Teacher training programme to be cut short

Compiled by C. ARUNO, JUNAID IBRAHIM and R. ARAVINTHAN

THE holiday teacher training programme (Program Diploma Perguuan Malaysia-Kursus Dalam Cuti) is expected to be cut short from 18 months to just 12 months, reported Sin Chew Daily.

Chinese Language Council president Datuk Wang Hong Cai said the announcement is expected to be made by the Education Ministry soon.

The programme was originally an 18-month course by the Education Ministry where candidates are trained to be qualified teachers.

Deputy Education Minister Datuk Dr Mah Hang Soon had issued a statement in June saying that plans were being made to shorten the teaching course to allow more trainees to qualify as teachers quicker.

According to Wang, the pandemic had disrupted the training programme, which resulted in many teacher trainees not being able to qualify in time.

The revised programme length, he added, would help hasten the training process and also attract university graduates to take up the course.

He pointed out that the Bachelor’s Degree in Teaching (PISMP) programme, which takes five years to complete, was not as popular as before.

It was earlier reported that the Education Ministry was unable to fill up vacancies in the PISMP programme with a minor in Chinese Language programme for the past few years, which was one of the factors causing a shortage of teachers in Chinese vernacular schools.

In 2018, there were 1,020 places for those choosing to minor in Chinese language but only 424 were filled.

In 2019, only 1,054 out of the 1,460 vacancies were filled.

Wang said the shortened holiday teacher training programme would help alleviate the shortage.

> Due to poor mobile reception at home, a teenager from Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) resorted to attending online classes at a bus stop, reported China Press.

With his phone, stationery and a notebook in hand, 19-year-old Muhammad Isu would venture 1km from his home to a bus stop in Rembau, Seremban, just to get a good enough mobile reception to attend his classes.

“There are Internet and mobile coverage issues at home. That’s why I travel here every day to get a more stable Internet connection, ” he said.

Isu has been spotted at the bus stop between 8am and 4pm every weekday.

“For me, it (not having a good reception) is not a reason for not studying. If my classmates can do it, why can’t I? I’d rather go to class at a bus stop than fall behind in school.”

>A food vendor in China became an online sensation after he was found to bear a striking resemblance to the King of Mandopop Jay Chou, reports China Press.

Ever since a video of him making and selling danbing (Chinese crepes) in Hebei was widely shared online, fans of Chou have since made “pilgrimages” to his stall to take photos with him.

According to the danbing seller, business had been booming since the video became viral and he had even been approached to start selling his danbing online.

He said he has been selling danbing for the past 20 years to support his family of five.

The above articles are compiled from the vernacular newspapers (Bahasa Malaysia, Chinese and Tamil dailies). As such, stories are grouped according to the respective language/medium. Where a paragraph begins with a >, it denotes a separate news item.