Has JPN Stolen and Used Our RM600 Prize Money?

My dear Penang Ministry of Education, when are you going to give us our RM500 plus my RM100? It's been what, nearly 3 months since our english debate state level finals. Our debate finals was on the 1st of May, and look, what date is today? 28th of July. And yet, no money and no word from JPN. Tell me, does it take 3 months to transfer money to one simple bank account? One week, I can understand, two weeks I might just think time is needed to balance last months acount, 3 weeks, I might think some miscommunication or some problems processing the money, but 3 MONTHS? Even us walking from Chung Ling High School to the Penang Ministry of Education office to take the money from your pockets and back to CLHS doesn't take more than a day! Tell me, my dear MOE/JPN, where is our money?

Has it been lost in some transfer of funds? Used up for some coffee-drinking sessions? "Loaned" to someone? Or ended up in someone's pockets?

Don't tell me you don't have enough money to pay us, it's just RM600! I mean, so much money is spent on functions, allocations to schools, developement funds, to hold activities, so on and so forth. And this being annual event, surely the allocation would have came with the budget given at the start of the year, surely there should have been money allocated for the prize money right?

Please don't let me speculate where the money is, because I might be carried away and babble away some nonsensical stuffs that might have some negative implications. So please do tell me then, my dear JPN, where is our money? Where is our RM600 prize money?

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Replacement Class Yet Again

Yet again, we have to suffer through another round of replacement classes. And you do know how I hate replacements classes. It's after all a Saturday.

This time around it's for Hari Raya, which is on the 1st and 2nd of October this year. There's another one coming up on the 9th August and hopefully that would be the last of our replacement classes.

As usual, quite a number didn't turn up. I suppose they all had the misfortune (or should I say fortune) of falling sick on the same day, and what do you know, on a replacement class day! What are the odds eh? Classic Chung Ling Kias.

Surprisingly, not everyone was in one of those Saturday blues that made studying hell. Most were quite attentive (or at least concentrating on doing their workbooks). I suppose with SPM drawing near, even the most carefree ones and those with the I-don't-care attitude would start to buck up and work on their studies.

On another note, we did have quite a blast playing a certain board game - Risk. Yes, the very old classic (nope, not Monopoly). It's a strategy game ok. It sharpens your mind and is really really benefitial towards ones studies as it improves your analytical skills. And yes, I know I'm just crapping around to justify why we were playing it, but buttomline is, it really does eat away time fast! Gotta hand it to plain old board games making the long hours of school seem more bearable. Oh, and if you must know, there is this certain trend happening in quite a number of classes that has something to do with the above situation. I guess one of the teacher's line says it all , " What is happening to our Chung Ling boys now? Is it the stress of the impending SPM!? "

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MOE Delays Debate Comp For The 3rd Time

Guess what, MOE (our dear Ministry of Education) just delayed our debate competition for the 3rd time! And the best part? Now, instead of a date, it's postponed to August indefinitely! What great efficiency this shows! I suppose it brings just that closer to our Vision 2020 eh?

So here's the full story. At first, the nationals was supposed to be held in May. This, I suppose, was decided way before, probably last year when they did their 'plannings' for the year. Then somehow, for some unknown reason, it was decided that the day be pushed back to July 7-10, which was the original date we received together with our four motions in a fax from MOE.

Then about a week or more before the date given, we started hearing rumours about a change in date, which as you know, was confirmed 4 days before the competition via a phone call from us, and not them to us.

Then, now, barely a week before the new date (28-31 July), we received yet another phone call confirming that the competition has postponed to August, without a freaking date!

This whole delaying business is cauing great headaches and frustrations for my team. One might thing that we would actually appreciate the extra time give. After all, more time means more time for preparation and being more prepared should naturally raise the odds of winning. But hey, guess what, it's exactly the oppostie. We want this to over. It's my SPM year after all. Hello, it's S-P-M ok? My whole future depends on this darn exam. And here they are postponing it to god-knows-when!? Of course I'm feeling stressed. And no, don't go starting on the EQ thing.

I'm not trying to make a fuss about this whole matter, but has gone way past the reasonable line. First it was a delay without any black and white confirmation letter, and now a delay for the 3rd time? With just one phone call, no date, no time, no venue, no information on our transportation, where we're staying, not to mention the program list. I mean, these are all the very basic items that should have been prepared a long long time ago. Which makes it more mind-boggling as to how can they have such a competition be delayed for 3 times!! Come on, date, time, venue, aren't these supposed to be decided and dealt with a long long time ago? I mean, I'm sure MOE doesn't do things last minute. And I'm even more sure that this being a yearly even, it should had been planned months ago. How long does it take to fix and book a venue, decide on the judges, write letters to them and get the confirmation, plan for the event and have everything finalised?

This is not an attempt to nitpick. Some might think that this is just some small issue and what's the whole fuss about it. But listen, it's precisely because it's such a small matter that it makes such utmost importance! It's because such small things, such as the MOE not being to successfully organise a National Level English Debate, that shows exactly how efficient they are as a whole. If such small things can't be done systematically, it is of big concern to me as to how then are they suppose to carry out the big plans that effect not only a few students ( may I remind you, some very angry and frustrated students) but the entire nation effectively and with the intended results!

All I'm trying to say, dear MOE, please clean up your act. This does not look good on you. It's shows a total lacking of planning, of organising, of efficiency, not to mention a total disregard of protocol. This really, really does not paint a very good picture of the government right now. As for me, I'm just praying there wouldn't be a 4th delay. God-willing.

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Bumiputra Rule in Malaysia's English Debate Competition - Word by word

Remember about the Bumiputra Rule I brought up a while ago that nobody knew existed in Malaysia's Secondary School English Debate competitions? Yeah, the very one that I got really angry at. Here it is in all its glory, word by word. I only have one thing to say: Read it and decide for yourself if it's even justified at all. And if you really think it's a rule that should be there, please do let me hear of your logic, if there even exists such a logic in the first place.

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Debate Postponed Without Official Letter 4 Days Before Actual Date?

Those who have been following the Happy O-Meter on the left(the ad just expired so I'm not when I'll put it back up) would know that our dear Ministry of Education has just postponed our English Debate competition. Darn! And do you know when we got the cofirmation? On wednesday, 2nd of July, 4 days before the original date of the competition! Yes, that's 4 days before the competition without any idea of transportation, any information of funding! Nothing! Except for the date, state (notice that it's not place, not venue, but state!) and the 4 motions.

And the best part is? We never received any official letter regarding this matter! You know how we found out? By word of mouth! From hearing bits and pieces of rumours from other debaters in other states till finally us picking up the phone calling them up! Oh, and what's even better? Apparently, they said, they already received the letter and have yet to send it out! What the heck? Hey man, it's 4 days before the competition. How can you not send such an important document when there's only 4 days left till the competition?

Until today, I'm not even sure if they've actually sent the mail. I suppose us calling them up probably saved them the trouble. But still, this is an official matter. At least it should be in black and white. Even I, a mere 17 year-old know of such a protocol.

Seriously, I'm not trying to nit-pick, but this is way beyond comprehension and logic! I was really pissed back then, but of course I've calmed down now. My only main concern is, how can such a thing happen in our ministrial departments? It shows a lack of organisation and planning! Don't tell me it was on purpose? Then it'd be even worse! That's sabotage!

But of course, there's nothing much we can do. All this shouting and rambling makes no difference as it's already postponed and we're still participating. I just hope they won't postpone it a second time.

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Zune As Teaching Aid? What's Next? Handphones?

Now here's an interesting teaching approach. Using Zune as a teaching aid? Laughable right? It's almost as if handphones were used as teaching aids! But seriously, this is what happened in a rural school down in New Mexico.

Almost all the roughly 100 students at Fort Sumner High School and 25 at South Valley Junior High in Liberty, Mo., were outfitted in February with the Microsoft Corp. gadget - Zune, which for those who don't know (not surprising considering they're not really popular here in Malaysia), is a media player that plays songs, videos and displays pictures.

Yes, this is the Zune..but seriously they lack Apple's Ipod in both popularity and style...xD

Apparently, the idea was to have the devices on during class hours, bus rides home and school trips and listen to podcasts that were related to the subjects being taught or those created by the teachers themselves.

And the best part? A teacher proposed the whole idea! Woah! I'm waiting for one of ours to pitch the idea of using handphones as teaching aids. Now that would be something to shout about!

You've realy got to envy those darn American kids. No school uniform, relaxed rules, flexible syllabus, relaxed teaching environments, and now this? But of course, this is just a test case and has not been implemented nationwide, so I suppose it's really nothing to get excited about. Realistically, I think this is more of a marketing gimmick for Microsoft to boast their lagging Zune sales. And knowing students, most probably would be using it to listen to their favourite tunes, swap pictures or watch some movies instead of using it for the educational purpose it was meant to be in the first place.

To sum it all up, here's what the school's superintendent Patricia Miller has to say.

"Is it the next great thing? I don't know. Maybe. But it is another tool."

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