Malaysia

Nonformal education is a combined enterprise of several government ministries, departments, and special agencies. It is provided also as a vocational or technical education for imparting specific skills for unemployed young people who are motivated to enter some vocational trade as a career. This conforms with one of Malaysia's larger objectives, namely, to create a "market-sensitive" system of education. Among other things, are to prepare candidates for productive activity to participate actively in commerce, industries, and other economic enterprises and to promote an awareness of the working environment, hence bringing about changes in society. Among the government agencies providing education and training programs are the Ministry of Human Resources; the Ministry of Culture, Youth, Sports and Welfare Services; the Ministry of Agriculture; the Ministry of Land and Regional Development; the Adult Education Division of the Ministry of Rural and National Development; and several government statutory bodies such as the National Unity Board, the Council for the Indigenous People, the National Productivity Center, and the Federal Land Development Authority. Programs include courses in apprenticeship, skill upgrading, instructional and technical skills, leadership, business, agriculture, preschool education, electrical and mechanical engineering-related fields, and commerce.