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Saturday March 14, 2009

Hisham: No way to cut waiting period


KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysian Exami- nations Syndicate (MES) cannot shorten the three-month waiting period for the release of the Sijil Tinggi Persekolahan Malaysia (STPM) and Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) results.

Education Minister Datuk Seri Hishammud- din Tun Hussein said the MES had specific procedures to which it had to adhere.

“The MES has to go through 16 procedures before the release of the STPM results while for the SPM, there are 29 (procedures),” he told reporters after launching a book entitled Career Pathways for Education Service Officers.

Asked to comment on Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Senator T. Murugiah’s statement that the three-month wait was too long, Hishammuddin said the processes should not be questioned.

“He can meet with Education director-general Datuk Alimuddin Mohd Dom on the matter,” he said.

It was reported that Alimuddin said the time period had to be maintained as anything shorter would result in a deterioration of marking standards.

On the teaching of Science and Mathematics in English (PPSMI), Hishammuddin said the ministry had spent over RM3bil since the introduction of the policy in 2003.

He said RM2.4bil was spent on ICT, RM3.7mil on teacher training and RM6.1mil on teaching incentives.

“More than 6.1 million students have gone through PPSMI and 126,094 teachers have been trained,” he said, adding that a memorandum on the policy had been sent to several ministries for feedback.

Asked on poison-pen letters, Hishammuddin, who is contesting for a vice-president’s post in the Umno polls, said he appeared to be the candidate most targeted by such letters and SMSes.

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