KUALA LUMPUR – The opposition has slammed the government’s approach to the Technical Education and Vocational Training (TVET) programmes, especially when it was found that they did not realise the targets set in the 11th Malaysia Plan.
Pakatan Harapan (PH) TVET committee member Nurul Izzah Anwar told The Vibes that having seven ministries involved in TVET only leads to the programmes’ fragmentation, and contributed to problems that are often associated with patronage and uneven power dynamics.
“It is important to note TVET’s accreditation body, the Department of Skills Development (JPK), is under the purview of the Human Resources Ministry, which is usually perceived as subservient to other ministries.”
Nurul Izzah, who was TVET empowerment committee chair in 2018, added that the TVET and industry commission mooted during the PH administration should have been established.
“It would have helped to coordinate the seven relevant ministries in fulfilling the country’s needs for a skilled workforce.”
She said for the TVET to succeed as a programme, “existing curricula have to be consistently streamlined and revamped to meet the needs of the current and future job markets.
“We also need to be ready to extend the existing pathway for TVET’s growth.”
Meanwhile, her fellow committee member Charles Santiago said the TVET programmes need to be updated to meet the needs of the country and labour market, as well as the changing economy.
“A close look needs to be made of the service providers. Contracts are given out with little monitoring of the delivery system. There is little or no supervision once given out.
“Also, the perception that TVET is a skills development programme for people who have failed SPM (Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia) exams is wrong. There is a need to recast the mindset of people, including parents and students, as to the value of TVET in the upskilling of Malaysia’s workforce,” he told The Vibes.
The criticisms come after the Auditor-General’s Report (AG) 2019 Series 2 revealed that TVET programmes failed to reach targets set under the 11MP.
Earlier the PH TVET committee comprising Nurul Izzah, Santiago, Chang Lih Kang and Summugam Rengasamy, pushed for an independent TVET commission to streamline existing programmes so students are equipped with the necessary skill sets from credible institutions.
“Money will continue to be wasted if Malaysia keep failing to do one thing right, that is, to establish a single point of authority overseeing TVET institutions.
“We have spoken out on multiple occasions regarding the fundamental problems afflicting our TVET institutions, including the lack of a centralised accreditation system for TVET programmes and the lack of quality of teaching staff, to name a few. These were issues highlighted in the AG’s report 2019.”
The PH TVET committee said based on the AG’s report, the lack of coordination has resulted in the reduction of student intake from 139,669 students in 2016 to only 99,589 last year.
Also, only 474,672 TVET graduates were produced from 2016 to 2020, short of the target set of 900,000 new jobs for 2020.
Under the 11MP, RM29.689 billion was allocated to six TVET providers – Education, Higher Education, Human Resources, Rural Development, Youth and Sports, Agriculture and Food Industries, and Works ministries.
According to Sugunadewi Arjunan, a founder of a private TVET centre, while there is a real need for TVET programmes, there are factors that hinder their success.
“For example, the largest enrolment in my centre is in the automotive sector with 65 students. To succeed, I must produce new programmes and new business models and apply for funding.
“I have also concluded that poor command of English among government TVET lecturers has resulted in poor communication with local industry players.
“In Singapore, on average, one lecturer is in charge of 14 students but in Malaysia, one lecturer only handles seven students. Therefore, the cost of maintaining lecturers is high.”
She added that there is a lot of capital funding for TVET programmes but care must be taken to ensure students benefit and are able to contribute to Malaysia’s job market. – The Vibes, October 9, 2021
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