Higher Ed Ministry to set up more community colleges

TASEK GELUGOR: The Higher Education Ministry plans to set up more community colleges and to improve the quality of the Technical and Vocational Education (TVET) institutions. The ministry also wants to popularise technical training in the country.
According to Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Idris Jusoh, up to now, the ministry had set up a total of 95 community colleges in the whole country. These schools had been providing 48 programmes for the certificate level and 17 diploma courses.
Idris said the ministry would be establishing more colleges to offer programmes or courses which related to the Industrial Revolution 4.0.
"TVET is part of the Revolution 4.0, hence it is crucial to the educational needs of the students," he told reporters today.
Most of the new colleges would be set up in Perak, Kelantan and Terengganu.
Idris also opened the new building of the Tasek Gelugor Community College at Kampung Selamat, here. Also present were Tasek Gelugor MP, Datuk Shabudin Yahya, Teluk Air Tawar assemblyman Datuk Jahara Hamid and Penang Umno liaison committee chairman Datuk Seri Zainal Abidin Osman.
The Tasek Gelugor Community College is the sixth community college in the state. The new campus is built on its own land, unlike other colleges which operate in rented shophouses around the country.
Idris said the ministry had allocated RM13 million to build the college in a 5.66 ha lot of land in Tasek Gelugor.
"Besides that, the ministry has also channelled another RM400,000 to build a multipurpose hall and also a sporting venue for the students here.
"The college will be offering certificate programme in pastries, air conditioning and cooling technology technician programmes," he added.