EDUCATION Ministry agencies dealing in teacher training and book publishing are among those earmarked by the Finance Ministry to be axed as part of its bid to cut government costs, sources said.

But the Education Ministry is pushing back against these plans, as it wants to retain these agencies.

Sources told The Malaysian Insight that the Finance Ministry is planning to reshuffle and review six agencies, divisions and projects under the Education Ministry.

Among those to be affected are the Education Performance and Delivery Unit, Teacher Education Institutes (IPGs), Malaysian Institute of Translation and Books (ITBM), and state Education Technology divisions.

The Malaysian Insight learnt that ITBM recorded liabilities exceeding RM6 million over the last four years.

ITBM started to record liabilities since it was given the authority to publish books in 2011.

The sources said the Education Ministry was informed of the plan early last month through a letter, which was sighted by The Malaysian Insight.

A senior Education Ministry officer said it has been suggested that several entities under the ministry be terminated.

“We are working on making sure we retain these entities. We have to defend them.

“The Finance Ministry wants them shut down. But that is just their opinion and suggestion,” said the officer, who declined to be named.

Economic Affairs Minister Mohamed Azmin Ali confirmed that the Finance Ministry is embarking on a financial rationalisation plan that would consider the effectiveness of certain agencies.

“We want to see the effectiveness of these agencies. Those that are making losses, we will try to merge.

“It is a process that the Finance Ministry is looking into.”

The sources said the plan for ITBM is for its translation and book-publishing roles to be taken over by Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka.

IPGs, which train primary school teachers, will see its functions taken over in stages by institutions of higher learning that offer teaching courses.

There are 27 IPGs in the country, and they offer qualifications equivalent to a degree.

The others projects under the rationalisation plan are the ministry’s Bestari 1Net, and security and food supply contracts.

Bestari 1Net, a project awarded to YTL Communications to provide internet at government schools, will be tendered out again to find a different provider.

The Education Ministry is reportedly unhappy with the implementation of the RM4.45 billion project, which started in 2011 and was targeted to run for 15 years.

Last December, Education Minister Dr Maszlee Malik told the Dewan Rakyat that the ministry was reviewing the efficiency of Bestari 1Net.

As for the security and food supply deals, new terms will be included in the contracts to ensure the government does not lose.

The Malaysian Insight also learnt that the Education Ministry is not the only one facing rationalisation pressures, as the same measures have been suggested for agencies under other ministries, based on letters to the ministries’ secretaries-general.

Since winning federal power last May, Pakatan Harapan has shaken the bureaucratic establishment in Putrajaya, including shutting or scaling down agencies, especially those that involved political appointees.

Among the agencies shut was the Land Public Transport Commission, which had its functions absorbed by the Transport Ministry under the newly formed Land Public Transport Agency.

The government also axed the Special Affairs Department, National Professors Council, and Federal Village Development and Security Committees. – April 5, 2019.