In its bid to become a boutique university, the National Academy of Arts Culture and Heritage (Aswara) is now employing a more stringent screening of new enrollees, the Dewan Rakyat was told yesterday.
Deputy Information Communication and Culture Minister Datuk Joseph Salang hoped the move would result in an increase in the quality of graduates the academy produced.
“This will enhance the reputation of Aswara graduates. Our students have already won numerous awards and many of them are pursuing their studies abroad,” he said in reply to a question by Amran Abdul Ghani (PKR-Tanah Merah) yesterday.
Salang said 677 students had graduated from Aswara from five faculties offering diploma and bachelor degrees since 1998.
“Most of them, in fact, 356 of them, are freelance writers, actors, reporters, dancers, music teachers, musicians and members of film production crew.
“Eighty-five are working in the public sector, 45 in the private sector, 166 are pursuing higher education, and nine are unemployed,” he said.
He added that the government provided numerous forms of assistance, including incentives, funds, loans and grants, for those who chose to work independently.
The government also offered various opportunities for graduates to find employment in such departments as the Istana Budaya, National Culture and Arts Department, Radio Television Malaysia, Filem Negara Malaysia, National Film Development Corporation and also in agencies hiring cultural officers, he said. — Bernama