KIRKBY COLLEGE ALUMNI ASSOCIATION

2009-10-20T17:47:00.000-07:00

READ THE LATEST FACTION NOVEL BY DR SHAARI ISA "KIRKBY: THE LIFE AND THE LOVES" WRITTEN IN SIMPLE ENGLISH WITH EDUCATION THEME, YOU WILL BE FASCINATED. TO ORDER CALL 019-3849209.

2009-10-20T06:52:00.000-07:00

2009-10-05T02:01:00.000-07:00

KIRKBY : LIFE AND LOVES
About the Author - DR SHAARI ISA

Shaari Isa began his career as a teacher but went on to obtain an accountancy professional qualification and a doctoral degree in the same discipline. He began his teaching career at the Sultan Idris Training College (SITC) Tg Malim after completing the teacher training programme at the Kirkby College, near Liverpool England. It was while teaching at the SITC College that he began to write.

In 1962 Shaari was selected to undergo an undergraduate programme in the field of business, in New Zealand. He completed the programme with a specialisation in accountancy and was placed in the Ministry of Education. While in the Ministry he continued writing covering both academic as well as creative works.

Then he went on to serve as the bursar/financial controller at the newly opened Universiti Utara Malaysia (Northern University). But his interest in writing did not diminish. His close involvement within the academic environment encouraged him to seek higher qualification.

He left the country again to do his master degree followed by the doctoral programme. On his return he served as an accounting lecturer at the UIA and the UM. Shaari has an equal love for both literary and academic writings. His works include essays and journal articles; school, college and university texts; short stories and novels. His writings, in particular his essays and novels reflect his deep concern for social order, clear thinking and human happiness.

2009-08-01T20:31:00.000-07:00

The following is the extract speech by YAB Tan Sri Muhyiddin Hj Yassin, Timbalan Perdana Menteri merangkap Menteri Pelajaran Malaysia

Maktab Kirkby merupakan satu eksperimen pendidikan yang unik di mana sebuah negara asing dibenarkan membuka sebuah Maktab Latihan Guru di England pada tahun 1951. Maktab Kirkby telah diikhtiraf oleh Malaysia Book Of Records sebagai “maktab latihan guru dalam bahasa Inggeris yang pertama di Malaya”. Maktab ini beroperasi selama 10 tahun (1952 - 1962) dan telah memberi latihan perguruan kepada lebih 1,500 guru pelatih (trainee teachers) dan 405 guru pelatih (teacher trainers).

Saya dimaklumkan bahawa Maktab Kirkby mendapat bantuan pakar daripada Institut Of Education, University of Liverpool. Pensyarah-pensyarah yang berpengalaman, kurikulum dan kokurikulum digubal khas bagi melatih guru Malaya menggunapakai silibus yang moden, termasuk sesi latihan mengajar di sekolah-sekolah Inggeris, pendedahan kepada tamadun serta gaya hidup Barat yang berdisplin, semua ini telah berjaya melahirkan guru-guru yang hebat dan cemerlang (outstanding).

Saya dimaklumkan oleh Tan Sri Dr Yahaya bahawa Maktab Kirkby yang berbilang bangsa dan agama ini merupakan “miniature Malaya” dan di sinilah semangat “One Malaya” dan “Malaya Boleh” mula disemai dan bercambah subur apabila mereka balik mengajar di seluruh Malaya.

Sekalong Tahniah kepada Persatuan Alumni Maktab Kirkby yang telah menerbitkan buku “Kirkby College – A Heritage” – satu usaha untuk mengumpul dan mendokumentasikan sejarah, peranan dan sumbangan lulusan Maktab Kirkby kepada bidang pendidikan negara kita, khasnya ketika negara baharu merdeka (formative years of education system).
Buku ini juga menjejaki karier dan sumbangan cemerlang bekas pelajar Kirkby dalam pelbagai bidang kehidupan khasnya dalam bidang pendidikan dan perguruan. Saya dapati ramai juga bekas guru Kirkby yang terlibat dalam pentadbiran, undang-undang, perniagaan dan politik, yang secara tidak langsung membuktikan kebolehan versatility guru yang ternyata boleh juga berjaya dalam kerjaya lain daripada guru sekolah.

Di sini izinkan saya memberi pengiktirafan (recognition) kepada beberapa tokoh Kirkby yang telah memberi sumbangan besar kepada masyarakat:

a. Tan Sri Dr Yahaya sebagai pelopor dan bekas pemimpin gabungan persatuan pendidikan tinggi swasta `(MAPCU = Malaysian Association of Private Colleges and Universities),
b. Tan Sri G. Vadiveloo sebagai wakil rakyat dan bekas Yang Dipertua Dewan Negara (1992-94),
c. Datuk Baharuddin Marji yang terlibat dalam pengajuran Musabaqah Al-Quran sejak 1971 hingga sekarang,
d. Sasterawan Negara Datuk Noordin Hassan Tokoh Budayawan Negara terkenal dalam bidang teater,
e. Dato Dr M. Thambirajah pengasas Sri Muragan Centre (NGO Pelajaran yang memberi tuisyen percuma kepada lebih 13,000 pelajar India yang miskin),
f. Dato K.N Nadarajah bekas duta Malaysia ke Moroko dan Iraq,
g. Zainal Arshad Zainul Abidin yang pernah menjadi Pengarah Jabatan Pelancongan (TDC) di England selama 10 tahun (1977-86)
h. Raju Nagalinggam sebagai Coach FIFA (bolasepak),
i. Dr Shaari Isa yang telah menulis lebih 40 buah buku akademik dan novel sejarah termasuk novel “Kirkby : the Life and Loves” yang saya lancarkan pada majlis ini.
j. Mokhtar Daud antara pelopor penerbit di Radio Malaya pada tahun 1960-an hingga era RTM (ayah kepada Tan Sri Azman Mokhtar, Khazanah Negara).

Saya telah membaca sepintas lalu buku tersebut dan dapat gambaran positif bahawa sumbang bakti guru-guru Kirkby cukup besar – mereka bertugas dengan penuh dedikasi pada tahun 1950-an dan 1960-an ketika sekolah-sekolah masih daif dan kemudahan pengajaran masih kurang. Walaupun negara kita masih mundur ketika itu dan tahap keselamatan agak membimbangkan (zaman Dharurat 1948-1960) kehadiran guru-guru Kirkby yang terlatih (dari England) dalam bilik-bilik darjah membawa satu pembaharuan dan kesegaran kepada sistem pelajaran, malah satu kayu ukur (bench mark) atau KPI kepada guru-guru yang lain. Pemilihan 4 bekas pelajar Kirkby sebagai Tokoh Guru Kebangsaan: Harith Liki (1988), Idris Tain (1990), Lau Hut Yee (1992) dan Dr Yahaya Ibrahim (1998) membuktikan kejayaan lulusan Kirby dalam bidang pendidikan. Guru Kirkby juga membawa standard yang lebih tinggi sebagai guru sukan di padang sekolah, sebagai guru kokurikulum, sebagai pentadbir pendidikan (guru besar dan pengetua maktab, pengelola dan Nazir sekolah, sebagai pengarah pelajaran dan sebagainya).

Saya menerima baik cadangan Tan Sri Yahaya supaya Kementerian Pelajaran meningkatkan penguasaan mata pelajaran Bahasa Inggeris selain mengukuhkan kedudukan bahasa Melayu sebagai bahasa penghantar dalam sistem pelajaran negara kita. Mungkin dalam usaha kita memperkukuhkan bahasa Inggeris sebagai bahasa kedua ialah dengan mewajibkan lulus dalam mata pelajaran bahasa Inggeris dalam peperiksaan SPM. Ini cadangan sahaja dan saya perlu mendapat maklumbalas daripada pelbagai pihak khasnya daripada ibu bapa dan juga perlu kita adakan persediaan yang secukupnya jika syarat ini hendak dilaksanakan.

Saya berharap Persatuan Alumni Maktab Kirkby Malaysia sebagai NGO yang terlibat dalam pendidikan dapat memainkan peranan sebagai jambatan yang menghubung antara Kementerian Pelajaran dengan guru-guru Kirkby yang telah bersara, supaya Kerajaan dapat memanfaatkan segala pengalaman yang telah terkumpul selama lebih 30 tahun berkhidmat sebagai guru dan pensyarah. Saya percaya masalah kekurangan guru Inggeris dapat diatasi jika kepakaran dan pengalaman lebih kurang 2,000 guru Kirkby dan 2,000 guru Brinsford Lodge dapat kita manfaatkan melalui Skim Pasca Perkhidmatan ini.

Sekian, dengan lafaz Bismillah Hirrahman Nirrahim saya rasmikan Mesyuarat Agung Penubuhan Persatuan Alumni Maktab Kirkby Malaysia dan saya doakan semoga persatuan ini akan memberi manfaat kepada ahli-ahlinya dan juga dapat memberi sumbang bakti kepada bidang pendidikan dan juga kepada seluruh masyarakat.

Wabillahi-Taufik walhidayah, assalamualaikum dan salam sejahtera.

Tan Sri Muhyiddin Hj Yassin
Menteri Pelajaran Malaysia

2009-08-01T20:18:00.000-07:00

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEMBERS- 2009-2011

1. President

Y.Bhg.Tan Sri Dato’ Seri Dr Yahya Ibrahim
2 Jalan BU 10/4 Bandar Utama, 47800 P.J.
03-77274475
012-6802217

2. Vice. President

Dr Shaari Isa
E 7-9 Puncak Prima Condom, No 1 Jalan Sri Hartamas,
50480 Kuala Lumpur
019-3849209

3. Secretary

Mr David Thong
21 Lorong Aminuddin Baki Satu,
Taman Tun Dr Ismail, 60000 K.L.
016-6338923

4. Asst Secretary

Tuan Haji Othman Dahalan
2921 Jalan Enam, Kamansah Heights,
68000 Ampang, Selangor 03-41083103
016-6675070

5. Treasurer

Tuan Hj Md Kamaruddin Ibrahim
No 4 SS 1/23 B- Kg Tunku,
47300 Petaling Jaya
03-78764016
109-2335981

COMMITTEE MEMBERS

6. Tuan Hj Abdul Aziz Sultan
29 Jalan Belangkas Dua,
KG Pandan, 55100 KL
03-92849561
019-2743737

7. Encik Ahmad b Mohd Taib
BH 26 Elltis Teja, VALENCI,
47000 Sg Buluh, Selangor
03-61407239
012-6278672

8. Y.Bhg Dato’ Hj Baharuddin Marji
16 Lorong Utara, 46200 Petaling Jaya, Selangor
03-79567171
012-2518648

9. Y.Bhg. Tan Sri Dato’ G.Vadiveloo
12 Lorong Siputeh, 58000 Kuala Lumpur
03-79816534
019-3526885

10 Y.Bhg.Dato’ Dr Leslie Foo See Jork
A 3412 Lorong Alor Akar 40, 25250 Kuantan, Pahang
09-5663350
017-9897279

11. Tuan Hj Zainal Abidin Hj Abd Manaf
1018 Lorong Gunung Rapat 2, 31350 Ipoh,Perak
05-3127411
019-5712535

CO-0PT MEMBERS

12 Tuan Hj Abd Aziz b Abd Hadi
134 Cabang Tiga, 22000 Jerteh, Trengganu
09-6971064

13 Y.Bhg.Dato’ Nik Ishak Nik Daud
4308-B Jln Kebun Chamerland 8/27, 15350 Kota Bharu,
09-7482328
019-9587194

14. Mr Satish Chand Bhandari
30 Changkat Minden,
Jalan 3, Minden Heights,
11700 Gelugor, Pulau Pinang
04-6577444
012-4180980

15. Tuan Hj Zainal Abidin b Mohamed
Anak Arshad Archtect,
148 Tmn.Wira Mergong,
05150 Alor Setar, Kedah
04-7143828
012-4763235

INTERNAL AUDITORS

16. Mr Fung Mun Chin
143-2 Block G, Rampai Court,
Taman Sri Rampai Setapak,
53300 Kuala Lumpur
03-41434480
016-2052020

17. Mr Nadarajah
32 Jalan Teresek,
Bangsar Bahru, 59100 K.L.
0322824200
012-6559740

Kirkby Alumni Objectives

The Objectives and the Background of the establishment of the Kirkby College Alumni Association, Malaysia (2008):

1. The establishment of the KCAAM is aimed at commemorating Half a Century of Educational Contributions towards the Malaysian National Aspiration (theme of the Grand Reunion Convention 2008) by the Kirkby College graduates (Kirkbyites).

2. To rekindle the spirit of the College with which the Kirkbyites had contributed to the nation for the past fifty years and are still contributing in the service of education.

3. To relive and to close the ranks of comradeship among the former students of Kirkby College made up of ten batches (1951-1962), numbering 1,500 in all. Among this quite a significant number has passed away.

4. To launch two coffee table books, one in Malay and the other in English, the former published by UPSI entitled “Warisan Maktab Kirkby 1951 – 1962” and the latter entitled “Kirkby College – A Heritage” by the Alumni. These two are important documents that contain the historical records of the development of Malaysian education, in particular, in the area of teacher education. These two books should be accorded proper recognition in school libraries, the libraries of teacher training institutes, institutes of higher learning and in public libraries locally and overseas.

5. To continue fostering the academic and professional cooperation with the University of Liverpool and the Liverpool John Moores University through the establishment of twinning programs with the Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris (UPSI), to be known as the Kirkby Programs.

6. To foster teacher education consistent with the Educational Development Master Plan (EDMP) and the National Higher Education Strategic Plan (NHESP) through the smart networking between the educators together with the Institutions in Malaysia and the educators together with the Institutions overseas, in particular, the United Kingdom.

7. Collective efforts with the aim of furthering teacher education by way of fostering closer cooperation between the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Higher Studies so as to maintain the image and the dignity of teachers and the teaching profession.

8. To put together the efforts of the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Higher Studies with the aim of fostering and enhancing the quality of teacher education in Malaysia and possibly later in the ASEAN region.

9. To plan towards putting Malaysia generally and the Malaysian education, in particular, into the edu-tourism world map.

10. To bring together the educational experts in annual or semi annual forums where educators the world over can meet, discuss and witness the development in the field of education and teacher education in Malaysia. This is done in conjunction with the conducted tours where the experts are taken around to see the progress of education here and then they are invited to give suggestions towards the enhancement of our teacher education.

11. To enhance the professionalism of teachers in Malaysia by exposing the local educators to the rapid progress and development in the field of teaching and learning at the international level through an educational Exposition.

12. To establish a fund called the Tabung Pelajaran Alumni Maktab Kirkby by which an annual award is presented to the most eligible local university graduate in the field of education and educational research.

13. To establish a private institute of higher education to be called Kirkby College.

14. To contribute towards the establishment of the National Educational Museum with the cooperation of the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Higher Studies and the Ministry of National Unity, Culture, Arts and Heritage (now changed) Malaysia. It is proposed that the suggested museum be located somewhere in the centre of Kuala Lumpur for easy access. For the time being, Kirkbyites are encouraged to send whatever materials they wish to contribute to the curator of Galleri Kirkby at UPSI.

15. To foster the cooperation between Malaya and England in the Kirkby project (1951 – 62) as a reference model arising from the bilateral and cross border cooperation which had been such a success in the transfer of teaching skills and enhancing of teacher education, from an advanced country (England) to a developing country (Malaya).

KIRKBY COLLEGE ALUMNI ASSOCIATION MEMBERSHIP FORM

FULL MEMBERSHIP / ASSOCIATE MEMBERSHIP ( either one )

Full name:

I/C No:

Gender

Current Address

Home Tel. No:

Mobile Tel: No:

E-mail Address

Marital Status

ELIGIBLE FOR ASSOCIATE MEMBERSHIP

Spouse’s name

Children of Kirkbyite

EDUCATION BACKGROUND

Secondary School

Years at Kirkby

Involvement in societies

Involvement in sports

Teaching practice at:

University

Degree
Year
Major

CAREER: Teachers at (schools)

1.
2.

Years of service

Non teaching Career

AWARDS RECEIVED

1.
2.
3.
4.

SOCIAL SERVICES

1.
2.

II hereby apply to be a member or associate member of Kirkby College Alumni Associationand agree to abide all rules of the association.

________________________ Name:…………………………………………..

To:
President,
Persatuan Alumni Maktab Kirkby Malaysia,
70 C Jalan SS21/35,
Damansara Utama,
47400 Petaling Jaya.

I enclose herewith a cheque/Money Order No: .......................... amounting to RM100.00 for the payment of being a member of Persatuan Alumni Maktab Kirkby Malaysia.

............................................................

Name: ………………………………………………. Date: …………………………………..

2009-07-03T19:32:00.000-07:00

DRAF TEKS UCAPAN ALUAN
YBG TAN SRI DATO SERI DR YAHAYA IBRAHIM
DI MAJLIS PERASMIAN MESYUARAT AGUNG PENUBUHAN PERSATUAN ALUMNI MAKTAB KIRKBY MALAYSIA

Yang Amat Berhormat Tan Sri Muhyiddin bin Haji Mohd Yassin, Timbalan Perdana Menteri merangkap Menteri Pelajaran, Dif-Dif Kehormat, bekas pelajar Maktab Kirkby dan para hadirin sekelian.

Saya amat bersyukur pada hari ini atas kehadiran Tan Sri Muhyiddin bin Haji Mohd Yassin, Timbalan Perdana Menteri merangkap Menteri Pelajaran, yang telah sudi menerima undangan kita untuk datang merasmikan Mesyuarat Agung Penubuhan Persatuan Alumni Maktab Kirkby Malaysia. Kehadiran Tan Sri dalam majlis ini amat bermakna dan cukup kita hargai dan sanjung tinggi, kerana walaupun cukup sibuk dengan pelbagai tugas penting di pejabat, Tan Sri sanggup “turun padang” untuk bertanya khabar, mendengar sendiri cadangan atau pandangan kami bekas guru-guru atau bekas pegawai perkhidmatan pelajaran yang telah bersara.

Saya berpendapat kehadiran Tan Sri di majlis ini telah menunjukkan contoh teladan yang baik bagaimana budaya kerja “Satu Malaysia: Rakyat Didahulukan, Prestasi Diutamakan” itu dapat dilaksanakan tanpa banyak halangan birokrasi. Saya sendiri agak terkejut apabila surat jemputan saya dijawab dalam masa dua minggu sahaja oleh Encik Shukur, pegawai di Pejabat Menteri Pelajaran, yang menyatakan Tan Sri bersetuju akan hadir pada 8 Jun, yang memerlukan kami mengadakan persedian dalam tempoh 10 hari. Kata pepatah Melayu “tiada beban batu digalas” maka mahu tidak mahu terpaksalah semua AJK Persatuan digerakkan untuk menggalas pelbagai kerja-kerja persiapan untuk menjayakan majlis ini.

Di kesempatan ini saya ingin mengucapkan terima kasih kepada kawan-kawan dalam AJK Protem yang telah berkhidmat sejak hampir setahun lalu, menjayakan majlis Grand Reunion dan Konvensyen Pendidikan yang berlangsung pada bulan November 2008, dan mereka jugalah yang bekerja kuat selama dua minggu untuk membuat persediaan menerima kedatangan Tan Sri merasmikan majlis ini. Sungguh jelas mereka adalah ULAMAK – Usia Lanjut Masih Aktif, bukan ULAM – Usia Lanjut Malas, bukan juga ULAR – Usia Lanjut Relaks dan jauh sekali jadi ULAT – Usia Lanjut Tidor. Jika ada konsep Pembelajaran Sepanjang Hayat, saya ingin kemukakan konsep “Memberi Sumbangan Sepanjang Hayat” yakni selagi nyawa dikandung badan selagi itulah kita aktif membuat kerja dan amal bakti untuk masyarakat.

Saya juga amat berterima kasih kepada Tan Sri Ismail Adam Ketua Pengarah JPA yang membenarkan kami mengguna fasiliti di INTAN dan kepada Dr Muhamad Hamzah Pengarah INTAN dan Encik Nik Rashid Pendaftar INTAN serta pegawai-pegawainya yang telah memberi pelbagai bantuan. Juga Dato Alimuddin Md Dom Ketua Pengarah Pelajaran, Tan Sri Zulkarnain Awang KSU Kementerian Pelajaran, serta pegawai-pegawai di Kementerian Pelajaran yang cukup menyokong atau ‘very supportive in education matters’. Selain itu saya juga berterima kasih kepada UPSI yang dipimpin Dato Prof Dr Aminah Ayob kerana banyak membantu kerja-kerja kami. Izinkan saya menjual serangkap pantun:

Terima Kasih Daun Keladi,
Daun Keladi tepi perigi,
Bantuan tuan kami amat hargai,
Kalau boleh masa depan bantulah lagi.

Tan Sri dan hadirin sekelian,

Saya agak ramai yang yang mushkil dan tertanya-tanya mengapa hanya sekarang selepas 50 tahun persatuan bekas alumni Maktab Kirkby ini ditubuhkan? Sebenarnya sebuah persatuan alumni Maktab Kirkby telah wujud dahulu dalam tahun 1953 dan bergerak aktif hingga tahun 1975. Oleh kerana pelbagai masalah akhirnya persatuan ini mati tanpa kubur. Selepas itu pelbagai aktiviti alumni Kirkby merupakan ad-hoc termasuklah Perayaan Golden Anniversary 50 Tahun Kirkby pada tahun 2001. Kemudian beberapa batch mengadakan re-union masing-masing hinggalah pada tahun lepas kita menganjurkan Grand Reunion di PICC Putrajaya yang dihadiri lebih kurang 150 alumni Kirkby pelbagai batches.

Tujuan kita menubuhkan Persatuan Alumni Kirkby ialah supaya wujud satu wadah rasmi yang sah di sisi undang-undang, yang mana melalui persatuan ini pelbagai aktiviti yang terancang dapat dilaksanakan, aktiviti-aktiviti yang membawa manfaat kepada ahli dan juga masyarakat. Persatuan ini berkonsepkan “One for all and all for one” yakni kita sama-sama bekerja dan berkorban untuk faedah semua, bukan secara ad-hoc di mana satu dua orang buat kerja yang lain tunggu sahaja bila nak buat re-union. Lagipun saya dan ramai kawan-kawan berpendapat sampai bila aktiviti kita tertumpu kepada Reunion sahaja yang melibatkan kita sama kita sahaja berjumpa beramai-ramai, bercerita peristiwa lama, karaoke dan makan sahaja? Pada pendapat saya tentu kita berupaya dapat melakukan banyak lagi aktiviti kebajikan kepada masyarakat jika wujud satu persatuan yg formal dan sah.

Semangat Bersatu dalam satu Pasukan atau “Espirit de corps” hendaklah dihayati oleh setiap Kirkbyites atau Kirkbians, jangan kita berpecah-pecah mengikut batch, mengikut kaum atau mengikut fahaman politik. Marilah kita kembali kepada semangat semasa kita menuntut di Kirkby dahulu sebagai SATU Malaya (1952-57) tanpa mengira batas-batas bangsa, agama, budaya atau perkauman. Ingat kitalah yang menjayakan eksperimen Kerajann Koloni Inggeris untuk mewujudkan sebuah BANGSA MALAYA yang pluralistik dan haterogeneous di mana pelbagai bangsa Malaya dapat hidup bersama dan berkongsi impian yang sama – Negera yang aman dan makmur yang penduduknya saling hormat menghormati. Malah inilah yang menjadi kebanggaan Kirkby – A Minituare Malaya ini United Kingdom, where Malayans of different races, religion and background, could live and study together, sharing festivals yang sekarang disebut Kongsi Raya. Saya percaya pengalaman selama 2 tahun di Kirkby yang pluraistic and multi culture sangat-sangat dihargai (treasured) oleh kita semua dan diceritakan kepada murid-murid dan rakan-rakan guru di sekolah, bukan untuk glamour tetapi sebagai contoh teladan bagaimana sejak awal tahun 1950-an lagi BANGSA MALAYA bukan satu konsep atau khayalan tetapi satu kenyataan di Kirkby dan selepas eksperimen Kirkby berjaya telah diduplicate di Brinsford dan Maktab Kota Bharu Kelantan dan hari ini hampir kesemua pelajar Universiti dan Institut Perguruan terbuka kepada pelbagai bangsa.

Kirkby is a unique educational experiment and Kirkby stories will be told and retold a thousand times, as long as the Kirbyites are still alive. But all of us are not getting any younger as the pioneer batch is 81 plus (I am already a octogenarian) and the last batch of Kirkbyites is around 70 years, sooner or later we will depart from this world to the hereafter. Being ‘warga mas’ doesnt mean that we should take a long rest, instead we must show example that we are still an asset to the society especially to the education world. As YAB Pak Lah mentioned in his speech in 2004, retirees are in fact “hidden talents, the undiscovered gems”:

Changes to the education system, no matter how ambitious and far reaching, will take time to yield results. We must also think about the hidden talents, the undiscovered gems already in our midst”
(YAB Dato Seri Abdullah Hj Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, Towards A Better Future, 13 Jan 2004)

Daripada kenyataan YAB Perdana Menteri tersebut jelaslah pendidikan negara kita amat memerlukan perubahan menyeluruh khususnya perubahan dari segi pengurusan dan pentadbiran, proses pengajaran dan pembelajaran (P&P) dan juga perubahan dalam kurikulum. Semua pihak perlu digembleng untuk membawa perubahan ini, termasuklah bekas guru dan pegawai pendidikan yang bersara.

Saya berharap Persatuan Alumni Maktab Kirkby Malaysia sebagai NGO yang terlibat dalam pendidikan dapat memainkan peranan sebagai jambatan yang menghubung antara Kementerian Pelajaran dengan guru-guru Kirkby yang telah bersara, supaya Kerajaan dapat memanfaatkan segala pengalaman yang telah terkumpul selama lebih 30 tahun berkhidmat sebagai guru dan pensyarah. Besar kemungkinan Kerajaan akan menimbangkan untuk mewujudkan SKIM PASCA PERKHIMATAN (Post Service Scheme) dalam bidang-bidang tertentu yang kritikal yang kita kekurangan (defisit) tenaga pakar, seperti kekurangan guru bahasa Inggeris, guru Maths dan Sains atau guru sukan. Saya percaya masalah kekurangan guru Inggeris dapat diatasi jika kepakaran dan pengalaman lebih kurang 2,000 guru Kirkby dan 2,000 guru Brinsford Lodge dapat kita manfaatkan melalui Skim Pasca Perkhidmatan ini.

Sekian, dengan lafaz Bismillah Hirrahman Nirrahim saya rasmikan Mesyuarat Agung Penubuhan Persatuan Alumni Maktab Kirkby Malaysia dan saya doakan semoga persatuan ini akan memberi manfaat kepada ahli-ahlinya dan juga dapat memberi sumbang bakti kepada bidang pendidikan dan juga kepada seluruh masyarakat.

Wabillahi-Taufik walhidayah, assalamualaikum dan salam sejahtera.

Kirkby College Alumni Assoc Inaugral General Meeting

2009-07-01T22:11:00.000-07:00

2009-07-01T22:07:00.000-07:00

2009-07-01T21:33:00.000-07:00

2009-07-01T21:28:00.000-07:00

2009-07-01T21:23:00.000-07:00

2009-07-01T21:18:00.000-07:00

2009-07-01T21:13:00.000-07:00

Kirkby College Alumni Assoc Inaugral General Meeting

2009-07-01T21:00:00.000-07:00

2009-07-01T20:56:00.000-07:00

2009-07-01T20:53:00.000-07:00

2009-07-01T20:43:00.000-07:00

2009-07-01T20:35:00.000-07:00

2009-07-01T20:28:00.000-07:00

2009-07-01T20:23:00.000-07:00

Kirkby College Alumni Assoc Inaugral General Meeting

2009-07-01T20:19:00.000-07:00

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2009-07-01T19:43:00.000-07:00

Kirkby College Alumni Assoc Inaugral General Meeting

2009-07-01T19:36:00.000-07:00

2009-01-27T07:10:00.000-08:00

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2009-01-27T06:57:00.000-08:00

This photo taken more than 50 years ago, is produced to rekindle the nostalgia of cold morning of 25th January 1955, i.e Chinese New Year Day at Kirkby College. That memorable Year of the Goat and eventful Dragon Dance procession was a thing of the past but can still be remembered by most of us, the septuagenarian Kirkbyites.

In heralding simultaneously the traditional Festive Celebration in Malaya, the Kirkby Dragon Dance Troupe comprising of Chinese students of classes 1953 – 54, clad smartly in Mr Wooley’s black, woollen, track tops and white pants, went around the college premises with great excitement and enthusiasm. The beating of the small drum, handed down by our seniors, had awakened the residents. They peeked curiously out of their windows at the Dragon Troupe, cheering and shouting “Happy New Year”.

Every member had once in their life time opportunity to outshine their skills in beating to near perfection the correct rhythm of the typical tune and manoeuvring dexterously the tiny dragon head along the cemented paths between the black gloomy blocks of Kirkby campus buildings.

LOUIS CHEONG (KIRKBY 1954 - 56)

2009-01-27T06:23:00.000-08:00

2009-01-27T06:21:00.000-08:00

The Tunku at Kirkby. Behind him is Tunku Yusof Jewa (with songkok),
his nephew, a student at Kirkby (1956 - 58).

MERDEKA ANNOUNCEMENT AT KIRKBY

Kirkby, February 7, 1956 –

The Chief Minister of the Federation of Malaya, Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra today made the historic announcement that his country would be fully independent on 31st August 1957.

Addressing about 300 Malayan students, lecturers and certain high ranking officials at the Malayan Teachers’ Training College in Kirkby near Liverpool, the Tunku said, “For the next few months, the new greeting at meetings in our country will be ‘Merdeka!’. ”

“I can now make the disclosure that I have just returned form the Constitutional Talks with the Government of Her Majesty. The talks went off very well indeed – so well, in fact, what we had set our minds to get, we got. Other matters which we discussed have been settled amicably. The talks began in an atmosphere of friendliness and cordiality and ended on that very happy note yesterday afternoon.”

A beaming Tunku then announced, for the first time to the world, that the country’s independence or Merdeka would be on 31st August 1957. The jubilant students, standing up immediately, began clapping and enthusiastically shouting, “Merdeka! Merdeka! Merdeka!” amidst a battery of flashing cameras and whirring cine film gadgets of all sizes.

When the clapping and shouts of joy had somewhat subsided, the Tunku, smiling broadly, told the students, “I knew you would be happy to hear it.”

Speaking without notes, the charismatic Prince told the audience that when he and his team had first set out from Malaya, there had been two parties – those representing the Alliance, and those representing the Rulers. But, by the time they had arrived in England, there were not two parties but one.

“We had reached London determined to obtain self-government and independence, and had been prepared to quarrel about it. But, after the talks had gone on for no more than a day, we found that we had won over Her Majesty’s Government to our side,” added the Tunku.

When the intermittent clapping and cries of jubilance had stopped, the Tunku continued, “Important tasks still lie ahead. Our independence is won. We must retain it all costs. We had worked hard to get it. We must work very much harder to retain it. We have enemies all around us. There are also enemies within.”

On a historic note, the Tunku told the audience that a remarkable coincidence had recently been brought to his attention by an article in a Malayan Magazine. He said, “It was one hundred and seventy years ago that the first Treaty had been signed between Malaya and England, between one of my own ancestors, the King or Sultan of Kedah, and Captain Francis Light, to cede off Penang Island. That was in 1786. It is now 1956. I have just concluded negotiations that would result in the return not only of Penang but of the whole country.” This resulted in another salvo of clapping and shouts of “Merdeka!”

The students and staff had been told on advance of the impending visit of the Tunku and his party which included Education Minister Dato’ Abdul Razak, but one had the slightest inclination that the Tunku would make such a historic announcement at the Kirkby College, even before leaving for Malaya which was waiting eagerly for his return.

As part of the preparation to welcome the high ranking visitors, the Kirkbyites (as the students call themselves) and the staff of the College had taken great pains to decorate the compound and the Main Assembly Hall. Palm trees and potted flower plants lined the entrance. Flags and buntings adorned the Hall. And all the students had put on their best multi-coloured national dresses – sarong, kebayas, saris, Punjabi costumes and cheongsams. Many were in their freshly ironed three piece lounge suits and smart College blazers, with the colourful crest sewn on it.

Waiting to welcome the visitors were Sir Dr. James Mountford, the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Liverpool, who was the Chairman of the Board of Governors of the College and other members of the Board, the Principal Mr. G.J Gurney and his staff and members of the Students Council.

As soon as the visitors and everyone had taken their seats in the Hall, the students with a thunderous united voice sang the College song, “The Golden Chersonese.”

One of the highlights of the historic occasion was a special speech by Dato’ Abdul Razak, who outlined the history of the development of education in Malaya and how it had progressed over the years. The setting up of the Kirkby College itself was part and parcel of the rapid progress of education in the country, he explained.

The students and other guests were then shown a film of the historic meeting of the Tunku with Chin Peng, the general-secretary of the Communist Party of Malaya, a clandestine terrorist organization.

By a sheer coincidence, among the audience during Tunku’s visit was a student, Tunku Abdul Aziz bin Tunku Ibrahim (1954 – 56), a Student Councilor and the Editor of the College Magazine, The Panduan. His father, Tunku Ibrahim was the OCPD of Police Headquarters in Jitra, North Kedah, who had accompanied the Tunku to the Baling Talks with Communist Party of Malaya headed by Chin Peng. Tunku Abdul Aziz was the founder of Transparency International and now one of the Vice President of DAP.

2009-01-27T06:17:00.000-08:00

BRIEF HISTORY OF COLLEGE SITE
BY: GERARD TAN (Son of Amy Lai, Kirkby 1952-54)

Kirkby is located located 10 miles north-east of Liverpool, in the metropolitan Borough of Knowsley and Merseyside County.

It was founded in circa 870 AD, settled from 1086 AD with a early population of 70 people, headed by Molyneux family. From the 16th century, the land where the college stood was fields which formed part of the lands of the Molyneux family (subsequently created the Earl of Sefton in 1771).

First railway line 1848, was built from Liverpool to Bury, passing Kirkby. East Lancashire road was built in 1935.

The college site (56 acres) was sold by the 7TH Earl of Sefton (together with other land to the north east and south west of Kirkby) to The Minister of Supply. The Minister of Supply was the minister in the British Government responsible for the Ministry of Supply, which existed to co-ordinate the supply of equipment to the British National Armed Forces during World War Two.

Royal Ordinance Factory (ROF Kirkby), a Ministry of Supply’s ammunitions factory, was built before the war in 1939 and completed in 1941. At its peak the factory employed 20,000 workers.

Kirkby Fields Hostel was built nearby to accommodate around 1,000 workers from the factory. The hostel also opened its doors to all to help alleviate the housing shortage during the war. The workers hostel occupied the same grounds of the Kirkby College.

At the end of WWII, the Board of Education established an Emergency College at Kirkby Fields Hostel, to address the shortage of teachers in the country. In 1947 the 52nd Emergency College (out of 55) opened in Kirkby. The last Emergency College course was completed in 1951.

In 2nd January 1952, the first batch of Malayan students arrived at Kirkby College. The college trained about 1500 teachers and 405 teacher trainers. In December 1962 saw the last of the Malayan students and closing of MTTC Kirkby or Kirkby College.

Kirkby Urban District was gazetted in 1949 as a new town and a Kirkby District Council created in 1957. Kirkby’s neighbouring towns: Bebington, Birkenhead, Bootle, Crosby, Fazakerly, Formby, Halewood, Heswall, Hoylake, Huyton, Maghull, rescott, Rainhill, Southport, St Helens, Wallasay, Whiston.

In 1963 the easternmost part of the site was conveyed by the Minister of Aviation to the Urban District Council of Kirkby. In 1979, the remainder of the site (approx 25 acres) was then sold by The Secretary of State for Defence to Knowsley Borough Council for £15,000.

In the mid 1990’s, the land holdings were split across three new titles, presumably to accord with the different housing developers. The south western part of the land was developed by Redrow Homes (Lancashire) Limited, the eastern part by McLean Homes North West & Cheshire Limited and the northern part by Rivermead Homes Limited

The ground where the MTTC once stood is now a residential area and populated by houses.

Kirkby’s current population is about 41,000, with peak about 52,00 in 1961.

2009-01-26T07:19:00.000-08:00

THE PIONEERS ARRIVED AT KIRKBY
BY: ABDUL RAHIM YUSOFF AND E.S VYTHESWARAN, 1952 - 52

When told by the English “escort” who had been accompanying us from Tilbury Port, London, (they turned out to be our future lecturers) that our final destination was just a few minutes away from the Kirkby Railway Station, we suddenly found new vigour to put extra “oomph” in our strides and couldn’t wait to see what our home for almost two years would be like. We had great and high expectations. After all, this was England, the nation that had once ruled vast portions of the Earth. It was Great Britain, architect of magnificent buildings and planners of mighty cities.

A brisk walk took us to the college campus. What confronted us was a cluster of dismal-looking black, longish single-storied blocks. Was this our campus? Shock and horror! And as though that was not depressing enough, long, zigzagging, fat, black pipes threateningly loomed high above our heads, as we trod and slipped and slipped and trod and made our way in the college “campus”, our home-to-be. Neither gardens nor greenery did we see anywhere. Compounded by the biting and howling wintry wind and the dark and damp evening sky, the scenery that frowned upon us completely shattered our dream.

Contrary to the mirth and laughter on board the ship and elsewhere, surprisingly, almost every one of us was silent, absorbed in his or her own thought. But, later during dinner we somewhat regained our traditional Malayan spirit and composure when we were served hot rice and crab curry. Yes! Hot crab curry similar to that back home! We learnt later that a local major shipping company, the Blue Funnel Shipping Line, which had close-connections with Malaya, had seconded five of their cooks who knew a thing or two about Asian cooking.

I was not sure whether it was the depressing cold, the sudden home-sickness, the tiredness, the first-day blues or the crab curry, which made me sleepy. But no sooner had I slipped into my comfortable single bed (which was made up like a sleeping bag) in my very own heated room (thanks, as we learnt later, due to the fat, ugly overhead pipes), when I fell asleep, “sleep, beloved from pole to pole, slip into my soul!”

The next few days were Majlis Suai Kenal (Orientation Week), so to speak. Upon entering the Hall, we were surprised to read “Selamat Datang Ke Kampong Kirkby” pasted on the backdrop of the stage. We were officially introduced to all lecturers, getting to know the lecturers personally, getting to know the various locations of the lecture rooms, the Library, the “Quiet Room”, the Assembly Hall, the Sick Bay, the Recreation Hall, the Dining Hall, and the Principal’s Office and the administration staff. We also familiarised ourselves with sporting facilities such as the indoor and outdoor courts and the “Padang” (playing field) below which a thousand rabbits had burrowed their homes.

Despite our earlier shock at the sight of the College, after a while we became very fond of the campus and equally fond of all the people helping to run the college. The cleaning maids, the kitchen helpers, the gardeners, the bus drivers, the office staff, all became part of our family. Kirkby was our home away from home. All the students were Malayan and we became a united community and turned our college into a little Malaya. It became our beloved “Kampong Kirkby” (Kirkby Village).

And on the 7th January 1952, the pioneer students of the Malayan Teachers’ Training College, Kirkby, assembled in the Assembly Hall and were formally welcomed by the Board of Governors of the College, headed by Sir J.F Mountford, Vice-Chancellor of the University or Liverpool. Nine months later, the second groups of students arrived, making the total enrolment of 300 teacher trainees. Ten months later, on 17th November, 1952, the Malayan Teachers Training College, Kirkby, fondly referred to as The Kirkby College, was officially opened by the Right Honourable Mr. Oliver Lyttelton, Secretary of State for the British Colonies.

The subjects we had to learn were rather exacting and varied. Principles of Education, Child Psychology, Health Education, English, Malay Language and so on. And we could choose an optional subject too such as maths, science, music, woodwork, physical education or art and craft.

A much-talked about activity was a project undertaken by the students from the Woodwork Department. With advice from some staff and one or two dockyard workers, the students showed their skill by building a boat or sampan. They named it ‘The Harimau’ (Malayan Tiger). The whole college was excited when the Principal, Mr. Robert Williams and his wife were invited to launch it and row it along the Liverpool Canal. We watched breathlessly, it didn’t sink! We gave a thunderous applause. For the first time, we saw our strict Vice-Principal, Mr. G.J Gurney actually laughing loudly and clapping. It was a great day.

In Kampong Kirkby, we students organized many interesting social activities, including folk and social dances. We presented stage performance called Malayan Medley to display our multi-cultural talents by performing Malay, Chinese, Indian and Portuguese dances and wide variety of songs in several languages. Every year the College staged several successful Malayan Plays and the locals were invited to see the play performed in the Hall. Through these cultural performances the name “Kampong Kirkby” spread throughout Merseyside and we received invitation from various organizations in Liverpool to perform cultural dances.

We organized special celebrations during Hari Raya, Chinese New Year, Deepavali and Christmas. In order to share the festival and joy, we invited not only our lecturers but also many friends around Kirkby and Liverpool.

Although we were in Kirkby for just about two years, we were exposed to an all-round life-long educational experience. It was an exciting and practical down-to-earth exposure. Beside academic subjects and intensive professional training to become teachers, we also learnt the importance of cultivating a humanistic and caring society, and the importance of living together in a tolerant and united close-knit community. One had to experience it to really know what it meant for a group of young Malayans to be housed in one campus for two years to be trained as teachers in the foreign land almost 8,000 miles from Malaya.

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TEKS UCAPAN YB MENTERI PELAJARAN MALAYSIA

2008-12-15T19:02:00.000-08:00

TEKS UCAPAN
YB MENTERI PELAJARAN MALAYSIA
YB DATO’ SERI HISHAMMUDDIN BIN TUN HUSSEIN
MENTERI PELAJARAN MALAYSIA
SEMPENA
MAJLIS PERASMIAN KONVENSYEN PENDIDIKAN GURU
DI INTAN BUKIT KIARA, KUALA LUMPUR
29 NOVEMBER 2008

Allhamdulillah, terlebih dahulu saya merafakkan kesyukuran ke hadrat Allah SWT kerana dapat hadir dan bersua muka dengan tuan-tuan dan puan-puan sekalian, terutamanya The Kirkbyites dalam konvensyen ini.

Pertamanya, saya ingin mengucapkan terima kasih kepada pihak penganjur Konvensyen Pendidikan Guru khasnya Y.Bhg Tan Sri Dato’ Dr Yahaya Ibrahim, Presiden Persatuan Alumni Maktab Kirkby Malaysia, yang telah sudi menjemput saya untuk menyampaikan ucaptama dan seterusnya merasmikan Konvensyen pada pagi ini.

Seperti yang saya telah janjikan kepada Tan Sri dahulu, pihak Kementerian Pelajaran Malaysia memberi sokongan sepenuhnya kepada majlis ini dengan membantu dari segi penajaan kewangan dan tampil sebagai penganjur bersama antara Persatuan Alumni Maktab Kirkby, Kementerian Pelajaran Malaysia (KPM), Kementerian Pengajian Tinggi (KPT) yang diwakili UPSI, dan Kementerian Perpaduan, Kebudayaan, Kesenian dan Warisan (KeKKWa).

Saya dimaklumkan bahawa beberapa Bahagian Kementerian Pelajaran Malaysia telah terlibat dalam konvensyen ini, iaitu Bahagian Pendidikan Guru, Bahagian Pengurusan Sekolah Harian, Bahagian Pengurusan Sekolah Berasrama Penuh dan Sekolah Kluster, Bahagian Jemaah Nazir dan Jaminan Kualiti, Bahagian Teknologi Pendidikan, dan Bahagian Hal Ehwal Korporat.

Saya juga mengucapkan terima kasih kepada Institut Tadbiran Awam Negara, Malaysia (INTAN), Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris (UPSI) dan Muzium Pendidikan Nasional, UPSI, Muzium Negara Malaysia atas kerjasama dalam menjayakan “Kirkby College Grand Reunion and Convention 2008”.

Saya difahamkan petang semalam pelancaran buku "Kirkby College - The Heritage" dan Pameran Maktab Kirkby telah dirasmikan oleh YB Timbalan Menteri KeKKWa.

Sokongan Kementerian dan juga saya sebagai Menteri Pelajaran secara peribadi, membuktikan komitmen kerajaan terhadap bidang pelajaran dan khasnya pendidikan guru. Saya berharap melalui konvensyen ini yang melibatkan dua orang tokoh pendidikan yang berpengalaman luas dalam bidang perguruan pada peringkat antarabangsa iaitu Prof. Diana Burton dan Prof. Datuk Dr Ibrahim Ahmad Bajunid, memungkinkan kita menimba ilmu baharu yang dapat dijadikan input bagi melakukan penambahbaikan dalam usaha meningkatkan lagi mutu pendidikan dan latihan guru di negara kita, supaya setanding dengan mutu latihan guru di negara-negara maju.

Seperkara yang saya ingin sebutkan di sini, ialah, Kementerian Pelajaran amat mengalu-alukan penglibatan pelbagai Persatuan Alumni Sekolah dan Maktab, contohnya Persatuan Alumni Maktab Kirkby ini, dalam membantu kementerian meningkatkan lagi khidmat kepada rakyat dengan lebih berkesan atau “efficient delivery of education services”. Jika di sekolah rendah dan menengah kita bekerjasama dengan PIBG manakala di peringkat maktab dan universiti, Persatuan Alumni perlu tampil sebagai pihak yang berkepentingan atau “stake-holder”, memantau perjalanan dan mengesan masalah serta memberi cadangan-cadangan atau jalan penyelesaian untuk memantapkan lagi kualiti perkhidmatan.

Tuan-tuan dan puan-puan yang dihormati sekalian,

Sejarah Maktab Kirkby

Menyorot sejarah, 57 tahun dahulu sebuah kem tentera British di Kirkby, England, telah digunakan untuk melatih guru yang dikenali sebagai Maktab Kirkby. Seramai 149 guru pelatih kumpulan pertama telah dihantar ke Maktab Kirkby bagi mengikuti latihan perguruan selama dua tahun. Guru pelatih tersebut terdiri daripada 65 orang perempuan dan 84 orang lelaki yang berumur antara 19 hingga 20 tahun telah tiba di Maktab Kirkby pada 2 Januari 1952. Mereka diwajibkan untuk mengikuti latihan amali di sekolah-sekolah yang berdekatan dengan maktab tersebut.

Maktab Kirkby merupakan kolej pertama yang ditubuhkan pada tahun 1951 bagi melahirkan guru-guru terlatih untuk mengajar di sekolah-sekolah yang menggunakan bahasa pengantar Bahasa Inggeris sekembalinya mereka ke Tanah Melayu.

Maktab tersebut ditubuhkan hasil daripada Laporan Barnes yang memperuntukkan bahawa kanak-kanak yang berumur 7 hingga 12 tahun diwajibkan bersekolah dan tidak dikenakan sebarang bayaran. Hal ini menyebabkan kemudahan latihan perguruan tidak mencukupi untuk memenuhi permintaan guru-guru terlatih. Pada masa yang sama, perancangan telah dibuat untuk menubuhkan tiga buah Pusat Latihan Guru di Kota Bharu (1954), Brinsford Lodge, United Kingdom (1955), dan Pulau Pinang (1955).

Tuan-tuan dan puan-puan yang dihormati sekalian,

The Kirkby Teachers’ Training College is unique in the history of education because “...for the first time the government of a country had established in a far-off land a teachers’ college for its own students. Never before had any government in the world set up its own college in Britain..”

An extract from the Annual Report of Education in the Federation of Malaya 1951 described the establishment of Kirkby College as:

“One of the most important events of the year - the taking over by the Government of the Federation of the Teachers’ Training College at Kirkby, Lancashire, for the training of Malayan teachers. This unique educational experiment aroused world-wide interest and revealed the existence in the United Kingdom of an enormous fund of goodwill towards the teachers and pupils of this country. One can think of few things more beneficial for Malayan Primary Schools than the regular periodic blood transfusion of a group of teacherss whose spirit and minds have been expanded by travel and whose professional skill has been developed and disciplined in the first class Training College”

Maka, Konvensyen Pendidikan ini dianjurkan sempena sambutan ulang tahun ke-57 penubuhan Maktab Kirkby, England. Saya berasa sangat bertuah kerana kumpulan pertama lepasan Kirkby hadir bersama kita di dewan ini. Antara individu daripada kumpulan pertama (1952-1953) yang hadir ialah Toh Puan Zainab Baharuddin, dan Dato’ Haji Baharuddin bin Marji dan isteri, Datin Morjianah yang juga daripada kumpulan pertama. Saya ingin mengambil kesempatan ini untuk mengucapkan terima kasih atas sumbangan mereka yang menjadi perintis dalam pendidikan guru di tanah air.

Amat membanggakan kerana kumpulan pertama ini dan kumpulan seterusnya terdiri daripada pelbagai bangsa, iaitu Melayu, Cina, India, dan Sikh. Mereka menjalani kehidupan di sana dalam satu ikatan keluarga bangsa Malaysia tanpa mengira kedudukan, agama, dan keturunan. Malah ada yang menjalinkan ikatan perkahwinan seperti Dato’ Haji Baharuddin dan isteri.

Ladies dan Gentlemen,

Pengiktirafan Lepasan Maktab Kirkby

This reunion is a celebration that affords us the opportunity to view, in historical perspective, the unique role Kirkby has played not only in building the true spirit of espirit-de-corps’ but, also, in the major contribution it has made to the cause of education in Malaysia. ‘Kampung Kirkby’ was then a truly united Malayan nation in microcosm, a forerunner, a model indeed, the precursor of the “Bangsa Malaysia” envisaged by Vision 2020. This was more than half a century ago!

You Kirkbytes were pioneers in more ways than one. In fact, the younger generation may not know that it was in Kirkby that our first Prime Minister Al-Marhum YTM Tunku Abd Rahman Putra Al-Haj made the historic announcement of Malaysia’s independence. The Kirkby students were the first Malaysians to know that Malaya was to get independence on 31st August 1957 because Tunku felt that it is “the teachers that will be spearheading the development of education in the new Malaya”.

Untuk makluman para hadirin akhbar Liverpool Daily Post, pada 8 Februari 1956 menjadikan berita ini bahan muka depannya.

Tuan-tuan dan puan-puan yang dihormati sekalian,

Pengiktirafan Prof. D.G.E. Hall dari Universiti London ketika beliau menjadi pemeriksa luar bagi mata pelajaran Sejarah di Kolej dan Universiti Malaya di Singapura kepada guru-guru lepasan Maktab Kirkby merupakan satu lagi penghormatan dan penghargaan kepada kita semua.

“The best student in Kirkby is equal to the best from the University of Malaya.”

“If you can teach the children in Liverpool schools, you’ll have no problem teaching anywhere else in the world.”

Antara tahun 1952 - 1962, sejumlah 1,500 guru pelatih (trainee teachers) dan 405 Pelatih Guru (Teachers Trainers) telah menerima latihan di Maktab Kirkby. The ‘Kirkbyites’ (guru lepasan maktab Kirkby) ini dimaklumkan telah memperoleh kejayaan dalam bidang masing-masing sehingga memegang jawatan Pengetua sekolah, Pensyarah, Professor Universiti dan Pegawai Kanan Pelajaran di Kementerian Pelajaran sebelum bersara. Malah ramai antara mereka telah melanjutkan pelajaran ke peringkat Ph.D dan ada yang dianugerahkan gelaran Tan Sri dan Datuk dan mendapat pelbagai anugerah atas kecemerlangan mereka. Walaupun sebilangan mereka ini telah meninggalkan lapangan perguruan untuk menceburi bidang perundangan, perubatan, perniagaan dan perkhidmatan awam, namun pada hemat saya ramai yang hadir hari ini amat berbangga dengan kerjaya mereka sebagai guru.

Maka, adalah menjadi harapan saya dan Kementerian Pelajaran, terutamanya Bahagian Pendidikan Guru agar penghargaan yang diberikan kepada ‘Kirkbyites’ pada hari ini akan diterima juga oleh guru-guru lepasan semua Institut Perguruan kita. Semoga guru-guru lepasan Institut Perguruan kita yang mengikuti pelbagai program Kursus Praperkhidmatan mahupun Kursus Dalam Perkhidmatan yang ditawarkan di 27 IPG akan menerima pengiktirafan sebegini sebagaimana yang diterima oleh lepasan Maktab Kirkby daripada masyarakat umum. Semoga guru-guru dahulu dan kini akan terus memainkan peranan dalam membentuk generasi bangsa yang berwawasan pada masa hadapan.

Tuan-tuan dan puan-puan yang dihormati sekalian,

Kesungguhan kerajaan dalam melahirkan guru-guru terlatih semenjak penubuhan Maktab Kirkby menunjukkan keperihatinan dan komitmen kerajaan untuk memperkasakan bidang perguruan dan pendidikan negara selaras dengan Pelan Induk Pembangunan Pendidikan. Oleh itu, kita seharusnya berasa bangga kerana kerajaan sentiasa mengutamakan aspek pendidikan yang merupakan kunci kepada peningkatan taraf hidup, pembangunan sumber manusia dan reformasi sosial negara.

Kepentingan polisi ini telah disarankan oleh Perdana Menteri kita yang pertama, YTM Almarhum Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra Al Haj. Beliau telah menyatakan bahawa keutamaan kerajaannya adalah “books rather than bullets, school uniform rather than military uniforms, and schools over military camps”.(Ucapan Tuanku pada 9 Ogos 1963)

Kejayaan kita pada hari ini ialah usaha yang berterusan untuk membangunkan sistem pelajaran yang kompetetif. Tidak keterlaluan jika kita menganggap bahawa guru lepasan Maktab Kirkby telah berjaya membanggakan bangsa dan tanah air dan akan sentiasa menjadi sumber aspirasi kepada para pendidik masa kini untuk mengekalkannya.

Tuan-tuan dan puan-puan yang dihormati sekalian,

Guru sebagai Pemimpin Masyarakat

Sudah menjadi tanggungjawab guru-guru kini untuk menyerlah sebagai pemimpin masyarakat. Jika pada suatu masa dahulu, guru bukan sahaja menjadi pemimpin di sekolah dan di luar sekolah, malah guru juga berperanan dengan menjadi pemimpin masyarakat seperti pemimpin politik, pemimpin pertubuhan belia, pemimpin koperasi dan sebagainya. Maka, pada Abad Ke-21 ini, guru perlu menjadi katalis atau agen pembangunan, guru dan pensyarah hendaklah kembali aktif ke pangkuan masyarakat dan melibatkan diri dalam pelbagai program sosial dan kemasyarakatan. Guru perlu berperanan sebagai reformis sosial yang penting kepada masyarakat membangun. Idealisme guru harus dipugarkan kembali kerana kekuatan idealisme yang berteraskan pendidikanlah yang akan membentuk guru sebagai pemimpin masyarakat dan memberi kepimpinan pada masa depan (to provide leadership) kepada generasi muda.
Tuan-tuan dan puan-puan yang dihormati sekalian,

Menyemai Nilai Diskriminatif Positif dan Kebijaksanaan

Sistem pelajaran dan guru sewajarnya bukan sahaja sebagai agen penyampai ilmu dan maklumat yang merubah fikiran dan sikap (transmit knowledge, attitude and skills) tetapi juga sebagai penyebar nilai-nilai diskriminatif, membezakan mana satu yang baik dan mana satu yang buruk dan kebijaksanaan (wisdom) serta membolehkan pelajar membuat pilihan yang bijak melalui diskriminasi positif, mengenal yang mana satu permata dan yang mana satu kaca. Menurut Daniel Bell dalam bukunya “The Future Of Technology”.

“Wisdom involves an intuitive understanding of things, it involves comprehension of what is perennial in human nature, and it involves moral and ethical judgments. These are not given within the framework of data-information-knowledge, which is in the realm of the instrumental, whereas wisdom is in the realm of values and morality”

Pengarah Pelajaran yang pertama, Encik Aminuddin Baki, pada tahun 1961 ada menekankan kepentingan mata pelajaran Sejarah dalam kurikulum sekolah:

“…history is conducive towards inculcating good citizenship… in discriminating between distinguished and selfish people, between heroism and cowardice… and it is important for us to introduce our children to their heritage, both national and international”.

Dan apabila kita melihat kembali sejarah penubuhan Maktab Kirkby, ia sebenarnya adalah satu kesinambungan kepada kecemerlangan profesion keguruan.

Tuan-tuan dan puan-puan yang dihormati sekalian,

Kesimpulan

Pihak Kementerian Pelajaran sangat berbesar hati kerana dapat bersama-sama dalam menganjurkan konvensyen yang penuh bermakna ini. Saya juga telah dimaklumkan bahawa satu majlis pelancaran buku “Kirkby College - A Heritage” dan pameran gambar Maktab Kirkby telah dirasmikan oleh sahabat saya YB Dato’ Seri Haji Shafei Apdal, Menteri Perpaduan, Kebudayaan, Kesenian dan Warisan semalam.

Ladies dan Gentlemen,

To Kirkbyites - I hope this occasion will enable you to recapture the spirit of Kirkby that meant so much to you. Thank you especially those who have come from afar.

Akhir kata saya ingin merakamkan ucapan tahniah dan syabas kepada Bahagian Pendidikan Guru, selaku Penyelaras bersama Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris, Alumni Maktab Kirkby dan semua pihak yang terlibat dalam menjayakan konvensyen ini. Saya berdoa semoga segala usaha murni ini diberkati Allah dan diberikan taufik dan hidayah kepada kita semua.

Dengan lafaz Bismillahirrahmanirrahim dengan ini, saya merasmikan Majlis Konvensyen Pendidikan Guru 2008.

Sekian. Wabillahitaufik walhidayah
wassalamualaikum warahmatullahiwabarakatuh.

2008-12-15T19:01:00.000-08:00

2008-12-15T19:00:00.000-08:00

2008-12-15T18:59:00.001-08:00

2008-12-15T18:58:00.001-08:00

2008-12-15T18:56:00.000-08:00

2008-12-15T18:53:00.000-08:00

2008-12-15T18:50:00.000-08:00

2008-12-15T18:40:00.000-08:00

UCAPAN YB MENTERI PKKW MELANCARKAN BUKU "KIRKBY COLLEGE - A HERITAGE"

2008-12-15T18:32:00.000-08:00

DRAF TEKS UCAPAN
Y.B DATO’ SERI HAJI MOHD SHAFIE BIN HAJI APDAL
MENTERI PERPADUAN, KEBUDAYAAN, KESENIAN DAN WARISAN
SEMPENA PELANCARAN BUKU “KIRKBY COLLEGE – A HERITAGE”
DAN
PERASMIAN MAJLIS PAMERAN BERGAMBAR MAKTAB KIRKBY
DI AUDITORIUM INTAN BUKIT KIARA, KL
PADA 28 NOVEMBER 2008 (JUMAAT) JAM 3.00 PETANG

Assalamualaikum w.b.t dan Selamat Pagi

Yang Berbahagia Tan Sri Dato’ Dr Yahaya Ibrahim, Presiden, Persatuan Alumni Maktab Kirkby Malaysia, Merangkap Pro-Canselor Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris serta selaku Pengerusi Bersama Majlis Reunion Kirkby

Yang Berbahagia Dr. Muzahet Masruri, Ketua Setiausaha Kementerian

Yang Berbahagia Prof Dr Zakaria Kasa, Timbalan Naib Canselor UPSI

Yang Dihormati Ketua – Ketua Pengarah Jabatan dan Agensi Kementerian,

Datuk Azman Amin Hassan, Ketua Pengarah Jabatan Perpaduan Negara

Encik Ibrahim Ismail, Ketua Pengarah Jabatan Muzium

Encik Sidek Jamil, Ketua Pengarah Arkib Negara

Encik Raslin Abu Bakar, Ketua Pengarah Perpustakaan Negara,

Dr Mohamad Najib b. Ahmad Dawa, Ketua Pengarah Balai Seni Lukis Negara

Encik Omar Awang, Rektor ASWARA,

Yang Berbahagia Dr Muhamad bin Hamzah, Pengarah INTAN

Yang Berbahagia Dr Kartini Baharun, Timbalan Pengarah Bhg Pendidikan Guru,

Tuan – tuan dan puan – puan sekalian.

Alhamdulillah, pertama sekali marilah kita bersama-sama melafazkan syukur ke hadrat Allah s.w.t kerana dengan limpah dan kurnianya maka kita dapat berkumpul bersama-sama dalam satu majlis yang cukup bermakna pada petang ini.

2. Majlis ini cukup bermakna kerana buat pertama sekali sebuah buku yang lengkap mengenai sejarah Maktab Kirkby telah dapat diterbitkan oleh Persatuan Alumni Maktab Kirkby, setelah mengambil masa selama setahun untuk membuat penyelidikan, mengumpul bahan-bahan seperti rencana, gambar dan keratin akhbar, menulis, menyunting dan akhir sekali mengadun semua dalam sebuah buku setebal lebih 320 muka surat.

3. Buku dalam bahasa Inggeris ini diberi tajuk “Kirkby College – A Heritage” atau terjemahannya “Maktab Kirkby – Satu Warisan” merupakan kumpulan penulisan bekas pelajar dan juga pensyarah Maktab Kirkby, yang terletak berdekatan Bandaraya Pelabuhan Liverpool. Maktab Latihan Guru aliran Inggeris ini mula melatih guru daripada Malaya pada Januari 1952 dan ditutup pada Disember 1962. Dalam jangkamasa 11 tahun beroperasi itu maktab ini telah berjaya melatih seramai 1,500 guru pelatih (trainee-teachers) dan 405 pelatih guru (teachers-trainers).

4. Saya tidak perlu mendedahkan lebih mengenai buku ini kerana tuan-tuan dan puan-puan boleh membeli dan membaca sendiri selepas majlis pelancaran ini. Memandangkan ia agak tebal maka amat wajar dibuat dalam edisi kulit keras sahaja dan harganya RM200 juga agak berpatutan kerana yang menjadi penentuan harga bukan nipis atau tebal sesebuah buku tetapi persembahan isi kandungan yang memerlukan masa yang agak panjang untuk dibuat kajian.

5. Walau bagaimana pun saya percaya buku ini akan terdapat di semua perpustakaan awam di seluruh Negara kita dan juga di perpustakaan sekolah, maktab dan juga universiti. Pelajar sekolah, maktab dan universiti termasuk mereka yang kurang mampu boleh meminjam daripada mana-mana perpustakaan sekolah, universiti dan juga perpustakaan awam.

6. Memberi pinjam buku kepada rakyat yang tidak mampu merupakan tanggungjawab Kerajaan kerana kita tidak mahu ada rakyat kita yang terhalang daripada membaca karya penulisan yang baik. Setiap tahun Kerajaan membelanjakan ratusan juta ringgit untuk membeli buku import dan juga buku terbitan tempatan, untuk kita pinjamkan kepada rakyat melalui ratusan rangkaian perpustakaan awam yang terdapat di seluruh Negara kita.

7. Masalah Negara kita bukan masalah tidak cukup bahan bacaan (supply) tetapi tidak cukup ramai rakyat yang minat membaca (demand). Saya tidak pasti apakah rakyat Malaysia masih membaca 2 muka surat setahun seperti hasil kajian Profil Pembaca yang dibuat beberapa tahun yang lalu atau sudah meningkat. Jika kita hendak mencontohi rakyat Negara maju maka kita perlu semai Budaya Membaca atau minat kepada buku ini sejak di bangku sekolah lagi. Guru perlu memainkan peranan menanam minat membaca di kalangan murid, umpamanya memberi tugasan membaca 2 buku cereka dan bukan-cereka (fiction and non-fiction) pada musim cuti sekolah dan menyerahkan laporan resensi buku apabila sekolah dibuka semula.

8. Selain itu pihak maktab perguruan dan juga universiti perguruan seperti UPSI juga perlu memainkan peranan membentuk guru yang minat membaca. Guru perlu memiliki pengetahuan yang luas kerana mereka merupakan pemimpin di sekolah dan juga pemimpin dalam masyarakat. Mereka merupakan contoh ikutan (role model) dan pemimpin pendapat (opinion leaders), mereka menjadi rujukan masyarakat khususnya di kawasan kampung. Maka itu guru perlu banyak membaca dan berusaha untuk berkongsi apa jua maklumat yang diperolehi dengan anak murid dan juga ahli masyarakat.

9. Sejak dahulu sehingga sekarang saya percaya golongan guru merupakan golongan yang banyak membeli bahan bacaan – baik akhbar, majalah dan juga buku – dan seringkali terdapat perpustakaan mini di rumah mereka. Malah mereka gembira dengan koleksi majalah dan buku mereka. Guru-guru yang mengajar di kawasan pendalaman pula seringkali koleksi peribadi mereka menjadi tumpuan murid-murid yang gemar membaca untuk meminjam buku. Saya yakin ramai daripada mereka yang berjaya pada hari ini terhutang budi kepada guru yang sentiasa menggalak mereka membaca buku.

Tuan-tuan dan puan-puan sekalian,

10. Saya dimaklumkan antara Objektif majlis Grand Reunion Alumni Maktab Kirkby ialah:

¨ Mengimbau kembali kerjasama pendidikan dua Negara (Malaya dan England) dalam projek Maktab Kirkby (1951 – 62) yang dapat dijadikan model rujukan bagaimana kerjasama bilateral pendidikan merentasi sempadan (cross border) dapat menjayakan pemindahan ilmu dan kepakaran mengajar (transfer of teaching skills) dari Negara maju (England) kepada negara membangun, yang memberi kesan meningkatkan lagi taraf pendidikan dan perguruan di Malaya.

¨ Usaha meningkatkan profesionalisma perguruan tempatan dengan mendedahkan pendidik Malaysia kepada kemajuan pesat yang terdapat dalam bidang pengajaran dan pembelajaran (P&P) peringkat antarabangsa melalui Konvensyen Pendidikan Guru dan sebuah EXPO Pendidikan (FACON Education Fair).

11. Saya dimaklumkan bahawa Konvensyen Antarabangsa Pendidikan Guru akan berlangsung pada esok pagi sementara EXPO Pendidikan FACON akan berlangsung pada 6 – 7 Disember 2008. Saya mengucapkan syabas kepada Persatuan Alumni Kirkby dan Bahagian Pendidikan Guru Kemeterian Pelajaran di atas inisiatif mengadakan majlis tersebut.

12. Selain dua acara yang saya sebutkan tadi, pada petang ini saya juga diminta merasmilan Majlis Pameran Bergambar Maktab Kirkby yang akan berlangsung di foyer Auditorium INTAN ini. Pameran ini dianjurkan oleh Muzium Pendidikan UPSI dan sebahagian besar gambar-gambar yang dipamerkan adalah daripada koleksi Galeri Maktab Kirkby yang terdapat di UPSI Tg Malim. Saya dimaklumkan Galeri Kirkby ini telah dirasmikan oleh DYMM Tuanku Bainun pada bulan Ogos 2007. Mengadakan pameran di INTAN ini lebih praktikal kerana tidak ramai bekas pelajar Kirkby dan sanak saudara mereka yang sanggup pergi ke Tanjong Malim.

13. Gambar-gambar yang dipamerkan pada Pameran Bergambar Kirkby merupakan koleksi yang unik kerana ianya telah disimpan dengan baik selama lebih 50 tahun. Memandangkan Maktab Kirkby secara fisikal sudah tiada lagi kerana tempat tersebut telah bertukar menjadi kawasan perumahan awam, alumni Kirkby amat bertuah kerana kumpulan kenangan atau memori (collective memory) Maktab Kirkby kini disimpan dengan baik dalam bentuk gambar photo, lukisan dan dalam buku “Kirkby College – A Heritage”. Di sini saya ingin memuji usaha Persatuan Alumni Maktab Kirkby yang telah dapat memelihara (preserve) dan memulihara (conserve) sebahagian daripada sejarah pendidikan negara yang penting, untuk tatapan generasi akan datang.

14. Pun begitu, saya berpendapat Kerajaan melalui Muzium Negara dan Arkib Negara perlu terlibat sama dalam memelihara dan memulihara sejarah pendidikan negara kita. Saya dimaklumkan masih banyak artifek Maktab Kirkby yang ditinggalkan di Liverpool dan artifek ini perlu dibawa balik kerana mempunyai nilai sejarah yang berharga. Sebagai contoh YTM Tunku Abdul Rahman telah membuat pengumuman Kemerdekaan Malaya yang pertama di Maktab Kirkby pada 7 Februari 1956 dan tentunya terdapat gambar atau filem mengenai peristiwa bersejarah ini di UK yang perlu kita perolehi dan simpan. Begitu juga cerita lisan atau “oral history” bekas pelajar Maktab Kirkby perlu dirakam untuk menjadi rujukan di masa hadapan. Projek ini perlu dilakukan segera kerana saya dimaklumkan pelajar batch pertama Kirkby kini sudah lebih 80 tahun dan batch akhir kini berumur hampir 70 tahun.

15. Satu perkara penting yang terlepas pandang oleh Jabatan Muzium ialah mengadakan sebuah Muzium Pendidikan di negara kita. Tanpa sebuah muzium yang khas untuk menyimpan segala khazanah pendidikan maka hari demi hari banyak artifek pendidikan telah hilang ditelan zaman. Umpamanya papan batu, kalam batu, buku-buku dan kitab-kitab lama, mesin cyclostyle, kini sukar diperolehi lagi. Malah beberapa bangunan sekolah lama yang mempunyai nilai sejarah telah dirobohkan dan diganti dengan bangunan sekolah baru. Jika tidak ada usaha terancang untuk memulihara segala warisan pendidikan ini lama kelamaan tidak ada apa lagi yang tinggal dari segi sejarah pendidikan negara.

16. Saya dimaklumkan Tan Sri Yahaya telahpun menghantar satu kertaskerja mengenai Muzium Pelajaran Negara ini kepada Kementerian saya dan juga Kementerian Pelajaran. Pihak Kementerian saya telahpun mengadakan mesyuarat dengan Tan Sri dan juga wakil Muzium UPSI mengenai perkara ini. Saya dimaklumkan oleh Tan Sri bahawa Kementerian Pelajaran telah bersetuju untuk membina Muzium Pelajaran ini yang mana mungkin akan diumumkan oleh YB Menteri Pelajaran pada esok hari. Bagi menjayakan projek Muzium Pelajaran Negara ini pihak Kementerian saya khasnya tiga agensi di bawahnya yakni Muzium Negara, Arkib Negara dan Perpustakaan Negara, akan tampil untuk memberi khidmat nasihat profesional.

Tuan – tuan dan puan – puan sekalian,

17. Di Malaysia, setakat ini kita mempunyai lebih 150 buah muzium di bawah seliaan Jabatan Muzium Malaysia, kerajaan negeri, persendirian, dan pihak swasta. Saya dimaklumkan bahawa menurut statistik pelawat bagi program ”Kunjungilah Muzium” pada tahun 2007, terdapat 2,018,058 jumlah pelawat secara keseluruhan di mana sejumlah 1,403,571 pengunjung adalah pelawat tempatan, 244,310 pelajar tempatan dan 370,177 pelawat luar negara. Bagi program yang sama dalam tempoh Januari hingga Mac 2008, jumlah keseluruhan pelawat setakat ini adalah 452,234 orang.

18. Angka 150 itu pada kita mungkin agak banyak tetapi sebenarnya ianya agak kecil jika kita dimaklumkan bahawa terdapat lebih 8,000 buah muzium di Amerika Syarikat, 2,200 buah muzium di Kanada dan lebih 1,000 muzium di negara China. Selaras dengan itu kita perlu menambah jumlah muzium di negara kita dan saya juga melihat satu tren yang baik di mana hampir setiap universiti di negara telah membina muzium sendiri seperti Muzium Pendidikan di UPSI, Muzium Marin di UMS Sabah, Muzium Seni Asia di Universiti Malaya, Muzium Tuanku Fauziah di USM dan banyak lagi. Sebagai contoh peranan Muzeum USM adalah seperti berikut:

ROLES OF MUZIUM & GALERI TUANKU FAUZIAH (MGTF), USM, PENANG.

1. Collecting, preserving, documenting and exposing Malaysia's scientific and cultural heritage
2. Providing a sustainable teaching & learning space for students from USM, other universities, colleges, schools and the public at large
3. Providing a space for research in various disciplines of science-technology and arts-culture
4. Planning and organising prolific and beneficial programmes for visitors and communities

Tuan – tuan dan puan – puan sekalian,

19. Secara umum, peranan muzium di Malaysia tertumpu kepada perkembangan dua (2) aspek utama ; iaitu pertama, dalam aspek pendidikan dan kedua, dalam aspek pelancongan. Dalam aspek pendidikan, muzium memaparkan warisan negara dengan cara penyelidikan, pemeliharaan, pemuliharaan dan penyebaran maklumat kepada masyarakat. Muzium di negara kita juga berperanan menjadi salah satu pusat pengenalan identiti masyarakat rakyat Malaysia berbilang bangsa dan saling memahami adat dan budaya masing – masing.

20. Dalam aspek pelancongan, muzium di Malaysia berperanan menjadi satu destinasi yang menarik dan informatif bagi para pelancong tempatan dan luar negara. Kita tidak boleh bergantung sangat kepada pelancong luar kerana pelbagai faktor yang menghalang kedatangan mereka seperti kejadian 9/11 dan juga krisis ekonomi. Kita perlu membina kekuatan dalaman dan mendidik generasi muda untuk meminati dan melawat muzium, maka itu pelancongan pendidikan (edu-tourism) perlu dikembangkan di sekolah-sekolah. Pelajaran melalui melihat sendiri contoh di muzium adalah lebih berkesan daripada membaca buku semata-mata.

Tuan – tuan dan puan – puan sekalian,

Akhir kata, saya ingin merakam Tahniah kepada pihak Persatuan Alumni Maktab Kirkby yang telah menerbit buku “Kirkby College – A Heritage” dan saya minta persatuan-persatuan dan NGO yang lain dapat juga menerbitkan buku kerana kita amat kurang buku yang diterbitkan dalam negara. Kerajaan perlu mengurangkan aliran wang keluar membeli buku import yang cukup mahal dan saya minta penerbit tempatan lebih produktif lagi.

Saya juga mengucapkan Tahniah kepada Muzium Pendidikan UPSI yang telah membawa Pameran Galeri Kirkby ke INTAN supaya dapat dilihat oleh khalayak yang lebih ramai. Saya berhrap pihak Muzium Negara dapat mengadakan kerjasama dengan Muzium UPSI supaya pameran ini dapat diadakan di Muzium Negara pada masa yang akan datang.

Dengan kalimah ’Bismillah-Hirrahman-Nirrahim’, saya dengan ini melancarkan buku “Kirkby College – A Heritage” dan rasmikan Pameran Bergambar Maktab Kirkby, sempena Kirkby Grand Reunion 2008.

Sekian.

2008-12-15T18:26:00.000-08:00

INTERNATIONAL TEACHERS CONVENTION - PAPER 2

2008-12-15T17:40:00.000-08:00

FROM GROWING UP IN THE ERA OF COLONIAL EMPIRES TO THE LIBERATED EMPIRES OF THE MIND, BUILDING MODEST WELL BEING AND CHERISHING OF THE SOULS: NARRATING BEGINNING STORIES OF CONTRIBUTIONS OF KIRKBYITES

Prof Dr Ibrahim Ahmad Bajunid

ABSTRACT

The paper celebrates the contributions of the first generation of educational leaders who were trained abroad in preparation for educational development after the independence of the country. The collective professional and personal memories of another time, another place, other realities and the fostering of common dreams are traced as the narratives of a generation of changemasters. The conceptual framework used in eliciting significant meanings of the contributions of a generation who were the strategic changemasters includes the following: Ambassadors of a nation being born; first global- generation with glokal characteristics; the renaissance generation; the generation of all seasons, contributing across the decades; the lifelong learning generation; the builders of a profession; the gentle revolutionaries, and the knowledge leaders. The paper analyses and discusses the dilemmas, paradoxes, and tensions encountered by the pathbreaking leaders as they confront multiple ideologies of nationhood and shifts in educational policies, practices and approaches while remaining steadfast in their focus of contributions in the interest of the students and the interest of the nation. The story of the critical mass of education leaders for change, creating multiplier effects when strategically attuned with other changemasters and leaders is poignantly evidenced by the stories of each individual as yet untold in print but known by family members, colleagues and sometimes students. Kirkbyites, all 1500 of them were the first /early generation which fostered the development of the teaching profession, “…the profession upon which all other professions rest”. Benchmarking, Best Practices and Best Habits regarding Personal Knowledge and Self Knowledge, Identity, Integrity and Authenticity are several of the foundational strengths of this Community of the Pioneering Generation of exemplary leaders. Notwithstanding the inspiring contributions of the Kirkbyian there are questions as to what they should have done but did not do, and, what, perhaps, they should have done differently or better. The paper suggests what the splendid gentle leaders could still do to contribute collectively and individually to mentor, coach, guide the new generations of educators. In sum, the paper commemorates the substantive and symbolic contributions of Kirkbyites to the development of education and the Malaysian nation during the last half century. The contributions of the Kirkbyites are assessed in the wake of contributions by other elites, other professions and the ordinary people. Also, the assessment of contributions of the pioneering generation of educators is narrated within the context of the contributions of other educators, without diminishing or exaggerating the splendid and specific leadership of any one group or generation or any individual educational leader[s].

Lead Anyway

A Critical Mass of Leaders
Every One A Person of Influence-Life Changers-Changemasters
Unique Perspectives
Masters of A Foreign Language
Leaders in Multicultural Education
The Flow -The Synergy –The New Turning Points in Malaysian Education
Holistic and Comprehensive
Continuity and Connectedness
Untapped Talents and Untold Stories
Pioneers-
Pathfinders
Developers

The Insights: Global Challenges and Global Trends

There is the exciting imagination that “with the new information technologies which we now have at our disposal, we can turn our cities into technopolis and scatter “electronic cottages” across our rural landscape. “ This is the notion of “info utopian idyll.”
The evolution of the information infrastructure promises profound changes are afoot because of “the propensity and ability of mankind to collect, collate, transmit, and analyze information…from which far-reaching changes in human life and the world order have become inevitable.” 29 Michael Connors, 1997

Constructing Wisdom from Experience
• 10 Paradoxical Commandments
• Al I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten
• All I Really Nee to Know I learned in Star Track
• Organizing Genius -Warren Bennis
• Other 7 Habits

Types of Knowledge Capital
• Of Human Capital
• Of Knowledge Capital
• Of Social Capital
• Of Intellectual Capital
• Of Cultural Capital
• Of Values Capital
• Of Human Resources

From Atoms to Bits

The future arrives at such a pace that physical capital becomes more of a liability than asset. Increasingly, value resides in information and relationships-things you can’t see at all and often can’t measure. (Stan Davis and Christopher Myer)

Recognizing Knowledge Assets

Gender Oriented Knowledge
Culture Specific Knowledge
Multiple Intelligences
Adversity Intelligence
Emotional Intelligence
Moral Intelligence
Spiritual Intelligence
Business Intelligence
Universal Knowledge

New Frontiers and Fourth Generation Management

Home
Religious Places
Schools
Work Places
Communities
Management by Doing
Management by Delegating
Management by Results- Key performance Indicators
Management by the Total Quality Agenda

Why Malaysia Moves Towards a K-Based Economy

Erosion in Global Competitiveness
Increasing foreign Competition
The Impact of Globalization and Liberalization
The Need to Seek Higher Value-Added and Value-Created Producrts and Services
The need to move into more profitable and wealth generating stages of production
The need to seek new sources of growth
Meeting the challenge of enhancing total factor productivity (TFP)
(From Input-Driven towards Productivity Driven Strategy)
(The Knowledge Economy Master Plan pp.4-5, 2002).

Learning Traditionally and Learning in the K Economy

• Problem –Based Teaching
• Inquiry and Discovery Based Teaching
• Research Based Teaching
• Internet Based Teaching
• Socratic Teaching
• Imagineering

Understanding Maximum Learning

• The Nature of Learning
• The Nature of Power Learning
• The Nature of Accelerated Learning
• The Nature of Super Learning
• The Nature of Quantum Learning
• The Nature of Multicultural Learning
• The Nature of Reflective Learning
• The Nature of Relearning Through Sharing
• The Nature of Transformative Learning
• The Learning Rhythm
• The Learning Cycle
• The Learning Event
• The Drama of Learning
• The Arrival of Meaning
• The Joy of Learning
• Personal Construct Psychology.

Learning To Learn

• Learning how to Unlearn
• Learning How to Relearn
• Learning How to Integrate and Synthesize
• Learning How to Question
• Learning to Understand the Question behind the Question
• Learning to Generate Solutions and Solve Problems

Knowledge Asset Mapping

Learning and Knowledge
The Person
The Collectivities
The Communities of Practice
The Repository
The Modes of Transmission
Searching for Channels:
· Educational Institutions
· Home Learning
· School Place Learning
· Work Place Learning
· Religious Place Learning
· Learning from the Mass Media
· Learning from the Community
· Special Training Courses

Knowledge Sources and References

Revealed and Acquired Knowledge
Tacit and Explicit Codified Knowledge
Inappropriate Knowledge
Erroneous Knowledge
Scientific Research Indexes
Knowledge in Journals
Banned Knowledge

The Many Facets of Leadership

Understanding Minds
Understanding Cultures
Understanding Realities
Understanding the Past and the revisionist Preferred Past
Understanding Preferred Futures

Educational Leadership Agenda

Educational Leaders and Lifelong Learning
Educational Leaders and Lifewide Leader
Educational Leaders and the Quality of Life
Educational Leaders and the Quest for Truth

Stages of Promotion of Knowledge ICT (K-ICT) Agenda

9. KICT Leadership
8. Ensuring Generation of ICT Production & SME
7. Fostering Creative Use of Skills
6. Fostering Application of ICT Skills
5. Creative conditions for Advanced Literacy
4. Promoting ICT Literacy
3. Ensuring Access to ICT – creative incentives
2. Ensuring that Technological Infrastructure is in place
1. Creation of National Awareness

(the progression is not necessarily linear)

Eight Levels of Performance Benchmarking

8] Providing World Class Leadership
7] Meeting World Class standards
6] Providing best in Country Leadership
5] Taking on Industry Leadership
4] Meeting the Industry Standards
3] Being the Best Department in the Organization
2] Borrowing Good Ideas
1] Learning from the Past

Supportive Infrastructure: New Realities

World-wide Manufacturing Webs
Borderless Marketing Centers
Research and Development Clusters
Tele-Medicine
National Multi-Purpose Card
Electronic Government
Smart Schools
E-Sovereignty
E-Learning
E-Economy
E-Community
E-Public Services
E-Governance
E-Integrity

Change by Questioning

The greatest difficulty lies not in persuading people to accept new ideas, but in persuading them to abandon old ones - John Maynard Keynes

Cognitive Processes for Change by Strategic Questioning

· Definitional
· Empirical
· Evaluative
· Metaphysical

Questioning for Creativity;

CONTRIBUTES TO GOOD MENTAL HEALTHMAKES PEOPLE MORE OPEN AND FREE

INCREASES POSITIVE SELF-CONCEPT

BUILDS CAPABILITIES

CREATIVE ENTREPRISE

Characteristic of Creative Individuals:

Life History of Creative Response
Curious
Venturesome-likes to discover
Self-sufficient and independent
Prefers difficult tasks and challenges
Non-conforms
Enjoys solving Problems
Flexible Thinker
Fluent, Rapid and Unexpected Answers
Ability to Synthesize and Sees Implications
Usually well read
Likes varieties and the revising of things

Creative Process

Inspiration
Vision
Foresight
Intuition
Imagination
Insights
Premonition
Guidance
Hindsight
Originate Problems
Design Methods for Solving Problems
Hypothesize-Deductive Reasoning
Test Hypotheses
Infer
Produce Original Artistic-Scientific Works
Communicate in Unique Ways
Evaluate and Generate better approaches
Perceive Hidden relations
Invent New Uses for Objects
Resourceful

Products of Creativity

Sketch
Sonata
Song
Phrase
Poem
Mathematical Process
Idea
New Mental Synthesis
A New Invention
Fragments of the Whole…

Levels of Paradigms (Jim Wheeler (1998)-The Power of Innovative Thinking)

ANCHORING AWARENESS LEVEL (AHA, Safe, Danger)
MESSAGE CONTENT (Known and Unknown Information)
AWARENESS LEVEL (Unaware how much one knows, Aware, Unaware how much one does not know)

Ethical Self Management

Perspective
Purpose
Patience
Persistence
Pride

The Power of Ethical Management
(Kenneth Blanchard and Norman Vincent Peale- 1990)

Ability to Work with Others
Personal and Tacit Knowledge.
Ability to Manage Self-Learning Independently
Positive Attitude towards Learning
Civic Learning and Civic Consciousness

Conceptual Stages of Development of Virtues- Based Knowledge Society with High Culture
Knowledge Society
Heritage Culture
Documentation Culture
Research Culture
Thinking Culture
Writing Culture
Reading Culture
Learning Society
Learning Family
Learning Individual

Building A New Society

• Enlightened and Just Society
• Knowledge society
• Civil Society
• Learning Society
• Developing Society

Future Challenges

Change of attitudes and Mindsets
Change of Paradigms
Meeting the Global Challenge
Meeting the Technological Challenge
Simultaneously meeting the quantitative and qualitative challenge at all levels.
To meet the challenge of the Highly skilled and knowledgeable knowledge worker.

KIRKBYITES AS THE COSMOPOLITAN MALAYSIAN COMMUNITY

Cosmopolitans are rich in there intangible assets, three C’s that translate into preeminence and power in a global economy: concepts-the best and latest knowledge and ideas; competence-the ability to operate at the highest standards of any place anywhere; and connections-the best relationships, which provide access to the best resources of other people and organizations around the world. Indeed, it is because cosmopolitans bring the best and latest concepts, the highest levels of competence, and excellent connections that they gain influence over locals.

Cosmopolitans carry these there C’s with them to all the places in which they operate. As they do so, they create and become part of a more universal culture that transcends the particularities of place-and, in the eyes of some the locals, threatens the distinctive identity of groups and communities. And cosmopolitans argue for a “qualitocracy” –that the highest quality matters more than place of origin- because then cosmopolitans who tap into the best in the world automatically win out over those who are more restricted.

Educational Wisdom for Life: On Educational Connoisseurship

• PERSONAL KNOWLEDGE-CONSTRUCTIVISM
• LIFE-LONG LEARNING AND PASSION FOR LEARNING
• LEARNABILITY-EDUCABILITY
• ON CUMULATIVE DEFICITS AND STRENGTHS
• ON MAKING CONNECTIONS AND TRANSFER OF LEARNING
• ON MINDFULNESS AND THINKING
• ON VIRTUES
• ON CONTINUUM OF FOCUS
• ON ACTION
• The Joy Of Work
• The Joy Of Respecting and Loving Others
• The Passion for Profound Knowledge
• The Passion for Excellence
• Understanding the Covert-Beyond

Determining and Accomplishing the Significant

• THE PURPOSE OF LIFE IS TO HAVE A LIFE OF PURPOSE-TO BE FOR A PURPOSE BEYOND ONESELF
• DRIVING HOME EDUCATIONAL THOUGHT.
• SHARING WITH THE COMMUNITIES OF PRACTICE ACROSS DISCIPLINES.
• FROM KNOWLEDGE TO ADVOCACY
• MOVING WITH ENTHUSIASM.
• UNDERSTANDING URGENCY: NOT TOO MUCH TOO LITTLE TOO LATE

CHALLENGES OF FEEDING HUNGRY MINDS and CONFUSED HEART.
NOT QUITING IN TRYING TIMES-STAYING ON TRACK
DREAM ABOUT EDUCATIONAL FUTURES AND ACT BEFORE THEY OCCUR.
REVISITING WHAT SEEMED IMPOSSIBLE YESTERDAY and WHAT IS TAKEN FOR GRANTED TODAY.

Thinking and Thought

OF EAGLES and CROWS
ON ASKING THE RIGHT QUESTIONS

• “NOT IN THE CLAMOUR OF CROWDED STREETS”... HENRY WADSWORTH LONGFELLOW

• “THE BEST THINKING HAS BEEN DONE IN SOLITUDE. The WORST HAS BEEN DONE IN TURMOIL.” …THOMAS EDISON

• “ALL BIG DISCOVERIES ARE THE RESULTS OF THOUGHT.” …ALEXANDER GRAHAM BELL

Perceptions, Cognitions and Meaning Making

• Management of Knowing
• Management of Rituals
• Management of Routines
• Management of Time
• Management of Politics and Economics
• Management of (Difficult and Great) People
• The Management of Truth

Intellectual Capital (Jay Chatzkel, 2002)

Knowledge that can be converted into value or profit.
It is the value embedded in the ideas embodied in people,
processes, and customers/stakeholders.
The ability to transform knowledge and intangibles assets
into wealth-creating resources Knowledge.
Dynamically interacting Inputs of Intellectual capital:
Human Capital
Structural capital
Relationship or Customer Capital

The Autonomous Human Organization

• The Individual Order, The Interactional Order, the Institutional Order (Richard Jenkings, 2005. Social Identity).
• The Nature of Autonomy of Judgment
• The Nature of Autonomy of Choices
• The Nature of Freewill and Personal Will
• The Nature of Autonomy of Decisions

ENGINES of CREATION: (Profiles of the Possible, Predicting and Projecting)K. Eric Drexler (1990)

• Engines of Construction
• Engines of Abundance
• The Limits of Growth
• Thinking Machines
• The World Beyond Earth
• Engines of Healing
• Engines of Destruction and Strategies for Survival
• The Network of Knowledge

Understanding Peak Performance in Organization and Society

1. Understanding Paradoxes
2. Understanding Uncertainties
3. Understanding Contradictions
4. Understanding Ambiguities
5. Understanding Half Truths

Insights: No Pretensions

• We know what we are, but we know not what we may become... Shakespeare
• If we could first know where we are and whither we are tending we could then better judge what to do and how to do it.
• The trouble with our time is that the future is not what it used to be... Paul Valery
• All that’s different about me is that I still ask the questions most people stopped asking at age five... Albert Einstein
• A generous and elevated mind is distinguished by nothing more certainly than an eminent degree of curiosity... Samuel Johnson
• If we open a quarrel between the past and present, we shall find that we lost the future. ...Winston Churchill

All I really need to know I learned in kindergarten. (Fulghum, Robert, 1993)

Most of what I really need to know about how to live and what to do and how to be I learned in kindergarten.

Wisdom was not at the top of the graduate school mountain but there in the sand pile at Sunday school.

These are the things I learned:
Share everything
Play fair
Don’t hit people
Put things back where you find them
Clean up your own mess
Don’t take things that aren’t yours
Say you are sorry when you hurt somebody
Wash your hands before you eat
Flush
Warm cookies and cold milk are good for you
Live a balanced life – learn some and think some, and draw and paint and sing and dance, and play and work everyday some
Take a nap every afternoon
When you go out into the world, watch out for traffic, hold hands and stick together

Unsung Heroes in Education

Examples of Sung Heroes:

Tokoh Guru
Formal Positional Leaders in Bureaucracies and Academic
Leaders in Educational Political Bureaucracies
Union Leaders
Leaders of Professional Organizations including Parent-Teacher Councils
Writers and Journalists
Language and Religious Activists
Opinion Leaders

Suggestions for Managers (from Confucius)

• The perfect gentlemen demands it of himself, the mean, of others.
• The perfect gentleman reaches complete understanding of the main issues, the mean man reaches complete understanding of the petty details.
• The perfect gentleman gives his approval not to techniques but to the capacity for great responsibility. The mean man does just the opposite.
• If everybody dislikes it, it must be looked into. If everybody likes it, it must be looked into.
• Clever talk and domineering manner have little to do with being man at his best.
• Let the other man do his job without your interference.
• To be of high moral conduct when engaged in administration is to be like the North Star. As it remains in its one position, all the other stars surround it.
• Do not worry about not holding high position; worry rather about playing your proper role. Worry not that no one knows of you; seek to be worth knowing.

The Kaizen Culture of Kirkbyites

• SEIRI (Straighten Up)
• SEITON (Put Things in Order).
• SEISO (Clean Up).
• SEIKETSU (Personal Cleanliness).
• SHITSUKE (Discipline).

THE Kirkbyites WAY OF THE SAMURAI.
( A Samurai’s Duty is to Serve).
The Way of the Samurai, Khoo Kheng-Hor (1999)

Do not harbor Sinister Design
Train Diligently
Be Acquainted with a Wide Range of Arts
Know the Ways of a Variety of Occupations
Be Discreet Regarding One’s Dealings
Nurture the Ability to Perceive the Truth in All Matters.
Perceive that which Cannot Be Seen by the Eye.
Be Careful Even In Trifling Matters .
Do Not Engage in Useless Activity.

The Centurion Principles: (In spite of Imperfections)
The Centurion Principles .Jeff O’Leary (2004)

• Moral Accountability As Foundation of Legacy
• Strong, Honorable and Courageous Leadership
• Wisdom From Failures
• Cause and Commitment
• Motivation From A Pure Heart
• Thinking Outside the Box-Burying the Box
• Persistence
• Loyalty
• Overcoming Unproductive Habits
• Stretching Limits of Mind
• Developing Creative Thinking

The Personal Educational Odyssey

· To be in a state of eternal unrest searching for new ideas, confronting and formulating ideas.
· To identify what is worth fighting for in education and schooling.
· To contribute to the compendium of best practices and best habits.
· To go beyond best practices into the terra incognita domain of intellectual finesse and educational connoisseurship.
· To be in quest of the Essences of the Human Mind and First Principles).
· To reclaim the supremacy of scholarship and prevent the betrayal of the intellectual.
· To develop a passion for Received Wisdom
· To develop a passion for “Depth Understanding” and “Profound Knowledge” by looking for alternative perspectives and alternative voices.
· To be vigilant against philosophical mistakes, mistaken certainties, falsehood, hoaxes and self constructed obstacles.
· To integrate ideals and ideas from across different times arid cultures and develop capacities for universal stewardship or vicegerency.
· To be inspirational and motivational, developing human potentialities to the fullest working to achieve the World Class agenda).
· The Era(s) of Dearth and Wealth of Literature and Learning Materials
· The Educational Odyssey
· Millennium Opportunities: Symbolic Turning Points for Renewal
· The Challenge of Relevance in the Transmission of Knowledge
· The Challenge of Thought Leadership
· The Challenge of Values Clarification
· The Quest for Wisdom
· For Believers of Various Religious Traditions: Eliciting Best Habits and Best Practices
· The Application of Education Knowledge
· The Utilization of Education Research Findings
· Alternative Perspective and Different Voices
· Leadership Dilemma and Challenges
· On Foundational and Specialize Knowledge
· The Quest for Best Practices and Best Habits: The Malaysian Story
· Learning From Educational Leaders: Four Decades of Experiences
· Facing the Future Bravely.

Stages of Life Long Learning Philosophy and Practice by Individuals

8. The Joy of Life Span and Life Wide Learning
7.Readiness for National and Global Competence
6. Competence-Based Self-Confidence and Self-Worthiness
5. Constructing cumulative Personal Knowledge and Skills
4.Further Learning How to Learn
3. Knowledge of Attitudes. Motivations and Incentives
2. Knowledge of Mechanisms and Know-How
1. Awareness of the LLL Philosophy

Applying Roth Smith’s …

1. Effectiveness-Doing the Right Things.
2. Efficiency-Doing the Right Things Right.
3. Improving-Doing Things Better
4 Cutting –Doing Away with Unnecessary Things
5. Adapting-Doing Things Other People are Doing
6. Different-Doing Things no one else is Doing
7. Impossible-Doing Things that Cannot be Done.

ORGANIZING GENIUS:

The Secrets of Creative Collaboration (Warren Bennis, 1997)

Greatness starts with superb people.
Great Groups and Great Leaders Create Each Other.
Every Great Group has a Strong Leader.
The Leaders of Great Groups Love Talent and Know where to find it.
Great Groups are full of Talented People who can work together.
Great Groups think they are on a mission from God.
Every Great Group is an Island-but an Island with a bridge to the mainland.
Great Groups see themselves as winning underdogs.
Great Groups always have an enemy.
People in Great Groups have blinders on.
Great Groups are optimistic, not realistic.
In Great Groups the right person has the right job.
The Leaders of Great Groups give them what they need and free them from the rest.
Great Groups Ship.
Great Work is its own reward.

The Courageous Followers:

Standing Up To and For Leaders.(Ira Chaleff [1998])

The Five Dimensions of Courageous Followership:
1] The Courage to Assume Responsibility
2] The Courage to Serve
3] The Courage to Challenge
4] The Courage to Participate in Transformation.
5] The Courage to Leave

DEATH OF HISTORY and GEOGRAPHY and Personal JOURNALS-Diaries/Logs: Reclaiming Higher Ground

• ON NECESSARY LESSONS FROM HISTORY, HISTORICAL AMNESIA and NOSTALGIA.
• ON THE PLAUNDITS OF THE PRESENT.
• ON THE PAST and FUTURE that IS HERE.
• ENLIGHTENED LEADERSHIP.
• GRACEFUL LEADERSHIP
• THE HEART of A LEADER
• DISCIPLINES of GRACE
• ELEGANT LEADERSHIP

Building Deep Understanding…

· From This Moment On…Exciting Futures…
· Another Time…Another Space…After Loss…Parting…
· The Age Heresy…Been Here, Been There-I did It My Way…What Will We Do The Next Level-The Next Threshold?
· All for One and One for All : The Reflowering of a National Knowledge Force
· Meaning Of Gratefulness
· Colleagial Trust
· The Single Most Important Contribution in the Field of Malaysian Education

ANYWAY
The Paradoxical Commandments
Kent M. Keith (2001)

People are illogical,
Unreasonable, and self-centred.
Love them anyway.

If you do good,
People will accuse you of selfish ulterior motives.
Do good anyway.

If you are successful, you will win
false friends and true enemies.
Succeed anyway.

The good you do today
Will be forgotten tomorrow.
Do good anyway.

Honesty and frankness
Make you vulnerable.
Be honest and frank anyway.

The biggest men and women with
The biggest ideas can be shot down
By the smallest men and women
With the smallest minds.
Think big anyway.

People favour underdogs
But follow only top dogs.
Fight for a few underdogs anyway.

What you spend years building
May be destroyed overnight.
Build anyway.

People really need help but may
Attack you if you do help them.
Help people anyway.

Give the world the best you have
And you’ll get kicked in the teeth.
Give the world the best you have anyway.

TEACHERS EDUCATION CONVENTION - PAPER 1

2008-12-15T16:21:00.000-08:00

‘INTER AND CROSS-CULTURAL FACTORS IN TEACHER EDUCATION: KIRKBY COLLEGE, A CASE STUDY’

Pro Vice-Chancellor, Professor Diana Burton,
Liverpool John Moores University

Paper presented at the Kirkby College Grand Reunion,
INTAN Bukit Kiara, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, November 29, 2008

Acknowledgements

It would not have been possible to produce this presentation and paper without the excellent inputs of my superb colleagues, Karen Davies, Tricia McMillan, John Morrison, Paul Davies and Mark Brundrett.

Introduction

I am delighted to have the opportunity to address this august gathering on behalf of the Vice-Chancellor who sends his very best wishes. LJMU is proud to be associated with a number of successful educational institutions in Malaysia. Through our collaborations, students and staff from both our nations continue to enjoy mutual benefits which impact ultimately on the social and economic progress of our communities just as your own work, as Kirkby College alumni, has done.

Historical forms of analysis and the pursuit of principles or 'tendencies' to advance our understanding of contemporary education have long been recognised to have value, so Kirkby College provides a good case study.

The US researcher, Arnove (1999), noted nearly a decade ago that comparative and international education is enjoying a renaissance as a result of globalisation. Arnove went on to comment that this is especially notable throughout Asia and beyond the English-speaking world where population growth and regrouping have been exponential.

Many of the challenges currently faced within education institutions internationally derive from rapidly changing external factors. Changes in global, geo-political relations and in contemporary intellectual agendas are particularly significant.

Before we grapple with any of that, however, I want to first remind you of where and how the college started, including showing some photographs which will I’m sure be familiar to you.

Kirkby College: Foundation & History

Malaya had emerged from the Second World War with an acute shortage of trained teachers so the UK Ministry of Education placed Kirkby College at the disposal of the Malayan Government.

The Malayan Government embarked on a unique and historic move to establish a teacher training college in Britain. With the assistance of the British Government, Malaysia took over Kirkby College which was previously a facility to train British teachers.

Pioneer principal of the college Robert Williams said:

“By any standard, it was a unique move in the history of education. Never before had any government in the world set up its own college in Britain.”

Kirkby College was the first of its kind at that time. Although the University of Liverpool's Institute of Education undertook the task of formulating the curriculum for Kirkby College and the examination of its students to ensure that the professional standards of the college were kept, the Malaysian college was free to mould the curriculum to fit its educational landscape.

The first wave of pioneer students arrived at Kirkby, near Liverpool, in January 2nd 1952 after a three week sea journey of 8,000 miles. The second intake travelled by refurbished military cargo plane, arrived on September 1952. The former Queen of Malaysia, HRH Tuanku Bainun, was one of the second intake students to study at Kirkby Teacher Training College between 1952 and 1954.

The Queen has commented that:

“Kirkbyites can be proud that they have played a significant role in the development of teacher education in Malaya. They have contributed, and are still contributing, to the progress of the nation.” - Her Royal Highness Tuanku Bainun

In 1992, HRH Tuanku Bainun, became the first Queen of the Malaysian Royal Family to receive a British academic award when Professor Peter Toyne, then Vice Chancellor of Liverpool John Moores University, conferred an Honorary Fellowship on Her Majesty in Kuala Lumpur. It was also an historic moment for Malaysia as LJMU became the first British university to transfer the classical academic ceremony to the tropics.

A total of 149 students arrived at “Kampong Kirkby” in January 1952. The college subsequently enrolled 150 students each year until 1962. From 1952 to 1962, 1,500 teachers received their training for Malaysian schools at Kirkby, in addition to 405 teacher trainers.

Students who studied at Kirkby College said that the teacher training centre had taught its graduates more than how to become qualified teachers. For example, Kirkbyites mixed with local teachers and students and learned about the local culture. Locals became like family for the Kirkbyites with regular invitations to their homes for dinner. In return, the teacher trainees introduced Malaysian culture to Kirkby residents through plays and performances held at the college.

This rich interplay of cultures reflects a long tradition of multi-culturalism within the port city of Liverpool, which is a melting pot of different ethnic groups. The legacy of Kirkby College is strong, with relationships and mutual learning forged at the time creating powerful links between Liverpool and Malaysia, which endure today.

Several studies (Yeung, 2006; Banks, 2004; Nieto, 2004; Sleeter & Grant, 2003) have recognised that a student's academic achievement is influenced by the teacher's cultural awareness. For students to achieve academically, it is important that teachers have high levels of cultural understanding and feel confident working in culturally diverse classrooms.
As trainee teachers in Kirkby, you must all have felt the shock of the new as you met with different cultural norms and reference points. In turn, your contribution to an enriched cultural experience for your English pupils was unprecedented and highly prized by Liverpool City Education Authority.

Over the years, we have witnessed global tragedies - wars and natural disasters - which have led to a significant increase in the number of migrants with refugee status being admitted to countries across the world. Thus, for teachers in any large city, global population shifts have resulted in local school communities with a rich mix of cultural and linguistic diversity.
Clearly, you must have experienced similar challenges both in the UK and on your return here, given the societal and ethnic mix of your nation. Indeed, history shows that the cross-cultural experience of Malaysian students who attended Kirkby College led to positive attitudes and high expectations of all who participated in this unique venture. It had a direct effect on student learning for many years to come in Malaysia and contributed significantly to the preparation of young people to function within a diverse and global society.
The Role and Impact of Kirkby-trained Teachers

Besides improving your knowledge and honing your pedagogical skills, as Kirkbyites, you learned to view the world from a wider perspective. You left a lasting legacy of good manners and friendship with tutors and, of course, the schools where you taught. You were excellent diplomats for Malaysia and returned as high commissioners for the good of the land. Your pivotal role in supporting and promoting Malaysia as a developing nation has led to fundamental change and growth, which reaches well beyond the confines of the classroom into society, politics and business.

Your seminal influence on the educational approaches subsequently adopted in Malaysia started as soon as you began teaching. You gave pupils the opportunity to develop their minds by encouraging them to seek out new ideas and critically appraise issues, as opposed to merely regurgitating facts pumped into them. You became models for the students in dress, manners and cultivation of the mind, and you fired their imaginations to do better and better for the greater good of the nation.

MALAYSIAN EDUCATION

As teachers you were part of the very significant shifts in your country during the drive for universal primary and secondary education. You will have played a key role in ensuring financial resources were allocated to building new schools and to training new teachers.

Reform in the early 1990s, which further extended the basic education from 9 years to 11 years, created a structure that provided for mass education. The democratisation of secondary education resulted in increasing demand for tertiary education which brought about a rapid growth of higher education which in turn increased the number of universities.

The pursuit by the Malaysian government of educational policies, aimed at providing equal educational opportunities to economically disadvantaged groups and those from a broad range of social and culturally diverse backgrounds, has provided an important template for other nations to emulate.

The government acknowledges that its approach to Special Educational Needs (SEN) is an area for further development. At a recent international conference in Kuala Lumpur, ministers highlighted that there is now a financial and political commitment to raising awareness and providing support across a wide range of SEN in Malaysian schools. This provides opportunities for collaboration with experts from LJMU and other universities so that we can learn from each other in improving this vital provision.

Teacher Education … Now

The Malaysian Deputy Director General of the Ministry of Education recently stated that Information Literacy is a survival skill and forms the basis for lifelong learning. As such, the Ministry of Education recognises the importance of teacher-pupil relationships and the need to focus on improving teacher education programmes and Continuing Professional Development (CPD) for teachers.

Your Ministry clearly has this right because very recent research by Australian researcher, John Hattie (2008), assessed a huge range of research studies (50,000 studies involving 80 million pupils) and came to the rather obvious conclusion that improving interaction between teachers and pupils is the most significant factor in improving achievement.

Datuk Dr Subramaniam, Minister for Human Resources, stated that historically, your education system is based on the English system (as opposed to the American system reflected within Thailand). Consequently there are many similarities with respect to the curriculum. Kirkby College graduates were, of course, in the vanguard of establishing these similarities, and the tradition of Malaysia seeking Higher Education qualifications/awards in the UK is now very well established.

The Minister made the following points in that speech, many of which reflect concerns that we in the UK share. He said that:

· Increasing graduate employability is a key need.

· Employability in general is also an issue. To increase students’ attractiveness to employers many courses are now moving away from institution only training in Malaysia, with the government actively encouraging and funding work-based learning. As teacher trainees, of course, this work-based learning was a very big part of your training. In keeping with your nation’s goals, our university has developed its own unique programme of WBL skills, which are assessed and certificated via criteria set and monitored by Chief Executives from high level, multi-national companies.

· Thirdly, the Minister noted that life-long learning is actively promoted, with your government legislating for compulsory training in some key industries and sectors where traditionally there has been a record of limited training. There is thus a real commitment, at the very highest levels of political and educational endeavour, to a culture of self-improvement and Life Long Learning.

Changes in Education Approach

As the minister noted, there are indeed many similarities between the UK and Malaysian education systems. The liberalisation and decentralisation of the Malaysian education system is aimed at school improvement and effectiveness which has much in common with UK developments.

However, a dynamic economy which is well suited to modern conditions requires workers who are not only technically knowledgeable and well trained but who also possess the capacity for creative independent thought and action. So, as technology is constantly changing and ‘digital natives’ inhabit our schools and universities, usually outsmarting their teachers’ technological skills, education is increasingly viewed as lifelong learning wherein learning how to learn (skill and application) becomes more important than what is learned (theories).

Smart Partnership in Education

Your government recognises the value of developing links with overseas higher education providers to offer twinning programmes in collaboration with the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, New Zealand and other countries. This provides students with the opportunity to complete their studies within a foreign country but also perpetuates what Kirkby College students started in the 50s, i.e. the sharing of experiences, knowledge and cultures between young people who will, in turn, play key roles in societies and economies across the globe.

Globalisation has accelerated this need to learn about each other and UK universities are increasingly developing internationalisation strategies to develop students’ wider perspectives. Your contribution as a nation to extending the vision of Western students is fundamentally important and we must all strive to ensure that there is a two-way traffic of students between the East and the West.

Higher Education Links

The strong links between Merseyside and Malaysia established in the 1950s through Kirkby College have been built upon by a number of institutions. LJMU, for instance, has developed a 10 year-old link with the highly successful TAR College and Institute Megatech which provides a summer school top-up that enables students to complete a UK degree. This year over 500 students undertook this programme.

We now manage a range of LJMU-accredited courses in Malaysia and have established collaborative teaching and research links with China, Singapore and Thailand using Malaysia as our base. LJMU is so committed to developing inter-cultural relationships with Asia that it recently opened an office in the heart of KL and appointed a Regional Director, Jeffery Soong, to enable us to strengthen existing connections and business with Malaysia and to consolidate our reputation across the region and globally.

Vision 2020

In ‘Towards achieving Vision 2020’, your government has identified strategies to meet the following nine challenges:

Establishing a united Malaysian nation with a sense of common and shared destiny
Creating a psychologically liberated, secure and developed Malaysian society
Fostering a democratic society
Establishing a fully moral and ethical society
Establishing a mature, liberal and tolerant society
Establishing a scientific and progressive society
Establishing a fully caring society and a caring culture
Ensuring an economically just society
Establishing a prosperous society

(Dr Mahathir Mohamad, 1991, pp. 2–4)

Malaysian Higher Education’s strategic aim is to double the number of foreign students (from 50,000 to 100,000) by 2010. In common with the UK, employability skills and a commitment to lifelong learning are seen as essential to the progress of educating and up-skilling the work force in Malaysia.

Many countries share such goals globally and education will play a vital role in helping all countries to meet these challenges.

To realise Vision 2020, Malaysia has recognised that it needs active learners who have acquired the skills of problem-solving, independent thinking and autonomous learning as well as the abilities to work co-operatively. Schools need to emphasise different kinds of teaching and learning strategies such as co-operative learning, group work and other learner-directed modes of operation. School performance indicators should be broadened to include management of a whole host of social outcomes such as better attendance and behaviour, improved self-image and more positive attitudes to school.

These issues and goals are as keenly felt in the UK as in your country so there are real opportunities to learn from each other. It is evident that the educational contribution made to the Malaysian nation by the Kirkby College teachers has been pivotal in the development of the Malaysian educational system.

LJMU is committed to intercultural collaboration and is very much looking forward to continuing its long-standing relationship with Malaysia. Our teaching is informed by research undertaken by leading scholars and we believe that effective education is achieved when students are supported by excellent practitioners (teachers) who recognise the needs of their communities and the places they live.

Hall et al (2006) noted that ‘place’ in this local, lived sense is something much more than landscape – the material topography of a piece of land (Cresswell, 2004: 11); it is a hybrid product of biography and location(s), the one informing the other in a constant round of influence and interpretation. It is an animate geography; and living things do not stand still, they move. This is as true of places as it is of persons.

Place, as lived geography, moves and changes; the process is continual, but we recognise moments at which it intensifies and accelerates. The inception of Kirkby College is an example of one such intensification.

Changes in Liverpool and KL

Both Liverpool and Kuala Lumpur have been physically transformed in the course of recent development and regeneration activity. Liverpool city’s docks have been made over as a centre for commerce, leisure and tourism and branded The Albert Dock. The city centre has been similarly refashioned and is currently undergoing a further round of rebuilding and retail development. Liverpool is generally agreed to be a thriving as a result of this investment which has itself been driven partly by the European Capital of Culture status that we currently enjoy.

Similar developments can be seen in Malaysia’s major cities but in both our countries the effects of this regeneration have not reached into all communities. Whilst both Kuala Lumpur and Liverpool are cities of ambition and growth, we are all grappling with inequalities that characterise most major global cities, wherever they are. Education is as key to tackling these now as it was when you attended Kirkby College.

Thomas and Kearney (2008) note that, in a globalised society, people travel on a scale not previously experienced which has resulted in greater cultural diversity becoming a feature of all institutions, including of student populations in classrooms. However, while schools are culturally, socially and linguistically diverse, populations of teachers are characteristically white, middle class and monolingual (House of Representatives Standing Committee on Education and Vocational Education, 2007). As a consequence they are likely to teach children whose cultural background and life experiences are very different from their own.

One of the major challenges facing teacher education today, therefore, is preparing teachers with the knowledge, skills and disposition to work successfully with this increasingly diverse pupil population. To obviate this problem in the UK, a government initiative has been developed to encourage the recruitment and retention of students from Black, Minority & Ethnic (BME) cultural backgrounds, but it is a significant challenge and we would value any advice you can give us on this. A retired colleague, Geoff Fenwick, told me that former students have readily given advice and assistance in the past.

Some of you might remember Norman Garner who lectured in Education at the college. Norman was familiar with what was then Malaya because he had completed a spell of military service there before he became a teacher. The thesis for his M.Ed degree was on the subject of Education in that country (Malaya) and he was indebted to his students and former students for some of his information and data.

Another lecturer who might be remembered was Alec Walters who was a mathematician. In 1967 Alec Walters became the Principal of the Ethel Wormald College of Education in Liverpool, a college for mature students. He appointed Norman Garner as his Head of Education and together they created a course in Comparative Education - unusual at that time - as part of the Teaching Certificate qualification. Malaya was included and again, they were helped by their ex-students, many of whom had by then begun to make their mark in their country’s education. Both kept in contact with some of their former students, some of whom visited the college on an informal basis.

Norman Garner, who made an outstanding contribution in the field of Community Education, died at the early age of 47. Alec Walters retired when the college was amalgamated with another college in Liverpool and died at the age of 68.

The Malayan Teacher Training College or Kirkby College became Kirkby Fields College of Education which was amalgamated with Nene College of Education in Northampton in 1973 after which links with Malaysia probably became tenuous.

Conclusion

In conclusion, then, given the strong educational alliances between our two countries and the mutual benefits that spring from close collaboration in higher education, I am confident that the pioneering spirit of Kirkby College graduates is alive and well today in Malaysia and is set to go from strength to strength.

Before I finish I thought you might be interested in some of the headlines that are currently in the UK educational press. Their diversity tells a story all of its own, in the sense that teachers have so many issues to deal with. More concerning perhaps is the fact that we are still wrestling with many old problems to which you and I probably felt we had found the answers when we were all teaching children many years ago - but then, they do say, history has a habit of repeating itself!

Pupil voice to become law - Government plans to insist schools consult pupils on everything from uniform to curriculum and homework

Exclusions send children into a void - Clampdown on bad behaviour reveals a fault line: parents who can’t or won’t supervise suspended pupils

Rich and poor gap has failed to narrow - More than 20,000 pupils are doing GCSEs in schools that are still causing concern, Ofsted’s state-of-the-nation annual review warns

Personalised learning is here to stay but does anyone know what it means?

Too much dull teaching not challenging pupils

Christine Gilbert, Chief HMI, Ofsted Annual Review

I wish you all well for the reunion and look forward to meeting some of you to hear your fascinating memories.

References

Arnove, R.F. (1999) Reframing comparative education. The dialectic of the global and the local, in: R.F. Arnove & C.A. Torres (Eds) Comparative Education. The dialectic of the global and the local. Lanham, Rowman &
Little.

Banks, J.A. (2004) Multicultural education – historical development, dimensions, and practices. In J.A. Banks, & C.A.M. Banks (Eds.), Multicultural education – historical development, dimensions, and practices (pp. 3–24). San Fransisco, CA: Josey-Bass.

Cresswell, T. (2004) Place: A Short Introduction, Oxford: Blackwell.

Hall, T, Brett, L. & Coffey, A. Stories as Sorties, Qualitative Researcher, Issue 3, Economic & Social Research Council, 1-4.

Hattie, J. (2008) Visible Learning: a synthesis of over 800 Meta-Analyses relating to achievement, Routledge.

House of Representatives Standing Committee on Education and Vocational Education (2007) Top of the Class Report on the inquiry into teacher education Canberra: Commonwealth of Australia.

Nieto, S. (2004) Affirming diversity: The sociopolitical context of multicultural education Boston MA: Allyn and Bacon

Sleeter, C., & Grant, C. (2003) Making choices for multicultural education: Five approaches to race, class, and gender. New York: Wiley.

Thomas, S and Kearney, J (2008) 'Teachers working in culturally diverse classrooms: implications for the development of professional standards and for teacher education', Asia-Pacific Journal of Teacher Education, 36:2, 105 — 120.

Yeung, A.S.W. (2006) Teachers’ conceptions of borderless – a cross-cultural study on multicultural sensitivity of the Chinese teachers. Educational Research for Policy and Practice, 5, 33–53.

Welcoming Speech by Tan Sri Dr Yahaya Ibrahim

2008-12-05T17:55:00.000-08:00

KIRKBY COLLEGE GRAND REUNION
28 – 29 NOVEMBER 2008
AT INTAN AND PICC
_____________________________________________________________

Ladies and Gentleman,

As we know, Reunions were usually held by alumni associations of schools, colleges and universities as a social gathering, giving opportunity for them to come together and remember old days. However this Kirkby College Alumni Grand Reunion which is held for two days on 28 and 29 November is not to be the usual and sundry Reunion but with a great difference in term of objective and programme. It will feature four main events of immense important to Kirkby alumni as well as to teachers and educators at large.

Firstly, yesterday evening, the Honourable Minister of Unity, Culture, Arts and Heritage was invited to launch a definitive book on Kirkby College. This hard-cover 320 pages book was written in English, and it took us more than a year to publish this long overdue book. This book documented the background, the achievement of the college and its alumni, the academic and social life at Kirkby, the vacation and British Council courses, the opening as well as the closing of the college, and many more exclusive information collected from personal interviews and from the National Archives. The title “Kirkby College – A Heritage” was deliberately chosen to reflect the significant contribution of this college and its alumni in the Malayan education history.

I would like to quote here some of content from the book.

Kirkby College was a unique educational experiment whereby a foreign country was allowed to operate a teachers training college in England. In retrospective the Kirkby experiment was a great success due to several factors, firstly the students were selected from the best - cream of the cream of the Cambridge School Certificate, with distinction in English Language. Secondly Kirkby lecturers were highly qualified and experience, a quality hard to find in Malaya after the war. Thirdly, the curriculum was designed and accredited by the Institute of Education University of Liverpool. Academic wise, the content of the courses and the pedagogy were world class and the trainees took home innovative approaches and a liberal attitude to learning. And finally, all of Kirkby students were exposed to English education practises which were considered one of the best in the Western world at that time and even today.

The book highlighted the important role contributed by teachers and specifically Kirkby teachers in the realm of national human capital development or Modal Insan, for the past 50 years. They have devoted most of their lives to teaching, teaching in remote places and in classrooms without the comfort of air-con rooms that administrative officers (PTD) enjoyed. In those days in 1950s and 1960s, much of the rural areas were still undeveloped; teachers had to travel on kampong road that was muddy during the monsoon season and dusty during dry season. Some of the unlucky ones were forced to travel by boat to reach schools miles upstream. There were not given incentive allowances or hardship allowances as enjoyed by ulu teachers today.

Kirkby teachers contributed to education in Borneo even before the formation of Malaysia in 1963. The fact that the newly independence Malaya had sent Kirkby trained teachers to Borneo and Brunei which was still under the British at that time, was always overlooked in our education history books. Kirkby teachers again made a significant contribution when Brunei set up the first Teachers College in 1959. This to show that Kirkby certificate were recognized world-wide as it was accredited by Liverpool University.

Our founding fathers and lecturers of Kirkby College should be proud that its graduates had made a significant contribution to Malaysian education, before independent (1952 – 1957) and more so after the country achieved independent. Their contribution was far and wide reaching - as teachers in schools, as Head Masters, as Principals, as Schools Supervisors, as Organizers of Schools (today’s Pegawai Pendidikan Daerah), as State Directors of Education, as Teachers College lecturers, as administrative officers in the State or Federal Education Department. It is noteworthy that, for all the sacrifice made, four of Kirkby-trained teachers were chosen as Tokoh Guru Kebangsaan: Harith Liki (1988), Idris Tain (1990), Lau Hut Yee (1992) and myself (1998). It’s not too late to add a few more names while most of us are still alive.

Unfortunately teachers and educators were seldom portrayed as important leaders of the community despite their immense contribution to the nation. Until today they remained at the backstage as unsung heroes. Another good reason for Malaysians not knowing the role of educators in the nation’s development was that until now our nation did not have a National Education Museum dedicated to publicise the role of education and teachers. It is quite embarrassing that almost every other government department such as army, police, even Orang Asli has its own museum to display their heritage, but until today teachers has no museum to be proud of. This National Education Museum will try to do some justice to all educators and teachers as most of us realize that the recognition and respect for our beloved teachers were long overdue.

For this reason that the Kirkby College Alumni Association has submitted a National Education Museum proposal to three ministries (Ministry of Unity, Culture, Arts and Heritage; Ministry of Education and Ministry of Higher Education), requesting an urgency for such museum to established in Kuala Lumpur. Without a proper Education Museum, sooner or later much of valuable education artefacts such as papan batu, kalam, mesin cyclostyle, Kirkby records, will be lost forever.

As a complimentary event for the book launching, after the launching of the Kirkby book, the Honourable Minister was invited to officiate a Kirkby Pictorial Exhibition, where many rare pictures and artefacts related to Kirkby College and college life at Kirkby more than 50 years ago were put on display. The items on display came from Kirkby Gallery at Muzium Pendidikan UPSI and from Tuanku Bainun Teachers College at Penang.

This morning, an International Convention on Teachers’ Education is being held at INTAN Auditorium where YB Dato’ Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein, our active, progressive and far sighted Minister of Education was invited to present a keynote address and officially open the convention. Two more papers will follow after YB Hisham’s keynote address, one by Dato’ Prof Dr Ibrahim Ahmad Bajunid, a professor at INTI University College, well known educator who will present a paper on world class teacher training and Prof Diana Burton, Pro-Vice Chancellor of John Moores University of Liverpool will present a paper on teacher education in England.

And finally, tonight a Grand Dinner will be held a PICC Putrajaya whereby all of Kirkby-trained teachers will receive certificates of appreciation from the government. Even though all of them had left the teaching profession more than 15 years ago, this gesture from the Minister of Education is in line with government’s policy to value the service rendered by government servants. It was most appropriate that INTAN, the public department training college, give full support for this function.

INTAN and Kirkby College had one thing in common; both of these institutions are training institution; Kirkby College trained teachers while INTAN trained government officers. This showed that our Government gave high priority to training, even before Merdeka and even more after Merdeka. Our Government was a firm believer and supportive of using training as a mean to increase efficiency and productivity of its officers that now practically all Government Ministries have their own training academies.

During the Grand Dinner, a Kirkby College Coffee Table book in Bahasa Malaysia published by UPSI will be launched by Tuanku Bainun the Raja Permaisuri of Perak (Kirkby alumni 1952 – 54). This book had more pictures compared to the documentary book published by Kirkby Alumni.

The Kirkby College Alumni Association is honoured that for the first time three ministries are involved as joint organiser; the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Higher Education and Ministry of Unity, Culture, Arts and Heritage.

In conclusion, once again, on behalf of the organizing committee, I would like to thank the honoured guest, YB Menteri Pelajaran, paper presenters, session chairpersons and all the attendees, especially my colleagues Kirkby alumni that came from all over the country, for your support and presence to make this Reunion and International Teachers Convention a success.

As a parting note I would like to ask the YB Minister to consider tapping the huge talents and experience of former teachers and lecturers by creating a post service scheme for experience lecturers, especially as contract teaching staff at the newly upgraded Teachers Training Institutes. Kirkby College Alumni Association members, many of them proficient in English Language, some with masters and PhDs and specialised in many academic subjects, will be ever ready to answer the call for post-service scheme, if there is an urgent need for them to go back to classrooms and lecture rooms.