Community colleges and polytechnics should be regarded as mainstream: Idris

PUTRAJAYA: The country's higher education system provides equal opportunity for both students who are academically excellent or more skilled with their hands.
Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Idris Jusoh said as such, community colleges and polytechnics should also be regarded as mainstream, and not merely an alternative to universities.
"Earlier, I had discussed a parliamentary question that people are claiming community colleges are only an alternative to studying. I told them it is not.
"Not everyone wants to enrol into universities. And not everyone who choose community colleges and polytechnics are not good.
"They are just not suitable to a university's academic programmes. But they too must be given equal opportunity," he said during the "Community College: 15 Years of Glory" event, here, today.
Idris said with that in mind that the government went with the approach to regard both community colleges and polytechnics as mainstream education.
He added that 97% of community college graduates were gainfully employed.
He also noted that several programmes offered by community colleges nationwide are now accredited by the Malaysian Qualifications Agency (MQA).
Community colleges in the country have been operating for over 15 years, and have produced over 134,009 graduates to date.