Revamp in Vocational Education System

Vocational education system to be revamped: DPM
27/09/2010  Monday, New Straits Times

MUAR: The national vocational education system will be revamped to enable students to take up vocational education earlier after the Ujian Pencapaian Sekolah Rendah (UPSR), Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said.

He said the move would be in line with the objective of the 10th Malaysia Plan (10MP) to ensure 20 per cent of students took up vocational studies, from 10 per cent currently.

"This is being looked into by the ministry because it will mean a longer period for the students to be in the field. Hence, they will become more skillful," he said after opening an education excellence programme in Pagoh today.

Muhyiddin, who is also the Education Minister, said the revamp was expected to give a huge leap in the country's vocational education because it contained element of improvement such as in terms of the scope and education syllabus, infrastructure facilities, industrial needs, teaching staff and the involvement of the private sector. He was commenting on a suggestion by readers of the Prime Minister's 1Malaysia blog, which among others, called on the government to expand the potential of Malaysians to become skilled workers.

Muhyiddin said that currently, vocational studies were only taken up by students after their Penilaian Menengah Rendah (PMR) and that the number was still small compared with those in other countries. This was despite the country in need of at least 3.3 million workers in 10 years to meet the country's industrial needs according to the Economic Transformation Programme (ETP), he said.

Muhyiddin said that the people should be able to get a clearer picture of the direction of the country's vocational education by next year.

"We do not want parents to regard vocational field as a second option. This has to be rectified," he added.
He said that in many developed countries, the number of vocational students was high, adding that in Indonesia, 40 per cent of its students were in vocational fields while in Thailand, the percentage was 60. - Bernama