TVET must be reformed to be on par with degree — Nurul Izzah

PUTRAJAYA: The Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Empowerment Committee will focus on reforming TVET into an educational choice which is on par or even better than first degree or masters degree qualifications.

Its chairman Nurul Izzah Anwar said the process of empowering TVET would go through several phases with the first phase involving meeting the relevant parties.

“I will hold these meetings within two months, including with the industry, government, private sector and students,” she said after a meeting with Human Resources Minister M Kulasegaran, here yesterday.

She said she also wanted TVET in the country to be streamlined and organised.

“There have been many reports including from the Performance Management and Delivery Unit (Pemandu), and the Boston Consulting Group under the Human Resource Ministry, and the Finance Ministry.

“I believe that whatever decisions we make will be undertaken with appropriate action,” she said, adding that empowering the TVET was in line with meeting the challenges of the Industrial Revolution 4.0.

Meanwhile, Kulasegaran said the government spends about RM4.5 billion on TVET which is managed by seven ministries.

“Most TVET have only 70 percent student capacity,” he said, adding that TVET gave a second chance to students without the academic qualifications to excel in the fields they were interested in.

He said one reason students did not go into TVET areas was because there was no academic steps in the country like in Germany.

“In Germany, TVET education is provided right up to the PhD level, in this country, this is not available. So we intend to empower TVET to the same level,” he said. - Bernama