I REFER to the sudden decision by the government to halt loan disbursements to the Skills Development Fund Corporation (PTPK) for private skills training, following several cases of misappropriation of funds and quota allocation during the previous administration.

While the misappropriation of funds is being investigated by the relevant authorities, there are more than 350 private training providers who are waiting patiently to learn what will happen to them and their programmes.

Most are dependent on the funds to provide study loans for students who are ineligible for other recognised institutions such as Institut Latihan Perindustrian (ILP), Institute Kemahiran Belia Negara (IKBN), Mara and so on.  

I understand that siphoning of funds is a serious offence and warrants an investigation but I am thoroughly dismayed with the review process that is said to be ongoing as this process is affecting livelihoods, jobs and hopes for a better life.

As a staff member at one of the premier technical and vocational education and training (TVET) institutions, I have personally seen the struggles of credible TVET operators including highly-ranked performers (5 Star institutions) in light of this issue. This is severely affecting the morale of trainers and administration staff.

What is even more demoralising is the unease among parents and students whose study grants were approved in 2017 but are now stuck indefinitely. Most of these students come from poor socioeconomic (B40) and academic backgrounds and need a monthly allowance to pay for their accommodation and food.

As a provider, we may be able to delay the recruitment of new students but what about the existing students? This isn’t the first time that such problems are surfacing. There was a similar problem last year under the previous administration.

To be honest, the recent general election was one of the happiest moments of my life as I believed that a change in the country’s administration would result in a new dawn for the local education industry, both public and private. We were looking forward to a smoother, efficient and transparent governance that helps build a strong TVET community which is capable of supporting the local SMEs, and one that empowers our trainees towards better career placement, jobs with equitable salary, talent and technology advancements, as well as productivity gain.

We hoped that the new government would provide some respite but sadly, everything came to a standstill after they took over.

Malaysia is losing RM15 billion annually, no thanks to its heavy dependency on foreign labour. If measures to train locals for blue-collar employment are also taken for granted due to funding excuses, we will continue to see an influx of foreign workers and reduced opportunities for Malaysians.

As mentioned earlier, most of our trainees come from the B40 category and are generally stereotyped for their attitudes and personalities. Very few successfully complete their higher education. The skills training programme (Sijil Kemahiran Malaysia) is one of the most viable alternatives for them to have respectable and sustainable lives as they complete their diploma and advanced diploma levels.

The private training providers also work equally hard going into rural or identified areas to conduct special seminars and awareness campaigns to draw out potential trainees. Their lack of self-esteem and ignorance make them even more vulnerable to social ills and as training providers, we also have to look into character-building programmes within our means to inject confidence and competence in them, along with relevant skills that will enable them to advance themselves.

Besides looking into students’ welfare, as staff, we too have mouths to feed and bills to pay. Most of us have young families and commitments and with a growing cost of living, we cannot afford to lose our jobs. The sudden halting of funds at no apparent fault of private skills training colleges causes great despair among the providers, staff, students and their families. The government should call for a meeting with the providers and find an agreeable solution to this issue rather than putting a block to our lifelines.

Mismanagement and graft have been perennial issues within government and private entities for so long now but so are courses for improvement via change of policy and governance. There should be a practical intervention that protects the interests of training providers and more importantly, their beneficiaries.

* Navitha Nava Vinoba reads The Malaysian Insight. 

* This is the opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insight. Article may be edited for brevity and clarity.