KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 10 — The Ministry of Higher Education (MOHE) is studying the need to increase Technical Education and Vocational Training (TVET) programmes for persons with disabilities (PWD) at polytechnics and community colleges.
Its deputy minister, Datuk Mohammad Yusof Apdal, said the study will also consider the availability of rooms, teaching staff, and PWD students’ ability to cope after graduation.
He said at present, the ministry is offering 13 certificate-level courses designed for the group through polytechnics and community colleges.
“Five of the course programmes offered at polytechnics are to cater for those with hearing and speech impairment, while at the community colleges, eight programmes are specially for those with learning disabilities, as well as hearing and speech impairment.
“Currently, there are 96 PWD students studying at polytechnics, and 264 others are at community colleges,” Yusof said during the question-and-answer session at the Dewan Rakyat today.
He was responding to a question from Hulu Langat MP Mohd Sany Hamzan, who wanted to know if the ministry intends to build more TVET education centres specifically for PWD students after completing their secondary schooling.
Meanwhile, for the 2023/2024 academic session, a total of eight law degree programmes are being offered to qualified Sijil Tinggi Pelajaran Malaysia (STPM) school leavers or equivalent certificate holders at higher learning institutions, and five of the programmes are also open to PWD candidates.
“In addition, 11 programmes are on offer for STPM and equivalent certificate holders in the information and communication technology (ICT) field for the 2023/2024 session, with five open to all qualified candidates, including those with disabilities.
“The offer to the PWD group is with the agreement of the agency or higher learning institution, taking into account the availability of PWD-friendly infrastructure to ensure that the group can follow the programme easily and comfortably,” Yusof said.
He was responding to a question posed by Indera Mahkota MP Datuk Seri Saifuddin Abdullah, who wanted to know if the ministry is willing to review all admission requirements to higher learning institutions for the PWD group to ensure education is guaranteed for all without any discrimination.
— Bernama
