Govt has no plans to introduce TVET for students after Year Six, says DPM Zahid

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 11 — The government has no plans to introduce Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) programmes for students who have completed Year Six, said Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.

Ahmad Zahid, who is also the Minister of Rural and Regional Development, said although some developed countries have introduced such programmes, careful consideration is necessary before this can be implemented in Malaysia.

“Certain countries, such as the United Arab Emirates, enrol students directly into TVET programmes after Grade Six, making TVET a primary choice there. Many developed nations have also adopted this approach.

“However, we should start with Form Three graduates first, and only then consider extending it to Year Six students. This is to avoid creating cultural shocks in the educational ecosystem,” he said when winding up the Supply Bill 2025 debate for the Rural and Regional Development Ministry (KKDW) in the Dewan Negara today.

Earlier, Senator Datin Ros Suryati Alang suggested lowering the age threshold for TVET education to 13, citing the high number of rural and Orang Asli students who are unwilling to pursue secondary education after completing Year Six.

Ahmad Zahid, who also chairs the National TVET Council (MTVET), said the government is committed to assisting Form Three graduates in enrolling in TVET programmes.

“I am aware of such trends. For now, we are working with the Ministry of Education to introduce TVET courses for students after they complete Form Three,” he said.

He noted that students in TVET programmes can earn the Malaysian Skills Certificate (SKM) levels 1 to 5, which are equivalent to the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) at levels 1 to 3 and a diploma at levels 4 and 5.

Ahmad Zahid also highlighted the growth of TVET enrolment, with 408,000 students recorded as of October 31, a significant increase from 128,000 students before he assumed the MTVET chairmanship.

Currently, public TVET institutions operate under 12 ministries, including six public universities within the Malaysia Technical University Network (MTUN): Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia (UTHM), Universiti Teknikal Malaysia Melaka (UTeM), Universiti Malaysia Pahang Al-Sultan Abdullah (UMPSA), Universiti Malaysia Perlis (UniMAP), Universiti Selangor (UNISEL), and Universiti Kuala Lumpur (UniKL).

Meanwhile, Deputy Minister for Energy Transition and Water Transformation Akmal Nasrullah Mohd Nasir said six flood mitigation master plans are being developed while 50 plans have been completed

When winding up the debate on behalf of his ministry, he said these master plans include integrated flood mitigation project proposals and flood hazard maps, which serve as key references for agencies like Town and Country Planning Department (PLANMalaysia) and defence authorities in national development and flood preparedness planning.

“The ministry, through the Department of Irrigation and Drainage (JPS), is implementing 133 Flood Mitigation Plan (RTB) projects, including 43 high-priority flood mitigation projects (TBBT) nationwide. Of these, 46 are in pre-implementation stages, 79 are underway and eight have been completed.

“With the implementation of these projects, infrastructure damage and public losses due to flooding have been reduced, benefiting 32 per cent of Malaysia’s population of 33.2 million and covering 13.4 per cent of flood-prone areas across the country’s 330,803 square kilometres,” he said. — Bernama