LETTERS: Not many media outlets covered an event that occurred on Feb 11. It was a meeting chaired by the prime minister on the establishment of the National TVET Council.
As a retired technical and vocational education and training (TVET) teacher and an avid follower of our nation's TVET development, this news caught my attention because the council has the potential to make a significant impact on our country.
TVET institutions have grown in numbers since the early 19th century. Now, it is estimated that there are more than 1,000 such institutions, both public and private, mushrooming across the nation in line with the demands of industries.
However, these institutions were established under the purview of more than seven ministries, all of which are meant to play their own roles.
It is not at all strange since TVET spans a wide spectrum, from highly-skilled security technicians to general workers doing various tasks on a farm.
Moreover, many countries, such as the United States and China, have multiple bodies coordinating their TVET activities due to the diverse needs of their industries.
However, a few countries, such as those in Europe and our southern neighbour Singapore, that have their act together have successfully engineered their TVET governance to blast the nation's economic development forward.
Nevertheless, since the 10th Malaysia Plan, I have seen incremental progress in improving access to quality TVET programmes and in ensuring highly-skilled workers are produced.
The Malaysia Quality Agency has produced a Code of Practice for the accreditation of TVET programmes that aims to harmonise diverse TVET quality assurance standards into one system.
There are also efforts initiated by TVET providers, funded by the Skills Development Fund Corporation, for workers to undergo reskilling and upskilling programmes. There are also community colleges and Giat Mara that empower various communities to achieve self-employment.
However, the mid-term study on the 11th Malaysia Plan revealed that Malaysia only achieved 28 per cent out of the goal of having 35 per cent of the local workforce being skilled workers by 2020. Comparatively, more school-leavers in Singapore and Switzerland are involved in TVET, making them highly ranked in the Global Competitive Report.
As the higher education minister reiterated on Facebook, the National TVET Council was set up to improve overall coordination of the country's TVET ecosystem through three main thrusts — coordinated governance, industry-driven TVET and a new TVET image for the future.
I am optimistic about this, especially for the majority of our youth today. They deserve a better future. Governments, of today and tomorrow, should invest more in them. Thumbs up to those behind this initiative!
Megat Nabil Mohsin M.M. Nor
Retired TVET teacher, Bandar Baru Bangi, Selangor
The views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect those of the New Straits Times