6,962 take part in Pan-Borneo Exploration
KOTA KINABALU: A total of 6,962 participants, comprising secondary school students, alumni members as well as rural folk from Sabah and Sarawak took part in the recent Pan-Borneo Exploration 2017.
“A total of 3,303 participants attended the programme in Sabah while the other 3,659 attended the programme in Sarawak,” Deputy Higher Education Minister Datuk Dr Mary Yap Kain Ching said at the closing ceremony of the programme at Dewan Rafflesia Polytechnic Kota Kinabalu (PKK) yesterday.
She asserted that the exploration was held in five zones, in ten different locations in Sabah and four zones, in nine different locations in Sarawak.
The exploration was aimed at creating awareness regarding the importance of higher education amongst students in rural areas, especially in terms of Technical and Vocational Education and Training (Tvet), Mary stressed.
“The information that was passed through this programme will help students choose their desired pathway upon receiving their Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) results,” she added.
The programme was initially launched due to the decreasing number of Tvet applicants from Sabah and Sarawak. This became evident in 2016, as only 28 per cent of Sabahan SPM leavers and 23 per cent of Sarawakian SPM leavers had opted for the Tvet programme.
As a result, the exploration was kick started to let the students know that the Higher Education Department (KPT) through its Polytechnic institutions, community colleges and vocational colleges, is determined in elevating the technical skills of youngsters of the country thus fulfilling the current needs of the local industry.
Also present at the event yesterday was Head Director of Operations (Polytechnic Education Department) Dr Mohammad Naim Yaakub and PKK Director Zainab Othman.