Jenifer Lasimbang
KOTA KINABALU: The Education and Innovation Ministry is monitoring all institutions related to education in Sabah in order to ensure Sabahan students get quality education, particularly from private higher learning education providers (IPTS).
“Our ministry at his point works as a monitoring body for all institutions related to education in Sabah. We are meeting and collecting all the related information,” Assistant Education and Innovation Minister, Jenifer Lasimbang told The Borneo Post.
She added that she had heard of allegations involving private higher learning institutes that were providing substandard services to their students.
“I am aware of this. That is why we are working hard to ensure we have proper data on all IPTS (private higher learning institutes),” she said.
She added that amongst the complaints they had received on several IPTS in Sabah included collecting fees for non-existent courses or offering another course instead of the one the student had applied for; and offering unaccredited courses.
She also said no monitoring activities had been conducted in the past.
When asked what happened to students who had applied for PTPTN and studying at such IPTS, she said that they would investigate the matter first.
She also said that actions would be taken against IPTS if it could be proven that they had failed to fulfil their obligations to their students.
Asked if action would be taken against such IPTS so that the monies borrowed from PTPTN by the students could be refunded, Jenifer replied: “Yes, definitely, we have to ensure our people are not cheated. We want to send a warning to the irresponsible IPTS.”
She also urged students who felt that they had been cheated by the IPTS where they were learning to lodge a complaint to her ministry located at the 11th Floor of Wisma Bandaraya.
She also said that the matter had been left without a resolution in the past but all that was about to change.
“We need to set the standards now. We are also looking at setting up a panel consisting of individuals or organisations in the area of education to come forward to give us input.”