Education D-G to take up Seameo post

The Star

PUTRAJAYA: Education director-general Datuk Dr Ahamad Sipon will be the next director of the South-East Asian Ministers of Education Organisation (Seameo) Secretariat in Bangkok.

He will be retiring as director-general on July 15 and taking up the new post early next year.

Dr Ahamad: Started his career in education 30 years ago

“Although we will soon be losing a person of great capability in the field of education, I believe the Seameo secretariat in Bangkok will become more successful under Dr Ahamad’s management,” said Deputy Education Minister Datuk Hon Choon Kim at the ministry’s monthly meeting here yesterday.

He added that Dr Ahamad had contributed much to the ministry and chalked up many achievements as director-general.

When contacted, the director-general declined to comment on his coming retirement and new role in Seameo, saying he would speak on these matters to the press later.

Dr Ahamad started his career in education 30 years ago when he became a lecturer at the Ungku Omar Polytechnic in Ipoh in 1975.

The posts he had held in the ministry before his appointment as director-general in February 2005 include Polytechnic Management Division director and deputy director-general (technical)

He obtained his doctorate in technical and vocational education from the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in the United States.

On another matter, Hon said the ministry was focusing on developing human capital this month, the second thrust under the National Education Blueprint 2006-2010.

He said the ministry had planned about 90 activities to be implemented nationwide as part of Fitness Month, launched last Saturday in line with this month’s focus.

“We have also realised how important Rimup (the Student Integration Plan for Unity) is for developing human capital. If Malaysia wants to prosper, we have to unite all races in this country,” he added.

The other five thrusts under the blueprint are nation-building, strengthening national schools, narrowing the education gap, improving the teaching profession and accelerating excellence at educational institutions.