KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 15 — A total of 53.9 per cent of Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) holders have chosen the technical and vocational education and training (TVET) pathway, bringing the country closer to its target of 70 per cent by the end of the 13th Malaysia Plan (13MP).
Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said the figure demonstrates that efforts to restructure the national education ecosystem towards high-skilled and technical fields are on the right track.
“By the end of the 13MP, we aim for 70 per cent of SPM holders to be in the high-level TVET sector, and to date we have achieved 53.9 per cent. This means we need only about 17 per cent more to reach the target,” he said.
Zahid, who is also rural and regional development minister, said this when met by reporters after his working visit to Universiti Kuala Lumpur-British Malaysian Institute (UniKL BMI) near here today.
He said there are 439,000 TVET students nationwide enrolled across 1,398 institutions, a figure he described as significant in efforts to transform the national education landscape.
According to him, the 13MP target can be achieved through the continued efforts of UniKL and its faculties, as well as with the support of other TVET institutions, while maintaining traditional courses for sectors that do not require high levels of expertise.
During the visit, Zahid officiated the Sustainable Energy Living Lab (SELL) building, Malaysia’s first net-zero/energy-plus facility, which is equipped with smart energy generation and management technology to support the country’s energy transition agenda.
