MCA to make sure courses meet needs of all

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SANDAKAN: MCA is embarking on an overall strategic plan for its educational initiatives, party president Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat said.

He said this was aimed at ensuring that courses offered at Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman (Utar), Tunku Abdul Rahman College (TARC), Kojadi Institute and training centres for early childhood education were in line with the needs of students and their parents.

“That is why we are going to various places for these fact-finding missions,” Ong said.

He said this after visiting the proposed site of the permanent campus of Sabah TARC at the Sabah Education Hub in Sungai Batang, some 25km from this east coast town yesterday.

Ong said the Sabah government’s move to centralise higher educational institutions at the hub was a good idea, adding that he hoped to see the permanent campus of Sabah TARC take shape there.

He said TARC’s Sabah branch would be relocating from its present temporary campus at Donggongon near Kota Kinabalu soon.

The college’s Sabah branch began operating from a rented classroom block at the Kian Kok Middle School in Kota Kinabalu in 2002.

Five years later, it moved to bigger premises at Donggongon.

Ong said that since taking over as MCA president, he felt compelled to resolve the party’s various outstanding matters including having a permanent headquarters for Sabah MCA.

The headquarters has moved three times since the party expanded its wings to the state 17 years ago.

He said this was among the issues he had discussed during his meetings with state MCA members and leaders in Kota Kinabalu, Tawau earlier this week, and in Sandakan on Friday evening.

“I have had discussions with the members and the message to them is that we need to walk the talk,” Ong said.

He said the meetings were also aimed at enabling him to gather feedback on the needs of the community.

Ong, who is also Transport Minister, said he would try his best to ensure that low cost flights between Sandakan, Tawau and Singapore got off the ground.

He said the Government had earlier this year given its nod for such services.