2015 PIBG AGM Chairman’s Speech

 2015  PIBG AGM  Chairman’s  Speech

This year, I have broken the tradition of the Chairman making  the opening speech. By inviting our new Headmistress to make the opening speech  , she sets the tone and that is the tone I wish to echo. Let us move forward, together for the greater good of LICK HUNG.

The themes for 2015 are Reconcile, Rebuild and Reaching for greater Heights. Before I move further , I wish to thank my fellow committee members both parents and teachers for their contributions in somewhat trying circumstances . Irrespective of their views and positions taken in the past, I believe and accept they acted with the best intentions and always for the benefit of the Children which is the primary objective of PIBG.

It is also crucial for us to acknowledge the great contributions of Mr Tan our immediate past HM . Under his leadership for the past 10 years , LICK HUNG became one of the few High Performance Schools in Malaysia turning out exceptional all rounded talents , many obtained Asean scholarships and some went on to become captains of industry in their chosen fields. We must  also pay tribute to the individual and collective contributions of the entire Teaching staff for without them LICK HUNG would not have achieved these accolades .

Over the past 9 months many of you especially a number of the  teaching staff have come under tremendous stress brought upon by my revelation of  3 unauthorised  PIBG accounts . Previous PIBG meetings  had likewise been tense because many parents were not satisfied with the financial disclosure  and the level of transparency  .  We spent more time in financial matters than anything else  when we should be focusing on how to improve our children’s welfare.We wasted time and effort to discredit each other resulting in parents losing interest in PIBG .

WHILE many of us want to know   why these accounts existed and operated outside the norm,  but Today I believe they should not be our main focus anymore .    It is time to leave   this unfortunate episode behind us so that we can move forward.

Parents, I say this because the school administration and I have agreed on many steps  to improve on the level of financial transparency , the most important  change  being –effective  within the next hour so –parent’s representative will hold the post of Treasurer .  Parents you will elect your own treasurer instead of being appointed by the school administrators  which was a long held practice of Lick Hung. In addition , the school had  closed all the unauthorised accounts and we now have ONE official account in full compliance with PIBG regulations.

Teachers AJK candidates will be approved by the parents .We will also have more regular dialog sessions between parents and school administrators.

Full credit must be given to our new Headmistress , Mdm Lee for acting so constructively and decisively so we can end the conflict between parents and school administrators .

I would like to give the benefit of the doubts to those who were inadvertently involved and with it my apology if you were affected by the negative publicity .

It is so easy to apportion blame or to criticise without knowing the full picture.  But  I must acknowledge that some parents and past AJK members and in particular 2013 parent AJK members  were deeply  hurt and traumatised by allegations  made against them and unfair actions taken against their children for their only fault was to get involved in PIBG . It is impossible to operate any entity let alone an educational institution when the stakeholders are at opposite ends; the only possible outcome is FAILURE .

Today I would like to appeal to all parents to leave the unfortunate part of our history behind us and give our full and unconditional support to our Headmistress and her staff .

To our Teachers , I hope you will welcome parents with open arms for the sake for our children . I hope we can Reconcile our past differences and if  required one day , I would like to see  a committee set up to examine the grievances of all parties . Knowing the truth enables us  to understand , with understanding we can forgive , and with forgiveness we can reconcile and finally moving on without the baggage of the past .  But at this present moment  we should focus on rebuilding/repairing  –our physical infrastructures (grounds, drains doors , fans , toilets ) , training and providing support  to our teaching staff, setting up appropriate channels to facilitate communications between teachers and parents , inviting , allowing and encouraging  parents to participate in events such as sports day, seminars  and educational tours involving the children .

To my detractors and strong supporters of our immediate past HM, I also appeal to you to work with our new HM  for the sake of the children and  more importantly to protect the legacy of Mr Tan . We will have the benefit of a better tomorrow because we were well served yesterday.

In conclusion – have I achieved what I stood for ? –namely for Greater financial transparency of PIBG LICK HUNG ?

Parents and teachers, I Believe  I Have.   And with the ending ,  I will NOT participate in this Election .

I DO admit to one failure which was providing filtered drinking water for the children

I am sure the incoming committee will fix that immediately. .

I bid farewell to PIBG –THANK YOU VERY MUCH 

Ken Koo

AGM LICK HUNG Persatuan Ibu Bapa dan Guru –Guru

 Parent Teacher Association      7 March 2015 2.30pm

This is part 3 of our AGM series – USUL-  USUL  MATTERS ARISING

Our previous  article provided some brief information on accounts (part1) and election process (part 2)

This article we will discuss the type of issues which you can raise during PIBG AGM.  We will start with some basic FAQ again

1.     Must we submit our Penyataan Usul by the stipulated date which is 27 February 2015 – In theory , any members can ask any question on the day but the Chairman has the right to reject the question unless the question has already been recorded as a question/issue on the Agenda. The current AJK (committee) is supposed to vet all the incoming USUL and make a list for discussions . Given the limited time on the day, it is most unlikely that all will be discussed . Those which have not been discussed will be referred to the AJK for deliberation.

If  a member wants to raise an USUL  which is not on the agenda and the Chairman refuses to accept the USUL, the only way to force the issue is to get a vote from the floor to override the Chairman’s ruling  .

2.     Are members entitled to raise any USUL regarding their children ?- PIBG has  very limited functions and powers and these functions must be clearly separated from the Administrative powers of the School . Please refer to our first article on the objectives of PIBG – it  is not a forum for parents to settle any disagreement with the school teaching staff or administrator . All issues relating to teachers’ conduct, children’s discipline , quality of teaching , method of delivery should be referred directly to the school or if necessary to the district office (PPD) or the state education department  (JPS).

3.     What USUL –USUL are relevant ? The single most important function of PIBG is to empower or provide a conduit for the school administrator to raise funds for the benefit of the children. In this respect PIBG will need to approve all fee-paying activities to be conducted by the school such as co-curriculum activities or any fund raising projects in order to  improve the physical  infrastructure or human resources of the school.   All issues relating to the expenditure of these funds are relevant topics for AGM discussion .

Please find attached PPD’s response in relation to tuition and other fee paying classes “ attach PPD ‘s reply “ 1. Segala aktiviti yang berkaitan dengan kutipan dan pembayaran kelas tambahan sekolah perlu mandat dari ibubapa melalui mesyuarat Agong 2015 (semasa) dan mendapat persetujuan Guru Besar."

The rational of this requirement is simple- Fully aided SJKC schools such as LH is supposed to be “ free” since the teachers , administrative and support staff (cleaners, guards etc)  are fully paid by the government and the school receives a capital grant (per pupil of around RM125 a year) to cover the operating expenses. If a school requires additional funds from parents , it is only natural that parents must give their consent for any fund raising activities.

                           A BRIEF HISTORY OF PAST USUL-USUL

1.     Lack of financial transparency  in PIBG accounts –This has been by far the most contentious issue/ dispute in the past  PIBG meetings .  Unfortunately , AGM is the only venue where you can raise this issue, so the only way for members to ask financial questions  is during AGM. Please attend and ask the questions you have been dying to ask !!

2.     Why is there no water dispenser for children? -This topic had been raised on many occasions since 2012, unfortunately since this solely  relates to children welfare , it has been very difficult to obtain unanimous approval from the school administrator . During 2014, YDP did extensive research and  obtained vendors to quote on the supply of 5 water dispensers  at the rate of 130 per unit per month, inclusive of maintenance and parts ( the dispenser can provide 44L per hour or around 200 L for 5 units ) but it ran into opposition because some teachers felt it was not the function of the school to provide drinking water for the children and  the inability of the AJK to allocate funding .

By way of further information, the water filtration system for the staff room is paid by PIBG and  teachers’ children have access to the water source.  

3.     Why can’t we provide air-conditioning for afternoon tuition classes?

Existing infrastructure cannot support the load of the additional power consumption. Some Teachers also commented it is not necessary as the cooler environment may cause the children to snooze in class!!

4.     Why are the school bags so heavy? –This has been an on –going issue partly contributed by additional books for tuition classes as well as lack of planning and coordination of  teachers and school administrators on what to bring to school. Anyway , this has been partly resolved now that it is a single session school where children can leave part of the books in class  even though it is not very secure .

5.     Why are the toilets so poorly maintained? –poor flushing system, the  need to educate on toilet etiquettes, more inspection, cleaning  and supervision.

6.     The canteen food is greasy and unhealthy, too much junk food, cases of food poisoning  –parents need to constantly check on the quality of food and provide “FEEDBACK”

7.     Poor traffic management –Volunteers needed to help with the traffic flow . In 2013 , PIBG started to employ Rela but it was strongly opposed by teachers AJK because it cost too much and it affected/duplicated  the performance of the guards employed by the school.

8.     Poor ground and building maintenance –This is the function of the Board of Governors but PIBG do from time to time raise funds for BOG . Recently there were accidents involving children falling on sharp and uneven surfaces and thus suffering cuts and bruises. During the first few days of school, several classes had power cut. Parents have also complained of broken doors, light  fittings and fans in poor condition and the list goes on ….

Next Episode- Activities undertaken by Parents

Parents Academic Research Team

AGM LICK HUNG Persatuan Ibu Bapa dan Guru –Guru

 Parent Teacher Association      7 March 2015 2.30pm

This is part 2 of our AGM series – Election of office bearers

Our last article provided some brief information on accounts.

This article will discuss the election process. We will start with a brief FAQ

1.      Who may attend –All current parents (mum and dad)  or legal guardians and teachers . Current parents are those parents with children attending the school during the year of election .

The AJK (committee) can also invite special guests such as observers from the Ministry of Education or members from the Board of Governors 

2.      What posts will be contested – 15 members comprising of YDP (Chairman) TYDP (deputy chairman), Treasurer, Secretary plus 11 ordinary AJK members will be elected.

      By convention of LH, 8 members are from parents and 7 members are reserved for teachers. The 8 members from parents are elected by all members whereas the 7 teachers representatives are elected/nominated by the school administrators. Separately there will be an election for 2 Auditors   . Dissolution of AJK- The AJK for the preceding period will be dissolved and a Chairman for the election process will be elected from one of the members.

By convention, the Chairman will not contest for any post but is entitled to vote .

4.      Who is eligible to stand for election –Any member is entitled to stand for  election  for any post as long the candidate has a nominator and seconder during the election .

5.      Election process –If there is more than one candidate for the post, the contest will be done by ballot and the winner will be determined by a simple majority.

                        A VERY SHORT HISTORY OF PIBG ELECTION IN LH

Lick Hung is a large school with enrolment peaking at around 3500 students in 2007/08/09. Current enrolment is around 2500 students with total parents of around 4000. The teaching staff is around 100 plus strong. Turnout from parents for past  AGMs had been generally low at  less than  3% and in many  years there were fewer parents than teachers .

Due to the composition of the members attending (parents voluntary, teachers compulsory ), it would be nearly impossible for anyone to be elected unless the candidates had strong support from teachers . For parents to have an impact in the selection of office bearers, a turnout of at least 300 is needed to neutralize the teachers’ vote bank. Based on previous voting trends , teachers would be influenced /directed to vote for a list of preferred candidates while those independent parent candidates  will have to convince the parents  to vote for them on election day .

AGM is the only event where parents have the right to attend so it is somewhat disappointing that we do not see greater participation from parents. Lack of interest / low participation is a common problem for most voluntary associations / organizations. Apart from the inability to commit, the most common reason for non- participation is the feeling of inability to make any input or change to that organization. 

For those who are very new to LH, 2013 was a watershed year where independent parent candidates were voted in for the first time by a majority of parents who were not satisfied with several school policies including the implementation of compulsory tuition for year 1 and 2. In 2014, a majority of parents voted for the YDP and one of the independent candidates but the remaining 6 positions were won by those who were on the school preferred list after several parents left following the voting of YDP.

While no one can compel anyone to attend, we can only urge you to take an interest  in your children’s welfare by  attending the 2015 AGM in order  find out what has been going on since the last AGM and hope you will let the incoming committee know what you want  for the next 12 months. The most basic responsibility of a member in a democratic organization is to exercise the RIGHT TO VOTE in order to protect the FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION  and the RIGHT OF PARTICIPATION  .

Next Episode- Matters Arising or Usul Usul

27 February 2015

AGM LICK HUNG Persatuan Ibu Bapa dan Guru –Guru

AGM (Parent Teacher Association)      7 March 2015 2.30pm

You should have received your copy of the Notice of AGM . Over the next 2 weeks , we  will try to provide a series of articles covering this topic with the view to generate some interest in this topic so more parents will participate in the forthcoming AGM.

Annual General meeting is the most important meeting of any organization and PIBG is no exception. The members of PIBG comprise of the teachers of the school and parents who have children studying in school during the current year.  Although the accounts relate to 2014, the ruling (verbal)  from JPN Selangor is that only parents with children in 2015 are eligible to  attend the 2015 AGM.

The 3 key elements of AGM are

1.     Tabling of accounts for the preceding year ( January 2014 to December 2014): and

2.     Election of Office Bearers for the current year 2015 ; and

3.     Matters arising .

In this article we will attempt to give a brief outline of what members can expect during the tabling of PIBG accounts and what to ask   if any member is not satisfied with the presentation of accounts .

In most organisations , accounts are normally circulated together with the notice of meeting so members will have time to read  the financial reports prior to the meeting . Unfortunately , there is no specific requirement for PIBG to do so, resulting in members having to read the reports  upon registration on the day of the AGM . For newcomers with little financial literacy  , it will be difficult to understand the reports which are normally very brief with little or no explanation notes. As part of our attempt to educate our members on PIBG accounts , I have included the financial reports (summarized version ) of 2012 and  2013 so members will have an opportunity to familiarize with the format of reporting .

The objectives ( in so far as they relate to financial matters ) of PIBG as outlined in the relevant sections of the Constitution AKTA Pendidikan 1996  are :

4.2 (3) b-  “untuk membantu dan menambah usaha sekolah dalam memenuhi kehendak dan keperluan kebendaan murid-murid dalam kegiatan mereka “( loosely translated –To provide material assistance to the children in order to  fulfil or satisfy  their material requirements in the course of their school activities

4.2 (3) e –“Untuk membolehkan ibu bapa dan guru dalam sekolah untuk berusaha menambah kewangan sekolah dan meningkatkan kemudahan fizikal bagi tujuan meningkatkan kemudahan fizikal bagi tujuan meningkatkan kemudahan pengajaran dan pembelajaran “ (To enable parents and teachers to raise funds for the purpose of improving the physical  infrastructure  of the school  in order to provide  better teaching and learning environment )

To paraphrase , one of the main objectives of PIBG is to provide financial assistance to the school for the benefit of the children.

In PIBG LICK HUNG, how did it raise funds ? Based  on the financial reports of 2012/2013, the funds came from

	2013	2012
Collections From:
Tuition Class         Computer Class            Curriculum Activities (Note 1)	991,391.00 - 75,635.00	772,032.50 253,440.00 240,119.00
Total  Collections	1,067,026.00	1,265,591.50
(Less)
Tuition fees paid to teachers            Trainers’ fee paid for computer class            Trainers’ fee paid for curriculum activities	(672,909.40) - (69,781.50)	(612,419.80) (169,625.00) (214,953.90)
Total Fees Paid	(742,690.90)	(996,998.70)
Net Collection	324,335.10	268,592.80
Add  - Other Collections
Lick Hung expo            Hung Jia Jia’s children theater            Other contribution	- 16,837.10 5,800.00	58,455.25 - 4,700.00
Total Net Collections	346,972.20	331,748.05

Where did the money go ??

Expenses Paid
-   Upkeep of school, music and sports equipment -   Replacement teachers’ allowance -   Trainers’ allowance for training school team -   UPSR cash award – 2012 and 2013 -   Gift, incentive, award for students -   Teachers’ farewell party & Teachers’ Day celebration -   Travel and transport allowance -   Teachers’ refreshment -   Sports Day -   Chinese New Year festival celebration -   Telephone, electricity and water bills -   Participation fee on out bound school competition -   Printing and stationery -   Allowance for school general workers and security guards -   Insurance on school equipment -   Sundry expenses and bank charges	(76,057.20) (37,750.00) (38,660.00) (52,320.00) (14,046.50) - (13,975.60) (4,957.96) - (4,700.00) (11,009.75) (12,872.05) (4,915.70) (2,500.00) (6,490.00) (6,344.50)	(128,594.05) (45,090.00) (29,865.00) - (37,968.00) (17,556.65) (9,670.40) (8,757.90) (7,483.55) (3,137.50) (4,641.30) (4,097.00) (3,343.25) (3,900.00) (1,420.00) (3,888.00)
Total Expenses Paid Note 2	(286,599.26)	(309,412.60)

Note 1.  Most of the fee paying  extra-curricular activities were transferred to BOG in April 2013

Note 2 . RM292,280.91 comprising of PIBG FD and cash balance was transferred to BOG in April/May 2013

Questions –

1. Did the expenditures meet the objectives of PIBG?

2.  What  are the checks and balances to ensure  competitive pricing of service providers ?

3.  Why can’t the treasurer provide a budget for members approval?

4. Do AJK members get paid for serving in AJK?

What can you expect from the  2014 accounts ?  As at the date of this article, I have not been able to examine the accounts  so I cannot give much comment at this stage .

I have been frequently asked : what if the accounts were not approved by the members ?  Will that affect the validity of the meeting ? The simple answer is the meeting will continue (election can take place etc )  and a further meeting will be called to approve the accounts . This scenario occurred in 2013 AGM and the accounts were passed during the subsequent EGM.  In some respects , having an EGM to approve the accounts was a preferred method because it will allow the incoming office bearers to have a better understanding of the accounts since they have to take responsibility of the expenditures occurred during the entire year which include the months before they were elected . In addition, new AJK can prepare a budget for members to approve at the same time.

Next Episode – Election of AJK members 

Ken Koo

YDP 
25 Feb 2015

AGM Penyataan Usul 家协大会提案

Parents wish to propose a new initiative/improvement to students welfare can put it forward in a motion to PIBG AGM. The deadline is on this Friday the 27^th Feb 2015. You can fill in the  form and give it to your child. 

*Father / mother can be proposer and seconder respectively

 If you do not have any proposal, all parents are encouraged to attend the AGM. Please return the from to your child's form teacher by this Friday so that the committee can arrange enough seats for all parents.

download :  Form PIBG Usul 2015

如果家长有意提出新的建议/提案以改善学生的福利，请把填妥的表格交给孩子的级任老师。截止日期为明天（2月27日2015年，星期五）


*父亲/母亲可以分别成为提议人及复议者

没有提出新提案的家长也鼓励出席大会。请把表格填好再交给级任老师以方便校方安排足够的座位。