KPT to ensure job opportunities available for OKU graduates

PETALING JAYA: The Higher Education Ministry ( KPT) will be cooperating with the Development of Persons with Disabilities Department (JPOKU) in the effort to ensure persons with disabilities (OKU) graduates obtain employment opportunities.

Higher Education deputy director- general Prof Dr Noor Azizi Ismail said KPT would also assist JPOKU by channeling the information to the Public Service Department (JPA) to ensure the quota of one per cent OKU in the civil service is achieved.

“We are made to understand by JPOKU that only 0.25 per cent or about 3,500 OKU are working in the civil service and the number has not met the quota set by the government.

“To fulfill the quota, KPT will provide information on the number of OKU graduates completing their studies to JPOKU and JPA and we hope more OKU graduates in the public sector will increase,” he said when met by Bernama after launching the Intervarsity OKU Motivator Icon Competition ( Mokuv) 2017 here yesterday.

Noor Azizi said the programme was organised at university level for the first time as a platform for OKU graduates to improve their communications skills and scout for talents In the event, a law student, Kaveinthran Pulanthran, 23, was crowned the Intervarsity OKU Icon Motivator and won a cash prize of RM1,000, certificate and trophy.

Kaveinthran, who is from Ipoh, Perak, beat 19 other participants from seven public universities and said the success was a catalyst for him to work harder in future.

“Even though I was born blind, I never felt inferior and my disability had made me even stronger,” he said.

The programme organised by Universiti Malaya with the cooperation of the Women, Family and Community Development Ministry was held in conjunction with the International Day of Persons with Disabilities celebration on Dec 3. — Bernama