KUALA LUMPUR: Providers of Technical, Vocational Education and Training (TVET) programmes need to pay serious attention to the government’s proposal to reconsider the entry requirements for persons with disabilities (PwD) into the field.
Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM), Centre of Education and Diversity senior lecturer Dr Anuar Ahmad the effort would open the widest possible space for PwDs to change their lives and get involved in the national development process in their respective capacities.
“Sometimes there are training providers who like to set strict conditions which make it difficult or discourage people with disabilities to participate in TVET trainings.
“The issue will be raised in the Cabinet meeting to ensure that all government agencies and ministries comply with it, this shows that there are certain things that need to be given immediate attention and improved by all TVET providers whether government or private sectors,” he told Bernama.
When replying to a participant in the ‘Temu Anwar’ dialogue programme at Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) on Sunday, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said the government will loosen the eligibility requirements for PwD to be enrolled in the TVET programmes to make it easier for them to join the field.
Meanwhile, Senator Isaiah Jacob said the government’s action would polish the potential of the PwDs.
He said the move would also give more space and opportunities to the PwDs to venture into the skill areas they are interested in compared to before where the offer to join TVET was more focused on physically fit individuals.
“The opportunities are there but quite limited because the requirements are not disabled-friendly and the courses offered are limited,” he said.
Malaysian Federation of the Deaf (MFD) president Mohamad Sazali Shaari said that the move would definitely bring many benefits to the deaf to join the skills field.
He said the organisation is ready to help the government train lecturers or teaching staff at TVET institutions to master the use of Malaysian Sign Language (BIM) for teaching and learning purposes for deaf students.
“In realising the reforms that the government wants to implement in TVET education for the PwD, we are also ready to help create a BIM vocabulary for the terminology needed in the classroom to ensure that deaf students can learn without any constraints,” he said. – BERNAMA
