by S BIRRUNTHA / pic by TMR FILE
THE Rural Development Ministry (KPLB) is proposing to upgrade the educational qualifications of Taman Bimbingan Kanak-Kanak (Tabika) teachers of the Community Development Department (Kemas) to bachelor’s degree level.
Minister Datuk Seri Mahdzir Khalid (picture) said the proposal is aimed at providing an upgrade and elevation to the overall Kemas kindergarten education system.
There are currently 11,000 Kemas kindergarten teachers with diplomas and it is time for their education standard to be promoted to the degree level, while retaining existing teachers to continue their education.
“We believe that upgrading the education of Kemas kindergarten teachers is important, in line with the current development of children.
“This is because most private kindergartens are also using the services of teachers with a degree,” he said in a press conference at KPLB’s New Year Mandate Ceremony 2022 in Putrajaya last Friday.
Commenting further, Mahdzir said KPLB is committed to taking into account all challenges and aspirations outlined by the government for 2022.
He added that the ministry will continue to strive to enhance and improve its delivery of service and contribution to the rural population this year.
Additionally, he said KPLB will continue to focus on the development of rural youths through the Technical and Vocational Education Training (TVET) programme.
This will be done by improving the quality of teachers and staff from time to time, so that the skills and programmes offered remain at a high level.
“TVET institutions also need to constantly improve and strengthen the teaching and learning programmes provided with new strategies and initiatives through the adoption of the Industrial Revolution 4.0 application.
“I call for the strengthening of the functions and governance of TVET institutions that are under KPLB to be further intensified to address the issue of mismanagement among these institutions.”
He emphasised that this will reduce the duplication of functions, scope and target groups of the institution, as well as ensure optimal use of resources in the ecosystem.
On the issue of floods, KPLB will identify several rural settlement areas nationwide to upgrade various infrastructure to prevent recurrences.
The efforts involve the building and repairing of new settlement sites, roads, bridges, community halls and several other facilities.
The ministry has also directed elected representatives from district offices nationwide to identify new areas for settlement, as well as public facilities that need to be built or upgraded for that purpose.
In the meantime, KPLB has allocated RM50 million for the Rumah Kasih Keluarga Malaysia initiative to rebuild and restore houses that were damaged in the severe floods last month.
Under the initiative, RM15,000 is allocated to repair houses, RM56,000 to rebuild new homes in the Peninsula and RM68,000 to rebuild new homes in Sabah and Sarawak.