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Free Malaysia Today
2 days ago
- General
- Free Malaysia Today
Guidelines on vertical schools finalised, to be brought to Cabinet
Deputy education minister Wong Kah Woh said they had engaged the housing and local government ministry, public works department, fire and rescue department, as well as parents and teachers. (Bernama pic) KUALA LUMPUR : The education ministry has finalised its guidelines for the development of vertical schools, taking into account basic principles for the design, including supervision and student safety. Deputy education minister Wong Kah Woh said the guidelines would be presented to the Cabinet soon. He said the ministry took into account several factors in determining the concept, including vertical movement safety, accessibility for students with special needs, as well as students' emotional and social well-being. 'We also looked into technical aspects such as acoustics, soundproofing, lighting and natural ventilation, emergency routes, building structure, maintenance and strata management,' he told the Dewan Rakyat today. He was replying to Muslimin Yahaya's (PN-Sungai Besar) question about Kuala Lumpur City Hall's (DBKL) proposal to construct a two-block vertical school of between 10 and 17 storeys. To refine the design of these schools, Wong said they had engaged the housing and local government ministry, public works department, fire and rescue department, as well as parents and teachers. He said the housing and local government ministry had proposed three models, namely constructing schools on land specifically earmarked for education purposes; incorporating community facilities such as clinics and libraries; and integrating school buildings with residential and commercial developments. Wong added that the implementation of vertical schools would be subject to assessments by the education ministry and the relevant technical agencies, particularly in areas with populations exceeding one million. DBKL previously proposed the construction of more vertical-concept schools to address land constraints and the growing population in the capital city.
Free Malaysia Today
22-07-2025
- Health
- Free Malaysia Today
Schools to go online if air quality reaches ‘very unhealthy' mark
Under existing guidelines, outdoor activities are prohibited when the air pollutant index exceeds 100, deemed as 'unhealthy'. (Bernama pic) KUALA LUMPUR : The education ministry will activate home-based teaching and learning if the air pollutant index (API) reading surpasses the 'very unhealthy' level of 200. Education minister Fadhlina Sidek said this was based on existing guidelines jointly coordinated with the natural resources and environmental sustainability as well as health ministries. 'Under the guidelines, outdoor activities are prohibited when the API exceeds 100. If it goes beyond 200, home-based learning will be implemented, meaning lessons will be conducted online,' she told reporters after officiating the 2024 national-level Digital Utilisation and Technology Awards here. Fadhlina added that state education directors had been instructed to take immediate action based on the API levels. As of 4pm, the environment department's portal showed 'unhealthy' API readings of 116 in Nilai, Negeri Sembilan, and 154 in Johan Setia, Selangor.
Japan Times
16-07-2025
- Japan Times
Teachers sharing illicit student images raises question of systemic failure
An online group chat that teachers allegedly used to share illicit images of elementary school girls sparked national outrage last month and has reignited a critical question: Is Japan facing a systemic failure to protect children from predatory educators? The case involved male teachers in elementary and junior high schools in Nagoya and Yokohama secretly photographing the underwear of female students at their schools, generating sexual deepfakes — digitally manipulated content that appears real — and sharing those images and videos in the group chat. But Hiroki Fukui, a forensic psychiatrist who heads the Sex Offenders Medical Center, one of the country's few clinics focused on treating sex offenders and people with paraphilic disorders, said teachers sexually abusing their students is nothing new. 'Inappropriate interactions between teachers and students have been happening in significant numbers for quite some time now,' said Fukui. 'It's been a known issue for years.' In fiscal 2023 through March 2024, 157 public school teachers were reprimanded for sexual offenses and sexually harassing students, slightly up from 133 in fiscal 2013, according to the education ministry. While direct international comparisons are complicated by differences in legal definitions, reporting practices, and cultural taboos around sex, educators' sexual abuse of students — whether in or outside of schools — is not a uniquely Japanese issue. In the U.S., for instance, an estimated 1 in 10 students will experience sexual misconduct from school employees, including teachers and other staff, by the time they graduate from high school, according to a U.S. Department of Education report. What sets Japan apart, experts say, is not the scale of abuse, but the country's sluggish policy response and deep-rooted cultural resistance to the concept of consent, itself. Schools lack consistent external monitoring, and reporting protocols vary widely. Some teachers accused of serious misconduct have been quietly transferred or later allowed to reapply for teaching licenses. 'Some schools don't want to escalate things and will try to resolve the matter internally without involving the police,' said Sumire Nagamori, who heads Hiiragi Net, an organization that monitors and reports digital sexual violence in Japan. She also pointed to similar systemic failures in addressing digital sexual abuse. 'In terms of legal systems, Japan has been very slow to act — both in the case of child sexual abuse material and now with deepfakes. There's a real lag,' she said. However, the government has taken steps to tighten oversight. A 2022 law to prevent sexual violence by educators explicitly prohibits teachers from sexual acts, any child sexual abuse materials, voyeurism, and severe harassment involving students. It also created a database of individuals whose teaching licenses were revoked due to misconduct — a list boards of education are now required to check when hiring. But the system has major gaps. It only includes educators fired for disciplinary reasons, not those who resign, for example. The database is also only referenced at the time of hiring, not while teachers remain employed. Furthermore, a recent government survey also revealed widespread noncompliance with the system among private institutions. According to the education ministry, 75% of school operators running private kindergartens, elementary, junior high and high schools did not check the database when hiring new teachers, despite a legal obligation to do so. Of the 7,258 private school operators surveyed between May and August last year, 3,062 had not registered for the system, while another 2,418 had registered but were not using it. In total, 5,480 corporations — or 3 in 4 — had not utilized the database. The ministry issued a notice to schools nationwide earlier this month to ensure teachers understand that sexual misconduct can lead to a dismissal regardless of consent and to state that teachers should not take photos of students with their personal smartphones. 'It's absolutely unacceptable for teachers who are in the position of protecting children to be sexually assaulting students," said education minister Toshiko Abe in a news conference on July 8. A broader measure to introduce a system like that found in the U.K. is slated to take effect in December 2026. Modeled on the U.K.'s Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS), the new system mandates background checks for all professionals working with children — including cram school instructors and extracurricular staff. Employers must remove individuals from child-facing roles if a history of sexual offenses or risk of abuse is identified. Still, the Japanese version of the DBS may have limited impact since it won't be able to screen out first-time offenders, which was the case with the recent group chat incident. And unless the individual has a previous conviction that led to a dismissal from their job, it won't be registered in the database. The system also cannot detect cases in which prosecutors decide to drop the case. 'The DBS wouldn't have made a difference,' said Fukui, referring to the recent group chat case. 'We need to build in more organizational safeguards,' he said. But for potential perpetrators looking to seek help, treatment options in Japan remain limited as therapy for paraphilic disorders is not covered by national health insurance. 'Even if someone wants to stop, they can't just go to their local clinic and get help,' Fukui said. 'That severely limits access.' 'When it comes to protecting children from sexual exploitation or criminal behavior, Japan is lagging behind global standards,' he said. 'There needs to be a nationwide effort to catch up.'
NHK
02-07-2025
- Business
- NHK
Japan's government to subsidize universities accepting foreign researchers
Japan's education ministry has decided to provide subsidies to domestic universities planning to accept foreign researchers, amid an exodus of talent from the United States under the belt-tightening policies of President Donald Trump. In response to the moves in the US to cut research personnel and financial aid, universities and other institutions in Japan are stepping up efforts to lure talented researchers abroad to improve their capabilities. The education ministry will provide a total of 3.3 billion yen, or about 23 million dollars, over a period of three years starting this fiscal year, to support such efforts financially. Domestic universities that plan to accept young talented researchers and Ph.D. students, including Japanese nationals based abroad, will be eligible. The ministry plans to take emergency measures to use some of the profits generated from what is known as the University Fund. Ministry officials say the subsidies can be used to pay salaries for researchers and research expenses, as well as to cover the costs of lab equipment. They say they will screen plans submitted by universities to improve their research capabilities. They plan to complete the selection process by September. They also say they will consider taking additional measures, depending on such factors as the contents of universities' plans.
BreakingNews.ie
01-07-2025
- Climate
- BreakingNews.ie
Europe swelters under a punishing heatwave with Paris forecast to 40C
France and the rest of Europe remains in the grip of the first major heatwave this summer with health warnings in effect on Tuesday, even as conditions begin to improve in some parts of the region. Punishing temperatures were forecast to reach 40C in Paris and to stay unusually high in Belgium and the Netherlands. Advertisement In contrast, temperatures are falling in Portugal, where no red heat warnings were issued. Italy has also seen soaring temperatures (AP) In France, the national weather agency Meteo-France placed several departments under the highest red alert, with the Paris region particularly hard-hit. The heatwave – defined as consecutive days of very high temperature – is expected to intensify on Tuesday and more than 1,300 schools were expected to be partially or fully closed, the French education ministry said. Visitors to the Eiffel Tower without tickets were told to postpone their visits, and the summit of the city's landmark was closed until Thursday. Advertisement In Spain, Barcelona reported the hottest month of June since records began more than 100 years ago. Parts of Europe including Switzerland have seen above-average temperatures (AP) Meanwhile, 17 of Italy's 27 major cities were experiencing a heatwave, according to health officials. Meteo-France also warned of the heightened risk of wildfires due to the drought-stricken soil, compounded by a lack of rain in June and the recent surge in temperature. Climate experts warn that future summers are likely to be hotter than any recorded to date. By 2100, France could be up to 4C warmer, with temperatures exceeding 40C expected every year and extreme heat spikes potentially reaching 50C. Advertisement According to Meteo-France, the country may face a tenfold increase in the number of heat wave days by 2100. In Portugal, Lisbon was forecast to reach 33C, typical for this time of the year, though some inland areas could still see peaks of 43C, according to the national weather agency. June temperature records were broken in two locations in Portugal on June 29.
