Friday July 25, 2008 MYT 2:44:04 PM
Edu ministry revamping vocational curriculum
By KAREN CHAPMAN
PUTRAJAYA: The Education Ministry is revamping its vocational, technical and skills education to make it more relevant.
Education Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein said the ministry would work with the industry to ensure students have the necessary skills to meet market demands.
"There is no point in having a revamp if we don't work with the industry as they can help us identify certain sectors which might have potential for our students," he told reporters Friday after launching a magazine called Best Buds.
The industry, he added, could work with the ministry in many ways including helping to draft the curriculum and providing internships.
Hishammuddin said vocational, technical and skills education was important as it gave students another alternative.
"Academic excellence is no longer sufficient and getting a degree or diploma does not guarantee a job. Students who go through this stream probably have a better chance of succeeding provided we instil the right values such as entrepreneurship and communication skills, even at the school level," he said.
There are 90 vocational and technical schools under the ministry, he added.
On the physical infrastructure of technical and vocational schools, he said this would be carried out if there was a need to do so.
"But this is secondary as what is more important is the content," he said.
On the magazine, Hishammuddin said it was important to have fun activities such as reading magazines, which would help students master English.
"This would complement our efforts to help students master the language," he said.
Green Light Media Sdn Bhd managing director Datin Malina Su which publishes Best Buds, said the magazine was aimed at children aged between the ages of seven and 14.
"As a parent and publisher, I wanted to produce suitable reading materials that can be used by our children and their teachers in and outside the classrooms," she said.
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