KUALA LUMPUR, June 21 – The first institution to provide technical and vocational education training in the country was the ILP Kuala Lumpur in Kuchai Lama and not Politeknik Ungku Omar, former Human Resources Minister and Member of Parliament for Ipoh Barat M. Kula Segaran said today.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob had recently announced that the National TVET Day would be celebrated on June 2, in conjunction with the establishment of Politeknik Ungku Omar, which he called as “the earliest institution to provide TVET education since 1969.”
This is a mistake, said Kula in a statement today, adding that the ILP established in 1964 under the Department of Manpower (JTM) and the Ministry of Human Resources was the first institute set up by the government to conduct formal vocational training.
The institute started from a small training center that ran apprenticeship courses in certain areas of craftsmanship such as electrical, plumbing, printing and carpentry, with infrastructures from Japan and Australia, and has now grown into one of the largest public skills training institutes.
“It is unfortunate that the Prime Minister was not advised by the Human Resources Ministry about this fact and completely disregarded the rich history of the institute.”
History cannot be erased or rewritten, he added.
— WE