In an NST article here today, Our Education Minister clarified (one day after) that the RM1.4b complex will be a consolidation of the 27 teacher training institutes in Malaysia into one, with the RM1.3 billion Nilai education complex becoming the main campus and the rest as branches. According to the NST too, He also added that each branch would have its own niche area and speciality such as early education, special education and physical education, besides offering general teaching courses.
No start date was given and I hope we can expect more piece-meal information over the coming weeks and months.
Original posting:
If anyone read the NST today, you will find this article on the building of an education complex in Nilai. This complex will cost tax payers RM1.3b to be build in two phases. It is suppose to strengthen the teaching profession and improve teachers surroundings and welfare.The project would also provide the facilities and infrastructure for strengthening professionalism in the teaching profession as well as for capacity building. I am just wondering how the above objectives achieved. We do not even know when it will start, when phase 2 kicks in and when will it complete. I wonder if the Minister knows. If he or the ministry knows, nobody is telling.
I searched the MOE website and found nothing. Even the Minister's speeches have not been updated since the beginning of the year. No detail of the implementation of the Blueprint is even mentioned in the site. Is everyone busy with implementing the blueprint perhaps? I am sure the Minister has been giving speeches since January but nothing has been posted. So much for transparency. The MOE website reflects the actual department. You walk into the department, if you want information, you go to the right officer after directing you from one place to another. If you want something on the web you click here and there but don't really get anything and walk (click) away somewhat frustrated. The good thing about the web though, is that we do not have to answer many questions while being directed. Welcome to the information age of the Ministry of Education!
This RM1.3b center project seems to come up from nowhere and I am just wondering where it is heading and why the obsession with big buildings. Could the money be put into better use such as:
a) increase salary for teachers (can hear clapping the in background)
b) appoint good trainers and consultants to train and upgrade teachers nation-wide by conducting regular training nearer to the teachers (logic tells me that paying one person to travel is much cheaper than asking many many teachers to travel to one place)
c) fund more teachers for higher education, upgrade themselves (more clapping)
d) upgrade facilities in schools (teachers will surely be happy, students will be too)
and things many teachers will tell you.
I am looking forward to what happens next. Stay tuned. If anyone has eyes and ears on the ground at the right place, let us know.
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