KUALA LUMPUR – The government needs to examine the effectiveness of all rural development programmes to ensure they are relevant and meet the needs of the current target group, said Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.
Zahid, who is also the Rural and Regional Development Minister said this was because the population ratio in rural areas had decreased from 70% in the 1960s to 30% today.
“It means there is social vertical and horizontal mobility, where there are relocations, urbanisation, their social status has evolved through education and so should the ministry’s agenda remain static or stagnated over the matter?
“So those who are in the suburbs should be dealt with, those in rural areas should be engaged, because they need communications, infrastructure, technical education and vocational training (TVET), education...we should make all programmes relevant to the tastes of the target group, not of the minister, who come and go,” he said during the “Ruang Bicara” programme produced by Bernama TV tonight.
Zahid also touched on the importance of coordination among the various ministries that implement TVET programmes to avoid duplication and ensure cost-effectiveness.
Zahid, who is also the TVET Coordinating Committee chairman said that there were now 11 ministries implementing programmes with the same goal, leading to duplication or overlaps in the programmes offered.
“Is this cost-effective? Let’s get over with the times of blaming the ministry and ministers that came before, we should move forward involving not only TVET but other training as well, on how the social structure and social illnesses involving youth should be overcome.
“This is my agenda as chairman of the social committee because as I said it is not just (with regard to) a particular ministry, I look at the totality, in terms of the community as a whole,” he said. – Bernama, February 1, 2023
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