And why so many unemployed nurses out there?
Yes this is another SCAM albeit in education however related to healthcare too (another scam spinoff effect)
The Healthcare Kronies and Medical College Kronies works in parallel
Medical College Kronies as usual CHEATING the nursing students out of their PTPTN Loans only to give them half-done junk degree simply worth nothing without the external qualifying nurse exam the final license to become certified employable nurse
Medical College Kronies wouldn’t bother a damn to tell this but only keen to grab as many PTPTN Loans for their big fat profits
So who cares if the nursing students graduated only to be told there’s another Big Exam to take
Then their PTPTN Loans (RM60K onwards) good for nothing and these sorry students ends up as jobless bankrap graduates!
So don’t expect much quality on graduates produced when these Medical College Kronies simply running huge SCAM targeting PTPTN Loans = JUNK DEGREE = JOBLESS BANKRAP GRADUATES!
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Thousands of private college nursing grads jobless
by Dr Jeyakumar Devaraj, Malaysian Insider, January 14, 2012
JAN 14 — The Higher Education Ministry’s failure to control the greed of private nursing colleges has established a situation in which thousands of their graduates are jobless. And yet, these graduates are burdened with PTPTN loans of as much as RM50,000 to RM60,000.
Here are the facts:
- 61 private institutions have been given the go-ahead by the Higher Education Ministry to conduct nursing courses;
- there are currently more than 37,500 nursing undergraduates enrolled in these 61 private learning institutions. A large percentage of these undergraduates have acquired the PTPTN loan, normally around RM55,000;
- the total amount of staff nurses employed throughout the country as of December 2010 was 61,110. Of that total, 47,992 were stationed in the government sector and the remainder 21,118 in the private sector;
- in 2010, 7,665 nursing graduates from private institutions sat for the Nursing Board examination. Only 70.1 per cent of them passed the examination compared to the passing rate of 98.4 per cent amongst graduates from Health Ministry colleges.
- Only 42.7 per cent of nursing graduates from private higher education institutions in 2010 succeeded in acquiring jobs at hospitals and clinics
Taking all these facts into account, we wish to know the following:
- Is it the Higher Education Ministry that determines the intake quotas for nursing courses in private educational institutions in Malaysia? If so, what is the rationale for allowing an intake quota of 9,000 undergraduates for the year 2011?
- Is the minister aware that every trained nurse must renew his or her professional licence (APC — Annual Practising Certificate) every year? One of the terms that is required to acquire the APC is an occupational status as a nurse in a hospital. Therefore, if one is unable to get employed as a nurse, he or she is not eligible to renew his or her APC.
- Is the minister aware that the marketability of a staff nurse will be adversely affected if she is unable to get a nursing post in a hospital? This is due to the fact that a nurse’s skills will deteriorate if the graduate is not given a chance to practise as a nurse.
- Is the minister aware that a lot of the graduates at nursing private higher education institutions originate from families that are not rich? They are hoping to get a job as a nurse in order to pay back their PTPTN loans and to aid their respective families.
- Is the minister aware that repayment of the PTPTN loan is required even if the graduate is unable to acquire a job as a nurse?
- How many of the 61 private higher education institutions currently offering nursing courses have started or are applying to start medicine courses to train doctors?
Our demands:
- Freeze the intake of new students into private nursing colleges. The market is flooded at this point in time. Do not burden more young girls with PTPTN loans that they will not be able to pay back.
- Look into the other courses that are offered by the private colleges such as physiotherapy, health care, laboratory assistants, and radiology. If there exists a similar situation of over-supply for these other courses as well, please freeze the intake of new students into these courses.
- Reject applications of private higher education institutions to conduct medicine courses if the passing rate in the Nursing Board examination was below 90 per cent for graduates from those institutions in 2010 or 2009.
- Take over the PTPTN debts for all nurse graduates who have not acquired a nursing post in hospitals despite passing the Nursing Board’s examination.
- Conduct an investigation to determine why the market for trained nurses is flooded — 37,500 will graduate in three years, whereas the need for nurses is only 1,500 per year (more or less five per cent of the total currently employed in the private sector). Is this because of poor judgment on the part of officials who determine the quota or is corruption involved? The profits of private higher education institutions are immense!
- Review the validity of the policy of relying on private companies to provide higher education for our younger generation. It is evidently clear from the actions of the private nursing colleges that maximising profits is their main focus! The existence of PTPTN loans has underwritten the income of these private higher education institutions, and they are currently competing to attract as many students as possible without a care as to whether they can provide adequate practical exposure to their students or whether there are sufficient job opportunities for their graduates.
We hope that the Higher Education Ministry officials will study the issues that we have brought up and fix a date within a month’s time to inform us of the steps that will be taken by the ministry to manage the identified problems in this memorandum. — aliran.com
* The above article is a memorandum submitted by Dr Jeyakumar Devaraj to the Higher Education Minister on December 13, 2011 expressing concern about the high number of unemployed nursing graduates.
* Dr Jeyakumar Devaraj is the member of Parliament for Sungai Siput.
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‘Study why graduate nurses fail to obtain jobs’
Borneo Post, February 10, 2012, Friday
SUBANG JAYA: There is a pressing need to look into why many local graduate nurses fail to obtain jobs, noted Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin.
A research into the matter is vital, he said at the Second International Nursing Research Conference organised by Universiti Malaya’s Nursing Science Department’s Faculty of Medicine here yesterday.
His speech was read out by the ministry’s deputy secretary-general Datuk Rohani Abdullah when opening the two-day conference on his behalf.
Mohamed Khaled said the department was striving towards enhancing the quality of nursing in the country to attain world-class standard.
One of the approaches, he said, was to promote nursing research and utilisation of research findings in nursing practice.
Alluding to the theme of the conference, ‘Access to Quality Health Through Research’, the minister said research was one of the important elements and mechanisms towards an innovative society in various fields, including nursing.
The conference was organised in conjunction with the faculty’s 50th anniversary celebrations. — Bernama
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‘Qualifying exam, poor English to blame’
by Karen Bong, Borneo Post, February 1, 2012, Wednesday
KUCHING: Failure to sit for or pass the qualifying exam with the Malaysian Nursing Board (MNB), and poor English language proficiency could account for 8,000 nursing graduates in Malaysia being unemployed.
Public Health Assistant Minister Dr Jerip Susil said the government was aware of the issue, especially when unemployment meant decades of debts for many graduates.
“Our concerns now are that jobless nurses are facing the burden of repaying study loans, which will affect the loaners and parents who sent their children for further studies in the hope they will have a secure future,” he said when met at his office recently.
Dr Jerip said nursing students were required to sit for the qualifying exams with MNB before they could register and practise nursing.
“Colleges that possess the licence to train nurses should ensure that their programmes are tied up with the MNB which is strict with the standard and qualification of nursing graduates,” he said, adding that it was important that graduates adapt to real life situations.
Nursing students were normally trained in a non-hospital environment equipped with artificial wards, clinics and dummies, Dr Jerip elaborated.
“Hence placing students on practical and attachment with hospitals is important for them to gain hands-on experience and skill,” he emphasised.
The Bengoh assemblyman called on all private colleges to offer a comprehensive and quality nursing course that could meet the demand of the government and private sectors.
He pointed out that I-Systems College, which he declared open, had made it compulsory for nursing students to sit for the board’s exams, without which they would not graduate.
“I am pleased with I-Systems College as their nursing course is tied up with the MNB. I am happy to note that the college has recorded 100 per cent passes with all graduate nurses interviewed by private hospitals for employment,” he said.
Dr Jerip said he would visit all the colleges offering nursing courses to look into their curriculum and setup as well as ensure qualifying exams were with the MNB.
Besides qualifying exams, poor proficiency in English among graduates could be another factor contributing to their unemployment, he reckoned.
“English is still the main language used in the medical field, especially in communication in private clinics and hospitals. But I realise that many youngsters with poor command of English could possibly fail in interviews,” he said.
Strengthening the command of English is an important aspect of nurse training which is why higher institutions make it compulsory for students to take the English subject, he added.
Asked if the ministry was responsible for monitoring and supervising nursing courses, Dr Jerip replied that the licence was approved by the federal side.
He observed that 98 per cent of nursing students came from native communities and rural areas such as Ulu Baram and Ulu Rejang. It could be that urban people were reluctant to do night shifts and youngsters felt it was not conducive for them.
“However, rural people are ready to commit to a career with significant expectations. They think there aren’t many avenues of employment for them. Another reason could be the potential to migrate.”
Malaysia, apart from the Philippines, is one of the significant countries in Asia which exports nurses to countries like Saudi Arabia, Middle East, Australia and New Zealand, he pointed out.
“Malaysians are well known for their good command of languages like English and Bahasa Melayu, so Malaysian nurses are in demand especially in the Middle East,” he said.
“But they must have the skills and proper training in Malaysia and master the English language. When the opportunities arises, they could seek employment overseas.”
Jerip noted that work migration could leave Malaysia suffering from a shortage of qualified nurses.
“In the past, there was an influx of government doctors resigning and leaving to work overseas and also to migrate, especially to Australia where there is a shortage of doctors and nurses,” he said.
Back home, the shift from government to private sector is apparent.
In Malaysia, the ratio of doctors to general population is 1:500 in urban areas and 1:2,000 in rural areas.
“We are improving and part of the government’s effort is to reduce this disparity as Malaysia has a small population of doctors,” he added.
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115 PTPTN loan defaulters charged with bankruptcy
by Wong Yeen Fern, Malaysia Kini, Thursday, 22 February 2007
The National Higher Education Fund (PTPTN) will take several thousands of former students to court over their failure to settle their study loans.
Contacted today, PTPTN chief executive officer Yunos Abdul Ghani said these students had not settled their debts despite three legal notices being issued.
“Students from the 1997-2004 batch will face court action for failing to pay their loans following a (third) legal notice being sent to them,” he added.
He said the former students who received the third legal notice were required to settle their debts within two weeks.
Yunos reiterated that those who cannot afford to do so should come forward and explain their situation. He said they should provide valid evidence and logical reasons.
Declare bankrupt
As for those who did not receive the legal notices, he said these students should get in touch with the PTPTN.
“For instance, if they have changed their address, they should have inform us about it, because it is their duty to inform us, if not we will never know,” he added.
He said those who did not receive the legal notices must settle their debts or face legal action as well.
Meanwhile, Nanyang Siang Pau reported yesterday that 115 students had been charged in court over this issue.
Yunos said PTPTN will consider having those who still refuse to pay as being declared bankrupt but stressed that it would be the last resort.
About RM600 million was loaned out to the first batch of students in 1997 and of this only RM270 million has been successfully collected from these students.
As for the overall figures, Yunos said PTPTN is still processing this.
The financial aid programme was established in 1997 and is mainly focused on students who have gained admission to local universities but are unable to further their studies due to financial constraints.
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PAC zooms in on PTPTN’s RM46b deficit
By Shazwan Mustafa Kamal, Malaysian Insider, 9 Nov 2010
KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 9 — The parliamentary Public Accounts Committee (PAC) kickstarted its probe today into the National Higher Education Fund’s (PTPTN) possible RM46 billion deficit by hauling up top officials from the body as well as the Ministry of Higher Education.
The PTPTN’s deficit crisis was among nine “irregularities” highlighted in the 2009 Auditor-General’s Report.
According to the A-G’s Report, based on cash flow projections PTPTN will face a deficit of RM45.89 billion up to the end of the 11th Malaysia Plan in 2016.
As such, PTPTN needed additional funds amounting to RM8.56 billion under the Ninth Malaysia Plan, RM15.67 billion under the 10th Malaysia Plan and RM21.66 billion under the 11th Malaysia Plan.
PAC chairman Datuk Seri Azmi Khalid said today the committee’s main concern was PTPTN’s sustainability in the near future.
Azmi said the investigation was focused on PTPTN’s inefficient loan repayment system, but stopped short of providing details.
“From what we saw if they continue as they are, PTPTN is not sustainable because the expenditure exceeds income but we cannot say more.
“We don’t want to repeat (what) the audit report (has mentioned), whatever the weaknesses, they are committed to rectify but we are looking beyond, mainly on the sustainability of PTPTN and why it took them so many years. It took them 13 years (1997-2010) and yet the system is still defective in terms of collections, tracing information as reported in the audit report,” said Azmi.
In the audit report, it was reported that the PTPTN had approved loans totalling RM23.78 million to 16,013 students who did not apply for the facility.
Azmi said the PAC had called up Ministry of Higher Education secretary-general Tan Sri Dr Zulkefli A. Hassan , acting PTPTN CEO Wan Ahmad Wan Yusoff and representatives from the Government Housing Loan Department, but added that investigations were still on-going and there were no conclusions made yet.
“PAC will also be meeting a few relevant agencies such as the Ministry of Finance which has appointed other agencies to handle the loan system,” said the Padang Besar MP.
Another PAC official said the accounts committee will be questioning the Finance Ministry on Prokhas Sdn Bhd, a company under the ministry which had been appointed to administer the PTPTN database system.
“The project was awarded to Prokhas in peculiar circumstances, to a company which does not have any experience in the field. It was totally outsourced to an Indian firm where it became problematic. It is only at 16 per cent completion from 2006,” said the official who spoke on the condition of anonymity.
The official claimed that the decision to award the contract was not made by the PTPTN management.
He said the project, which stalled twice, was “mysteriously” continued despite the problems faced, adding that the matter was blamed on the former CEO, who may be called up to explain.
It is understood that PTPTN’s deficit woes could affect educational providers such as Masterskill Education Group Bhd.
Masterskill, which offers nursing courses and allied health sciences education programmes, was reported in The Edge today as having experienced a sharp decline and trading of its shares since the A-G’s Report was made public recently.
It is said that the sell-down may be due to concerns over PTPTN’s possible RM46 billion deficit, as highlighted in the A-G’s Report.
Masterskill is said to rely on PTPTN to provide financing for 95 per cent of its students.