katanya.

Di KANGAR, jurucakap bilik gerakan banjir negeri berkata, sehingga semalam, 7,947 mangsa membabitkan 1,666 keluarga masih ditempatkan di semua 20 pusat pemindahan di Perlis, iaitu semuanya di Kangar.

Katanya, 13 lagi pusat pemindahan ditutup semalam selepas semua mangsa dibenarkan pulang ke rumah masing-masing.

Tinjauan mendapati kebanyakan mangsa sibuk membersihkan kediaman masing-masing, terutama di beberapa lokasi sekitar bandar ini yang dilaporkan baru pulih mulai semalam.

Key holder to the Ka'bah passes away

Source:Arab News/harakahdaily

MAKKAH, Nov 8: Sheikh Abdulaziz Al-Sheibi, the keeper of the Holy Ka'bah's key, passed away Sunday morning. He was 82. His body was buried in the Maalla cemetery after funeral prayers at the Grand Mosque in Makkah.

Al-Sheibi family has been holding the position of the Ka'bah key keeper since the time of jahiliya (pre-Islamic period). It was inherited by the eldest member of the family and did not transfer from father to son. Age was the basis for the key’s inheritance.

All Muslim rulers have respected Al-Sheibi family being the custodian of the Holy Ka'bah and its key. The family of the present custodians is linked with Sheiba bin Othman Abitalha who lived during the time of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).

Al-Sheibi family has been holding the position since the time of Qusay bin Kilab who lived before Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). King Faisal gave the Ka'bah key to Sheikh Ameen, brother of Abdulaziz. Sheikh Abdulaziz has been keeping the key for the last 16 years. Al-Sheibi family has been serving the Holy Ka'bah for the last 15 centuries. There are 370 members in the family and most of them live in Makkah.

The Holy Ka'bah is cleaned twice a year; once in the middle of the lunar month of Shaaban and the second in the middle of Dul Qaada using Zamzam water mixed with rose water and perfumed with Oud.

According to Abdulaziz, the Holy Ka'bah was kept open three times a month for people to enter and pray inside. But when the number of people seeking to enter the holy edifice increased it was stopped.

The key of the Ka'bah does not change with the change of its door. During the time of King Khaled, the door was changed but the key remained unchanged. The Holy Ka'bah’s door is 2.40 meters high and 1.70 meters wide. The present door is made of pure gold.