Dewan Rakyat News In Brief: Nov 18

NEARLY 23 MILLION MALAYSIANS BENEFIT FROM RAHMAH MADANI SALES

KUALA LUMPUR -- A total of 21,357 series of the Rahmah MADANI Sales programme have been implemented by the Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Ministry nationwide as of Nov 15, directly benefitting nearly 23 million Malaysians.

Deputy Minister Datuk Dr Fuziah Salleh said the programme has generated transactions amounting to almost RM900 million.

She said this in reply to a question from Datuk Muslimin Yahaya (PN-Sungai Besar), who had asked about the allocation and subsidies provided by the ministry and its agencies to support the Rahmah Sales or MADANI Sales programmes throughout 2024 and 2025.

Fuziah said that for this year, the government has allocated RM552 million for the implementation of the Rahmah Sales programme, which is 3.68 times higher than in the previous year.

-- BERNAMA

VOCATIONAL COLLEGE STANDARDS REVIEWED EVERY TWO TO THREE YEARS - MOE

KUALA LUMPUR -- The standards for vocational colleges (KV) are reviewed every two to three years to ensure that the technical and vocational education and training (TVET) curricula remain relevant and meet industry standards, said Deputy Education Minister Wong Kah Woh.

He said the periodic review is crucial to ensure the curriculum keeps pace with technological advancements and complies with standards set by accreditation bodies.

“Starting this year, two core artificial intelligence-based courses are being offered under the Computer Vision Computing Technology and the Computer Vision Information Technology programmes, in addition to the Generative Artificial Intelligence elective course offered to all diploma programmes at KV,” he said.

Wong was responding to a question from Zakri Hassan (PN-Kangar) on the ministry’s effort to strengthen TVET in secondary schools and KV to align with current industry needs, particularly in the fields of green and digital technology, during the question-and-answer session in the Dewan Rakyat today.

-- BERNAMA

NEARLY 4,000 LOCALS TRAINED UNDER FSTC PROGRAMMES AS OF SEPTEMBER

KUALA LUMPUR -- Nearly 4,000 trainees have undergone 102 industry-driven training programmes under the Future Skills Talent Council (FSTC) as of September this year, as part of the government’s efforts to strengthen the local workforce.

Deputy Human Resource Minister Datuk Seri Abdul Rahman Mohamad said the initiative is part of the government’s comprehensive strategy to reduce the migration of Malaysian workers abroad.

“With the implementation of strategies encompassing competitive initiatives, industry-driven training, the creation of high-value jobs and the strengthening of the technical and vocational education and training (TVET) system, the government is confident that the talent migration phenomenon can be significantly reduced, allowing Malaysia’s human capital to continue contributing to the nation’s development,” he said.

He said this in reply to a question from Mohd Nazri Abu Hassan (PN-Merbok) on the government’s comprehensive approach to creating more job opportunities in the country to prevent the outflow of local workers to countries such as Singapore, Australia and South Korea.

-- BERNAMA