Category: Sosial

Parents Of Malaysian Students In Singapore Considering Options Due To Higher Costs

JOHOR BARU – Thousands of parents whose children are schooling in Singapore will have to fork out more, not just because of the weakening ringgit, but also due to the increase in school fees beginning next year.

Many of them are now scouting for local private or international schools as the school fees and transportation cost have now come up to almost RM2,000 per child per month.

More than 10,000 children from Johor brave predawn and afternoon traffic jams at the Causeway to attend school in Singapore.

They are picked up at designated areas around the city by about 4.30am to 5am so that they can make it in time for school which starts at 7.10am.

Housewife V. Meena, 47, whose two children are studying in the island republic, said it would now cost her an additional S$120 (RM360) for both her children.

“One of my sons is in primary and another in secondary school there,” she said, adding that her younger child’s new fees would be S$370 (RM1,110), S$20 (RM60) more while fees for her elder child would be S$550 (RM1,650), an increase of S$100 (RM300).

Meena said she would have to look at other options such as putting them in local private or international schools.

“Whatever I do, I need to think about them as surely they will miss their schoolmates whom they are close to,” she said.

Lawyer L.M. Looi, 46, said he too was looking at other options for his son who is in Primary 5 in Singapore.

“It is not just the increase in school fees next year, but the cost of transportation has also gone up to almost RM900 per month this year,” he said.

Gregory Lui, 47, said that his son would be going to secondary school and the S$100 increase to S$550 per month would be a burden.

“When my son started in Primary One, we were paying about S$125 per month. The fees seem to be always increasing,” he said.

Lui is also considering Malaysian private or international schools in the state.

Another parent who wanted to be known as Mrs Chang, 39, said she would have to bear with the increase as it was too late to take out her 11-year-old son.

“My 13-year-old son, who was initially there, opted to come back to Malaysia as he was unable to cope with the stress of studying there. He is now studying in an international school here,” she said, adding that she pays about RM1,300 per month for his school fees.

Singapore’s Ministry of Education in a statement on Tuesday announced that it would be revising the school fees for students who are Permanent Residents (PRs) and international students (IS) in government and government-aided schools from January 2016.

The increase is part of its periodic review of school fees and to further differentiate fees by citizenship.

Fees will increase by between S$20 (RM60)and S$60 (RM180) per month for PR students and by between S$20 and S$150 (RM450) per month for IS.

School fees for Singapore citizens remain unchanged – it is free at primary level, S$5 (RM15) for secondary level and S$6 (RM18) for pre-university level.

Source: http://news.asiaone.com

October 3, 2015
LTA Should Make It Compulsory For Drivers And Riders To Have Both Class 3 And Class 2B Licences

Painful to watch motorcycle accidents happening over and over again because we all know how it feels to be drawing first blood from the tarmac.

The past two weeks have been tough for the riding community. Some of these accidents involving motorcycles were preventable. While many accidents have been caused by erratic driving, we have also seen those that were due to rider’s own negligence, in other cases both driver and rider at fault.

The fatal Ducati accident has affected my circle of riding friends tremendously as they are good friends with the late Lin Ken, affectionately known as Linken. I have seen him a couple of times with my friends at common hangouts like Handlebar etc.

I will refrain from commenting on the accident to show my due respect for the fallen rider.

From my four years of driving around due to work and two years of riding on the road (my interest and also my main mode of transport), I note:

1. Stay away from cars, commercial vehicles. Don’t linger too long at their blindspots because I guarantee you out of ten drivers, probably only two to three check their blindspots. When we say check your blindspots, we are not referring to the mirrors. We are talking about turning your neck to look over your shoulder.

2. Riding slow doesn’t mean riding safe.

3. If the road is wet (raining), stay away from the painted white markings as this can be slippery. If the rain is heavy, take shelter if possible.

4. Ride defensively. It is always good to have dual license – drive a car and ride a bike. You know the quirks of a driver and the behavior of a rider.

In fact, in a perfect world (to me), it should be compulsory for drivers and riders to possess both Class 2B (minimum) and Class 3 license and at least one year experience on the road of each license. Class 3A should be abolished, and auto cars should be given the marching orders and sent to scrapyards. Auto cars makes it so easy for people with no license to hop onto a car and drive away illegally.

But of course, in a not so perfect world like ours, this is nonsense and unpopular.

5. Ride like everyone is out to kill you, especially the drivers.

6. Stay away from the fast lane in heavy traffic. That’s where all the nincompoop congregate – the road hoggers, tailgaters, chiongsters, slow-to-react-drivers, oblivious-to-surrounding-drivers…. You do not wanna be sandwiched.

7. Loud pipe saves lives.

8. Upgrade to an airhorn.

9. Stay away from Malaysian drivers and riders.

10. Give way to faster vehicles (cars and bikes alike). Do not road hog. It is amusing to see everyone queuing up on lane one when the other lanes are not as congested. And if we are filtering as a bike and there is a faster bike approaching behind us (could be a kup, could be a liter bike doesn’t matter), signal to let the rider know your intention to give way and proceed back to filter after letting him pass you.

As a driver, I feel that it is our responsibility to ensure the safety of motorcyclists because they are the vulnerable ones on the road. Check your mirrors all the time, use your indicators and check your blindspots.

As a rider, I feel that we should ride responsibly. I always believed that when we choose to lanesplit/filter, it is a risk we choose to take. Be alert. I have avoided at least two to three rear end collisions thanks to lanesplitting. Whether you like it (or not), most riders filter because it saves lives, saves your (drivers) time sitting in traffic, and reduces congestion as a whole. Of course, we have also seen how irresponsible, reckless and careless filtering can end up a disaster.

There are always two sides to a coin – similarly there are good and MANY bad drivers, good riders and also MANY bad riders. As a driver, I know I am protected by my metal cage, I know that one wrong move from me may cause irreversible damage to others. Knowing these facts, what would you do? A wrong move from a rider may damage your bumper, scratch your mirror, cause you some minor inconveniences but just one wrong move from a driver may end up taking the life of an innocent rider. I choose to think this way because life is priceless and precious. No amount of regrets can bring a son, daughter, father, mother, (of someone) back to life.

We share the road. All that talks about banning motorcycles, they are just words from an idiot trying to sow further discord between drivers and riders. I’m not a perfect driver or rider but I try my best to minimize my mistakes on the road and be as considerate as possible to the best of my abilities.

Look out for each other on the road. Don’t be lazy to signal. Don’t be lazy to check.

Ok bye.

Source: Kristeena Fino Yap

October 3, 2015
Woman Posed Nude In Singapore Flyer Capsule In Broad Daylight

Dear Editors,

A woman stripped and posed nude in a capsule of the Singapore flyer. She also uploaded her nude photos online and they found their way to some local forums.

Here is the censored photo:
https://scontent-sin1-1.xx.fbcdn.net…

Here is a photo of the Singapore flyer’s empty capsule for comparison, so you know it is the real Singapore flyer she’s in:
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia…

Should this nudist woman be arrested for indecent exposure of her body?

Eric
A.S.S. Contributor

Source: www.allsingaporestuff.com

October 2, 2015
Admin Manager Selynna Norhisham Is The New Paper New Face 2015

She waited five long years to take part in The New Paper New Face competition.

And when she finally did, she won it in style.

New Face 2015 winner Selynna Norhisham, 22, also bagged subsidiary titles Subaru Miss Dynamic and New Look Miss Fashionista last night.

She had wanted to join New Face back in 2010 when she was a student in Singapore Polytechnic but decided against it to focus on her studies.

Now an administrative manager, Selynna pushed herself and concentrated on the competition.

She said: “I’ve always been postponing registering for New Face but it was totally worth the wait because I always wanted to win.”

TNP New Face 2015 was held at Takashimaya Square, Ngee Ann City, where 20 finalists competed to win the top three spots and six subsidiary titles.

After about two months of training, the girls strutted down the runway in three outfits from Levi’s®, Depression and New Look in front of a cheering crowd of 800.

Rapper-actor Shigga Shay then performed a 15-minute medley, which included his latest hit songs Shigga Morning and Everybody.

After the ceremony, Selynna’s mother Zuriah Ismail was spotted in a big group of 10 relatives and 12 friends.

Madam Zuriah, a single mother in her 50s, said her whole family supports Selynna’s modelling career.

PROUD

The self-employed woman said: “I am very proud of her and I expected her to win because she has been practising every day without fail.

“Last night (the day before the competition), she practised until 2.30am.”

Cousin Nur Filzah Rohaidi, a 27-year-old writer, specially made a banner which said “#selynnaforpresident” and prepared a “Selynna Post New Face Kit” which contained her favourite food such as Kinder Bueno and Maggi.

She said: “We prepared this kit to surprise her because she loves food and we knew she would be hungry after the competition.”

And true to form, the first thing that came to Selynna’s mind after her win was food.

She said: “I am going to take these guys (her relatives) out for a good seafood treat.”

Selynna, her mother and cousins are practically inseparable.

Madam Zuriah said: “We will always have each other no matter what she goes through.”

First runner-up R Nametha, 17, a St Hilda’s Secondary School student, sacrificed studying for her O levels, which will take place in about 20 days, for the contest.

She said: “I am definitely going to mug right after the competition but the time spent was definitely worth it.”

Second runner-up and Nanyang Technological University graduate Lee Qian Hui, 23, was surprised as she did not think she would make it to the top three.

After winning $3,000, she said: “I will give my friends a big treat because they’ve been supporting me a lot through the voting period and I am very grateful for that.”

Mr Dominic Nathan, editor of TNP, said: “It’s great to uncover fresh new faces every year and see that the alumni have been successful, be it as a model, actress or businesswoman.”

What the judges say about Selynna

“Selynna set a very high standard from the first round where she caught my eyes. She was very impressive and dynamic.”

– Mr Glenn Tan, executive director of Tan Chong International

“From her walk, you could see she had the right mind and great attitude. She was so chic and cool.”

– Ms Juliana Rasul, deputy digital editor of The New Paper

“Everything about Selynna is very New Face. She is very modern and fresh, and is the embodiment of everything Her World stands for.”

– Mr Justin Cheong, deputy editor of Her World

“It was definitely a tough fight but Selynna’s personality came out during her walk.”

– New Face 2006 finalist Velda Tan, fashion designer and founder of Collate The Label

Source: www.tnp.sg

October 2, 2015
ITE And Students On The Up And Up

It is heartening to read that more Institute of Technical Education (ITE) students are completing their courses (“ITE rate of success on the uptrend“; Monday).

I applaud the good news as more students further their studies at the ITE after completing their secondary school education.

Several decades ago, many parents and students viewed the ITE in a negative light.

Some even quipped that the ITE was an abbreviation for “It’s the end”, given that the vocational institute mainly took in students who were school dropouts and post-secondary school students who were not able to gain entrance to polytechnics and junior colleges.

However, the ITE has, in recent years, not only transformed physically, but its overall image has also improved tremendously.

In the past few years, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong has held his annual National Day Rally at the ITE College Central in Ang Mo Kio.

This has signalled the Government’s strong support and endorsement of the institute.

The Government has also been investing heavily in the ITE and its various colleges across the island.

There are various courses available at the ITE now, including health sciences, digital animation, hospitality operations and early childhood education.

ITE graduates also have good opportunities to further their studies and their careers.

I have many friends and relatives who are ITE graduates, and most of them are doing well in their respective careers.

I hope that the Government will continue to support the ITE and its students, especially working adults who are looking to enrol in short courses at the institute.

Muhammad Dzul Azhan Haji Sahban

Source: www.straitstimes.com

October 2, 2015