PAC gives HRD Corp three months to submit follow-up action report

KUALA LUMPUR: The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has given the Human Resource Development Corporation (HRD Corp) a three-month deadline to submit a follow-up action report on the committee's recommendations in its recent audit report.

"Since we presented it last week, we need to wait three months. Then we will ask for their report on the follow-up actions taken based on our recommendations," said PAC chairman Datuk Mas Ermieyati Samsudin at a press conference in the Parliament building today.

Previously, the PAC revealed that HRD Corp had made various investments using RM3.77 billion in levies collected from employers for training development programmes.

The PAC found that the levies collected by the corporation showed a significant increase from RM475 million in 2020 to RM2.134 billion in 2023.

Meanwhile, regarding the follow-up action report on the upgrading and redeveloping of dilapidated school buildings, Mas Ermieyati stated that the PAC believes there is still ample room for improvement to achieve the zero dilapidated school buildings initiative.

"The government, particularly the Ministry of Education (MOE) and the Public Works Department, needs to be more proactive in expediting the development, refurbishment, and upgrading projects, while also intensifying the verification process for data entered into EMIS (Education Management Information Systems).

"The PAC also suggests that the MOE consider preventive measures to address the issue of dilapidated school buildings, taking into account the existing financial resources and allocations," she said.

-- BERNAMA