Mitra paying hiked fees to unrecognized training centres
PUCHONG: The Malaysian Indian Transformation Unit (MITRA) approved over RM7 million to some private companies without a license to conduct training and skills courses, revealed a business chamber via Facebook today.
Minority Business Chamber chairman S Gobi Krishnan said that it was absurd to approve a whopping RM650,000 training grant to a motorcycle repair shop, Steben Motor Workshop located in Brickfields.
“This workshop does not have the approval or license to conduct training and skills courses from the Ministry of Education or the Ministry of Human Resources. What were the considerations taken into account for the approval?” asked Gobi.
The business leader also bemoaned that MITRA approved a training grant of RM662,094.00 for 3 months to big bikes skills training course for 50 students. It is also a motorcycle workshop that is not authorised to conduct any training programme.
Gobi claimed that MITRA paid double the amount for the training sessions after comparing similar course fees charged by registered Malaysian skills training centres.
He pointed out that this meant that the fee per student is around RM13,241 over a period of 3 months whereas TOC Automotive College course fee per student is RM6,000..
He hoped that Waythamoorthy and MITRA can explain and clarify this matter as it involves taxpayers money.
He also called for course fee charges by registered skills training centres to be used as a benchmark against the fees approved by MITRA.
Tan Chong Technical Institute, a reputable skills college affiliated with Tan Chong Motors charges RM23,555 for a 2 year automotive course, or roughly about RM980 per month or RM2,940 for 3 months.
MITRA, however, approved RM13,000 for 3 months for a similar course to an unauthorised motorcycle shop.
“This comes to about RM4,300 per month,” he said.
He also alleged that MITRA has been allocating funds to unrecognized educational and skills training institutions.
“We received information that MITRA has been channeling funds to institutions not registered with the Education Ministry and Human Resources Ministry.
In a phone conversation with The Leaders Online, S Gobi Krishnan said that his next course of action will be to lodge a formal report on this to the Human Resource Ministry.
“We also got to know that funds were given for programmes which are not accredited by Skills Development Department and the Malaysia Qualification Agency and I will formally lodge a report with the Human Resource Ministry,” said Gobi.
By: Hema Subramaniam
