PUTRAJAYA: Technical and Vocational Education and Training programmes tailored specifically for persons with disabilities are among key proposals for Budget 2026.
Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said greater involvement of school students would also be considered for the upcoming budget.
Ahmad Zahid confirmed the matter would be raised at the National TVET Council before submission to the Finance Ministry for consideration.
He stated the proposal would be part of the key agenda items in the Budget speech scheduled for October 10.
“This time, the proposal is somewhat different as it involves TVET courses specifically for the PwD community,” he told reporters after chairing the KKDW Budget 2026 Dialogue Session with stakeholders.
Ahmad Zahid emphasised the importance of providing equal opportunities for persons with disabilities and other special groups to pursue market-relevant courses.
The Deputy Prime Minister also chairs the National TVET Council and highlighted a proposal for pondok school students to join TVET programmes.
He noted this initiative would mirror opportunities already extended to tahfiz students across the country.
“This matter will be studied together with state-level religious schools, as proposed,” he added.
The dialogue session involved 1,050 participants including 300 physical attendees and 750 online participants from various regions.
Stakeholders from Sabah and Sarawak joined the nearly two-hour session to provide input for Budget 2026.
The engagement aimed to gather views and proposals to ensure a more inclusive and comprehensive budget formulation.
This session aligned with the government’s August 1 decision mandating all ministries to hold budget engagement sessions with their stakeholders. – Bernama