Pima to be expanded to 300 schools next year: Mahdzir
JOHOR BAHRU: The Education Ministry hopes to expand implementation of the Upper Secondary School Apprenticeship or Pima pgrogramme to 300 schools nationwide next year in an effort to produce more skilled students.
Education Minister Datuk Seri Mahdzir Khalid said the ministry was now identifying the schools for the purpose.
"We have this Pima programme to provide skills for students. We will ensure the selected schools are not (located) far from the industrial training centre for the students' convenience," he told reporters after opening the Johor Bahru District Education office here today.
Currently, the programme, which has been well-received by parents, is implemented at Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan (SMK) Bukit Rahman Putra, Sungai Buloh, in Kuala Lumpur , as a pilot project.
Pima is a special programme offered for Form Four and Five students who do not excel academically.
Under the programme, the students would only attend school for only two days in a week, with the remaining days for training at designated industrial centres.
In another development, Mahdzir welcomed the move by the Johor police to create a special post in schools as an alternative to address social problems among school students.
Yesterday, Johor police chief Datuk Mohd Khalil Kader Mohd was reported to have said that a special post should be created in schools to monitor students' conduct, such as the Police Undergraduate Voluntary Corps (Suksis) at institution of higher learning. — Bernama