Education Ministry to find best mechanism to solve problem of unpaid dues to contractors

Its minister Datuk Seri Madzir Khalid said the ministry would first like to discuss with the various parties to find out the weaknesses of the existing payment system.

Mahdzir said one of the reasons could be that under the existing system, payments were not made centrally but by the respective state education departments which had in turn empowered the district education offices (PPDs) to do so.

"So, I have to review it again. We have a total of 137 PPDs now and we will look at how the payments are made and distributed to the contractors," he told reporters after launching a student volunteer programme at Universiti Utara Malaysia, here, Friday.

The three types of main contractors were for the dormitory dining halls, unarmed security control and cleaning services, he said, when commenting on complaints by contractors who have yet to receive payments after months.

On another matter, Mahdzir said the ministry would try to give a second chance to students who had committed serious offences resulting in their expulsion from school.

"We will give them a second chance unless the cases have gone to court, whereby they will have to go to a reform school.