- Wartawan Nabalu News
GOVT MUST RESTRUCTURE EDUCATION SYSTEM TO MEET JOB DEMANDS IN MALAYSIA - UPKO
15 July 2021
By Wartawan Nabalu News
KOTA KINABALU: The Federal Government should restructure the education system in Malaysia to meet the demands of what is needed to develop the country, said the United Progressive Kinabalu Organisation (Upko).
Its president Datuk Seri Panglima Wilfred Madius Tangau said such a move is necessary to ensure youths will be capable of providing for their own livelihoods.
"The Federal Government must also identify job sectors in Malaysia which needs more labour force and encourage students to take these career routes.
"By giving scholarships according to relevant sectors which is needed in Malaysia, we can fill up employment gaps while avoiding the redundancy of graduates in the work system, such as currently faced by education graduates and medical graduates," he said in a statement today.
Citing the statistics by the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM), Madius stated that a total of 728,100 unemployed individuals were identified in Malaysia in May 2021 with 328,100 of them are youths.
He added that a total of 580,000 businesses in Malaysia comprising 49 per cent of the micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME) sector are at risk of closure by October 2021 due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
"One of the underlying causes of unemployment is the Malaysian education system which prioritises academic achievements as opposed to ensuring that career-ready students.
"Instead of fully utilising the Malaysian labour force for work demands, Malaysia has a higher dependence on foreign workers to take on and execute low-skilled jobs which decreases opportunities for youths with no tertiary education.
"Although the number of Malaysian fresh graduates has increased to 300,000 to 350,000 individuals, high-skilled jobs are lacking with many job applications rejected for being overly qualified," he revealed.
"Reformation in education and work placement is key to avoiding labour supply gaps and increasing unemployment and it is the duty of the Malaysian Government to protect the futures of our nation."
