Govt urged to cancel plan to transform teaching institute

KOTA BARU: Kelantan Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (PPBM) wants the Federal Government to cancel the decision by the previous administration to change the Kota Baru Teaching Institute (IPG Kota Baru) to a vocational college.

Kelantan PPBM chairman Datuk Kamaruddin Md Nor said the Federal Government, now helmed by Pakatan Harapan (PH), needed to review the decision in the interest of the public.

He said he received many requests from the institute’s former teaching workforce and students for Kelantan PPBM to help preserve the institute’s status.

“IPG Kota Baru began as the Kelantan Teachers’ Training Institute (KTTC) in 1944 and evolved into the Malayan Teachers Training College (MTTC) in 1951.

“In 1957, it underwent a name change to the Kota Baru Training College (KBTC) and in 1975, was changed to Maktab Perguruan Kota Baru (MPKB). In 2005, it was upgraded to IPG Kota Baru,” he said yesterday.

IPG Kota Baru is one of the nine teaching institutes earmarked for transformation into vocational colleges.

The decision had caused consternation among its 220 staff members.

PPBM Youth education exco man Mohd Ashraf Mustaqim Badrul Munir said IPGs should be empowered, and not closed down or changed to vocational colleges or polytechnics.

Ashraf, who is also PH Youth education exco man, said he could understand the rationale behind the move if it was due to dwindling registration numbers.

“However, we should study the cause of the problem. IPGs appear to have been trivialised, as if they are of a lower standard than universities.

“In the past, there have been cases where university graduates had questioned why IPG teachers qualified for allowances.”

Two years ago, former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, when tabling the 2017 Budget, had announced that nine of 27 IPGs would be transformed into vocational colleges or polytechnics to meet the needs of technical and vocational education as well as training.