JURNAL LUAR BANDAR SEJAHTERA - JILID 1 TAHUN 2020

ARTIKEL JURNAL LUAR BANDAR SEJAHTERA 2020 PDH merupakan platform perkongsian strategik di antara syarikat swasta dan korporat. Syarikat-syarikat tersebut terlibat dalam rancangan kementerian dengan meneroka dan menilai potensi sosio-ekonomi setiap kampung sebelum rumusan dan pelaksanaan cadangan pembangunan ekonomi dilakukan (Berita Harian, 2018). Melalui pelaksanaan program ini, ia dapat membantu komuniti luar bandar untuk mencapai pendapatan perniagaan yang tinggi dan mewujudkan peluang pekerjaan untuk golongan belia luar bandar. PELAKSANAAN KONSEP Sejajar dengan Matlamat Pembangunan Lestari 2030 yang digariskan oleh United Nations, pelaksanaan PDH bertujuan untuk merapatkan perbezaan pendapatan di antara komuniti luar bandar dan bandar, untuk mewujudkan kualiti hidup yang tinggi dalam kalangan komuniti luar bandar bagi memenuhi keperluan IR 4.0, dan untuk meningkatkan taraf kehidupan mereka. PDH memfokuskan kepada tiga (3) skop utama iaitu: ekonomi, pendidikan, dan kesejahteraan komuniti. Objektif utama adalah untuk meningkatkan pembangunan sosioekonomi komuniti luar bandar dengan: (a) Menjalinkan kerjasama strategik di antara syarikat korporat, syarikat swasta, Majlis Pengurusan Komuniti Kampung (MPKK), dan penduduk kampung melalui pelbagai aktiviti ekonomi lestari; (b) Meningkatkan kawasan luar bandar sebagai entiti yang menarik, maju, dan menguntungkan tanpa menjejaskan nilai dan kebudayaan luar bandar; (c) Meningkatkan kemampuan komuniti luar bandar dalam perancangan, pembangunan, dan pelaksanaan projek di luar bandar; (d) Menggalakkan perkongsian pengetahuan dan latihan pengalaman dalam pengurusan sumber manusia; dan (e) Mempelbagaikan sumber sedia ada dan kaedah pelaksanaan yang sesuai. Bagi mencapai objektif program ini, pemilihan desa dan rakan strategik yang berpotensi telah dilakukan melalui kriteria seperti di bawah: (1) Pemilihan kampung: (i) Kesediaan dan komitmen daripada ketua kampung dan penduduk kampung untuk menyertai setiap aktiviti dan program yang dijalankan; (ii) Kesediaan untuk membangunkan projek sosio-ekonomi setempat; (iii) Kampung yang tidak mendapat pengiktirafan (tidak menerima apa-apa anugerah/ projek besar) daripada pihak kementerian; (iv) Kumpulan sasaran – kanak-kanak, belia, pelajar, wanita, usahawan, orang kurang upaya, dan lain-lain; dan (v) Kekurangan akses dan kemudahan komunikasi. 49 BUKU JURNAL KPLB 002.indd 49 05/03/2021 10:26 AM

ARTIKEL JURNAL LUAR BANDAR SEJAHTERA 2020 50 (2) Pemilihan rakan strategik: (i) Mempunyai kemampuan untuk membiayai aktiviti dan program; (ii) Mempunyai tenaga kerja untuk mengurus dan menjalankan aktiviti dan program; (iii) Mempunyai minat dan boleh memberikan komitmen sepenuhnya; (iv) Mempunyai pengetahuan dan pengalaman dalam melaksanakan program CSR; dan (v) Bersedia untuk berkongsi kepakaran dan pengalaman dengan kumpulan sasaran. AKTIVITI DAN PROGRAM RAKAN STRATEGIK Sejak program dilancarkan di Kampung Kinjang, Chendering Perak pada tahun 2018, sejumlah tiga puluh satu (31) syarikat swasta dan korporat telah menjadi rakan strategik kepada projek PDH. Senarai syarikat dan organisasi yang menyertai projek ini ditunjukkan dalam Jadual 1. Jadual 1: Rakan Strategik Program Desa Harapan Beberapa siri program dan aktiviti CSR telah dijalankan di Kampung Kinjang, Perak dan tambahan dua lagi kampung iaitu Kampung Kuala Temonyong, Langkawi dan Kampung Weng, Baling, di mana kedua-duanya terletak di negeri Kedah Darul Aman. Aktiviti dan program yang dianjurkan oleh rakan strategik adalah seperti yang disenaraikan dalam Jadual 2. NAMA SYARIKAT/ ORGANISASI NAMA SYARIKAT/ ORGANISASI BIL. BIL. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 16 14 15 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 Berjaya Corporation Berhad Hume Cemboard Industries Celcom Axiata Berhad Mydin Mohamed Holdings Berhad Yayasan Pelajaran MARA Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Blue Archipelago Berhad Privasia Sdn Bhd AMR Consult Yayasan MRCB Mycuisine Qube Sdn Bhd Boustead Holdings Berhad Siti Khadijah Holdings Sdn Bhd Yayasan Emkay Universiti Kuala Lumpur Pharmaniaga Berhad DRB-Hicom Berhad Export-Import Bank of Malaysia (EXIM BANK) Samsung Malaysia Electronics Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB) Privail Sdn Bhd Numix Engineering Malaysia Airport Holdings Berhad SMGB Group Halal Industry Development Corporation (HDC) UNIKL Resources Universiti Multimedia (MMU) Farm Fresh Milk Sdn Bhd CSR Malaysia @ RHA Media Sdn Bhd Binasat Communications Berhad Telekom Malaysia Berhad (TM) BUKU JURNAL KPLB 002.indd 50 05/03/2021 10:26 AM

ARTIKEL JURNAL LUAR BANDAR SEJAHTERA 2020 Jadual 2: Program dan Aktiviti Anjuran Rakan Strategik 51 Program / Aktiviti Lokasi Syarikat / Organisasi Bil. Skop CELCOM AXIATA Program keusahawanan digital. Latihan jualan dan pemasaran dalam talian. Pelancaran produk usahawan tempatan di platform Lazada & Shopee. Langkawi & Baling 1 Ekonomi Yayasan MRCB Kerja-kerja menaik taraf padang bola di SK Temonyong untuk kegunaan 569 orang pelajar. Kerja-kerja penyelenggaraan kecil sistem saliran sekolah. Kerja-kerja penyelenggaraan kecil 11 unit tandas di SK Temonyong 3 Pendidikan Langkawi EXIM Bank Sumbangan 22 komputer dan 2 televisyen kepada SK Temonyong untuk kegunaan 569 orang pelajar. Sumbangan komputer dan peralatan audio-visual. Kerja-kerja penyelenggaraan kecil di perpustakaan KEMAS di Kampung Temonyong untuk kegunaan hampir 2,500 orang penduduk. 2 Pendidikan Langkawi Program / Aktiviti Lokasi Syarikat / Organisasi Bil. Skop Halal Industry Corporation Berhad Seminar tentang kesedaran halal (sektor pelancongan) bersama 500 usahawan inap desa di Kampung Kuala Temonyong, Langkawi dan kawasan sekitar. Bengkel latihan industri halal bersama 500 usahawan inap desa di Kampung Kuala Temonyong, Langkawi dan kawasan sekitar. Program eksekutif halal bersama 500 usahawan inap desa di Kampung Kuala Temonyong, Langkawi dan kawasan sekitar. Ekonomi Langkawi Program cilik HDC bersama 100 orang pelajar dari SK Kg Temonyong, Langkawi. Pendidikan Baling 4 Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad (MAHB) Sumbangan gerai dan ruang perniagaan di Lapangan Terbang Antarabangsa Langkawi. Ekonomi 5 Program pemasaran bersama usahawan Kampung Kuala Temonyong di Lapangan Terbang Antarabangsa Langkawi. Langkawi Pendidikan Program sukarela bersama sukarelawan daripada MAHB dan penduduk Kampung Kuala Temonyong secara berkala. Program motivasi untuk pelajar di Kampung Kuala Temonyong. Komuniti Program / Aktiviti Lokasi Syarikat / Organisasi Bil. Skop Tenaga Nasional Berhad Program peningkatan ekonomi Langkawi & Baling 6 Ekonomi Boustead Holdings Berhad Pelaksanaan program pendidikan secara berkala di SK Seri Bayu, Kampung Weng Baling. 7 Pendidikan Baling BUKU JURNAL KPLB 002.indd 51 05/03/2021 10:26 AM

ARTIKEL JURNAL LUAR BANDAR SEJAHTERA 2020 52 KESIMPULAN Menerusi pelaksanaan PDH, KPLB adalah komited dalam membangunkan komuniti luar bandar secara konsisten melalui perkongsian strategik dengan syarikat korporat dan swasta. Oleh itu, diharapkan bahawa usahawan luar bandar yang menyertai PDH dapat menjana pendapatan yang tinggi hasil daripada latihan, perkongsian pengetahuan, dan pembiayaan yang diberikan oleh syarikat korporat dan swasta ini. Hasilnya, komuniti luar bandar dapat melibatkan diri dalam proses pembangunan luar bandar dengan bebas dan jayanya. RUJUKAN Desa harapan. Published 2018 © Kementerian Pembangunan Luar Bandar Dasar www.rurallink.gov.my BUKU JURNAL KPLB 002.indd 52 05/03/2021 10:26 AM

ARTIKEL JURNAL LUAR BANDAR SEJAHTERA 2020 PROJEK PEMAJUAN KAWASAN DI KAMPUNG GELUNG PEPUYU, PERAK TENGAH, PERAK: KAJIAN PENILAIAN HASIL En. Mohamed bin Mat Yaakob, En. Ahmad Zeohairi Ismail@Zanudin, Cik Siti Fatimah Ramli, En. Suhaimi Hasan, Cik Faeizah Norjinal dan En. Raden Mohd Fawwaz ABSTRAK Projek Pemajuan Kawasan (PPK) merupakan siri inisiatif kerajaan untuk membangunkan penempatan baharu atau membina semula kawasan luar bandar sedia ada dengan prasarana asas dan kemudahan sosial. Setelah terlaksananya Rancangan Malaysia Kesembilan (RMKe-9), PPK telah dilaksanakan di seluruh negara untuk meningkatkan kualiti hidup di kawasan luar bandar. Melalui kajian ini, kajian penilaian hasil dijalankan untuk menilai tahap kepuasan dan profil sosio-ekonomi penerima bantuan PPK daripada PPK Kampung Gelung Pepuyu, Perak Tengah, Perak. Sebanyak empat puluh enam (46) penerima yang telah berpindah sepenuhnya sejak Mac 2018 terlibat dalam kajian ini, di mana jumlah tersebut mewakili hampir lapan puluh lima peratus (85.2%) daripada jumlah keseluruhan penerima. Hasil kajian menunjukkan bahawa sembilan puluh peratus (90%) penerima bantuan PPK berpuas hati dengan rumah yang disediakan, manakala sebanyak empat puluh empat peratus (84.8%) penerima bantuan PPK berpuas hati dengan kemudahan asas yang disediakan. Kajian ini turut menilai tahap kepuasan yang berkaitan dengan perubahan sosio-ekonomi dalam pendapatan, alam sekitar, keselamatan, akses kepada pendidikan, kesihatan, ekonomi, kemudahan sosial, dan inklusi sosial. Sebanyak lapan puluh enam peratus (86.8%) penerima bantuan PPK berpuas hati dengan perubahan sosio-ekonomi mereka selepas penempatan semula. Secara keseluruhannya, projek ini memberi impak positif terhadap komuniti, terutamanya golongan miskin tegar dari Daerah Perak Tengah yang terdedah dengan ancaman banjir. Penubuhan penempatan yang bersepadu dengan prasarana dan kemudahan sosial yang ditambah baik akan membantu penduduk luar bandar untuk hidup dengan lebih selesa di kediaman mereka. Kata kunci: Projek Pemajuan Kawasan, Pembinaan semula kampung, Penempatan bersepadu. PENGENALAN Kajian penilaian hasil program adalah amat penting demi memastikan tahap kejayaan dan impak pasca sosio-ekonomi sesuatu program kerajaan. Penilaian program adalah selari dengan kehendak kerajaan dalam mengenal pasti kekuatan dan kelemahan setiap program bagi tujuan penambahbaikan pada masa hadapan. Kajian seumpama ini membantu dalam memastikan setiap pelaksanaan program dapat mencapai objektif yang telah digariskan. Justeru, PPK Kampung Gelung Pepuyu, Perak Tengah telah dipilih bagi proses penilaian kejayaan program PPK. 53 BUKU JURNAL KPLB 002.indd 53 05/03/2021 10:26 AM

ARTIKEL JURNAL LUAR BANDAR SEJAHTERA 2020 54 LATAR BELAKANG PROJEK PPK adalah projek untuk membangunkan penempatan baharu atau membina semula kawasan luar bandar sedia ada dengan prasarana asas dan kemudahan sosial. Setelah terlaksananya Rancangan Malaysia Kesembilan (RMKe-9), tiga (3) projek iaitu Projek Bersepadu Desa Terpencil (PROSDET), Penempatan Semula Kampung (PSK), dan Pusat Pertumbuhan Desa (PPD) telah dilaksanakan oleh KPLB. Projek PPK juga diteruskan dalam Rancangan Malaysia Kesepuluh (RMK-10) dan Rancangan Malaysia Kesebelas (RMK11). Pelaksanaan projek PPK ini adalah selari dengan teras pertama iaitu memperkukuhkan pembangunan inklusif dan teras kedua iaitu meningkatkan kesejahteraan rakyat seperti yang ditekankan dalam RMK-11. Projek ini juga sejajar dengan Dasar Pembangunan Luar Bandar melalui teras keempat iaitu prasarana yang lengkap dan canggih, teras ketujuh iaitu kehidupan luar bandar yang sejahtera, dan teras kesepuluh iaitu perumahan, pembangunan wilayah, dan penempatan desa bersepadu. Tujuan utama program PPK adalah untuk meningkatkan kualiti hidup penduduk luar bandar dengan mewujudkan kampung bersepadu yang lengkap dengan prasarana dan kemudahan sosial yang lebih baik. Secara umumnya, objektif projek PPK adalah seperti berikut: (i) Mewujudkan penempatan baharu untuk penduduk luar bandar yang terdedah kepada ancaman (bencana alam, keselamatan, dan kesihatan) dan kurang mempunyai akses kepada prasarana atau kemudahan asas; (ii) Mewujudkan penempatan yang sistematik untuk penduduk luar bandar dalam kategori miskin tegar dan berpendapatan rendah; dan (iii) Meningkatkan dan mengubah suai semula kampung sedia ada (contohnya Rancangan Struktur Desa) dengan menyediakan kemudahan dan prasarana yang lebih baik bagi tujuan peningkatan kualiti hidup penduduk luar bandar; Skop pembangunan yang digariskan dalam program ini adalah seperti berikut: (i) Perumahan: Penyediaan perumahan adalah tertakluk kepada garis panduan Program Perumahan Rakyat Termiskin (PPRT). (ii) Lot perumahan: Penyediaan hartanah untuk golongan berpendapatan rendah (B40) dan pembinaan rumah yang disubkontrak kepada pihak ketiga. (iii) Kemudahan prasarana asas: Penyediaan asas, jalan perumahan, perparitan, bekalan air, bekalan elektrik, lampu jalan, dan sistem rawatan kumbahan berpusat. (iv) Kemudahan sosial: Penyediaan dewan serbaguna, surau, taman permainan rekreasi, gelanggang, Taman Asuhan Kanak-kanak (TASKA)/Taman Bimbingan Kanak-kanak (TABIKA)/Pusat Pendidikan Awal Kanak-kanak, ruang terbuka, dan lain-lain; tertakluk kepada keperluan penduduk. Kemudahan sedia ada di kawasan yang dicadangkan akan dijaga dan diperbaiki untuk memenuhi keperluan komuniti baharu. (v) Prasarana ekonomi: Penyediaan lot kedai dan kawasan awam. BUKU JURNAL KPLB 002.indd 54 05/03/2021 10:26 AM

ARTIKEL JURNAL LUAR BANDAR SEJAHTERA 2020 Tiga (3) pakej pembangunan yang ditawarkan di bawah PPK adalah seperti berikut: (i) Pakej 1: KPLB menyediakan unit penginapan yang lengkap dengan penyediaan perumahan, lot kediaman, prasarana, dan kemudahan sosial; (ii) Pakej 2: KPLB menyediakan kerja-kerja penyediaan tapak, kerja-kerja asas, dan penyediaan infrastruktur asas termasuk jalan, parit, dan komponen-komponen lain yang bersesuaian dengan kawasan perumahan sedia ada, tertakluk kepada pelan susun atur mengikut garis panduan Pihak Berkuasa Tempatan (PBT) bagi tujuan kebenaran merancang; dan (iii) Pakej 3: KPLB menyediakan kerja-kerja awal seperti persediaan di lokasi, kerja-kerja asas, dan penyediaan infrastruktur asas termasuk jalan, parit, dan komponen-komponen lain yang bersesuaian dengan kawasan perumahan baharu. Walau bagaimanapun, keputusan adalah tertakluk kepada peruntukan pembinaan rumah yang diperolehi daripada kerajaan negeri, agensi, atau pihak berkaitan. 2.2 Projek Pemajuan Kawasan Kampung Gelung Pepuyu, Perak Tengah, Perak PPK Kampung Gelung Pepuyu terletak kira-kira lima puluh enam (56) kilometer dari Bandaraya Ipoh. Projek ini adalah selari dengan cadangan kerajaan negeri Perak melalui Pejabat Daerah Perak Tengah. Lembaga Penyatuan dan Pemulihan Tanah Persekutuan (FELCRA) telah dilantik sebagai agensi rasmi untuk melaksanakan projek PPK Kampung Gelung Pepuyu. Jumlah dana yang diperuntukkan adalah RM7.2 juta. 2.3 Skop Projek Skop projek meliputi 7.5 ekar kerja-kerja tanah, pembinaan 54 buah rumah PPRT, pemasangan bekalan elektrik, retikulasi saluran paip air dan tangki air, pembinaan loji rawatan kumbahan, jalan berturap sepanjang kawasan penempatan, penyediaan parit dan saliran, pembinaan dewan serbaguna, taman permainan, dan bangunan kedai satu tingkat (4 pintu). 2.4 Objektif Projek Objektif projek ini adalah untuk mewujudkan ruang kediaman bersepadu yang dilengkapi dengan kemudahan awam dan prasarana asas. Ruang kediaman yang selesa akan disediakan kepada mereka yang terjejas disebabkan oleh banjir di Kampung Gelung Pepuyu dan golongan miskin tegar yang tinggal berhampiran kampung sekitar Perak Tengah. 2.5 Kumpulan Sasaran Kumpulan sasaran untuk projek ini adalah: (i) Penduduk kampung sekitar yang terdedah kepada ancaman banjir; dan (ii) Golongan miskin tegar yang berdaftar dalam program e-kasih dan layak mendapat bantuan perumahan PPRT. 2.6 Lokasi Projek PPK Kampung Gelung Pepuyu dibangunkan di atas tanah berkeluasan 7.5 ekar yang dimiliki oleh kerajaan negeri Perak. Kampung ini terletak di Daerah Bota, Perak Tengah, Perak (kira-kira 56 km dari Bandaraya Ipoh). Lokasi ini dipilih kerana mempunyai akses yang baik kepada kemudahan pendidikan, kesihatan, keselamatan, ekonomi, dan sosial. 55 BUKU JURNAL KPLB 002.indd 55 05/03/2021 10:26 AM

ARTIKEL JURNAL LUAR BANDAR SEJAHTERA 2020 56 Di antara kemudahan yang disediakan ialah Masjid Taufiqiah RPA Gelung Pepuyu (0.6 km), Tabika KEMAS (0.8 km), kedai runcit dan gerai makanan (1.0 km), Tanah Perkuburan Islam Gelung Pepuyu (1.2 km), Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Seri Londang (1.5 km), Klinik Kesihatan Komuniti Titi Gantung (3.5 km), Balai Polis Titi Gantung (3.5 km), dan Sekolah Kebangsaan Titi Gantung (4 km). BAB 3: TERMA RUJUKAN 3.1 Objektif Kajian Bagi menilai impak pelaksanaan PPK Gelung Pepuyu, objektif yang berkonsepkan Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, Time Bound (SMART) iaitu mempunyai ciriciri spesifik, boleh diukur, boleh dicapai, munasabah, dan mempunyai jangka masa tertentu telah diperkenalkan. Objektif-objektif kajian ini adalah seperti berikut: (i) Untuk menilai tahap kepuasan penerima mengenai rumah dan kemudahan asas yang disediakan; dan (ii) Untuk menilai kepuasan penerima dengan perubahan sosio-ekonomi selepas ditempatkan semula ke PPK Kampung Gelung Pepuyu. 3.2 Batasan Kajian Disebabkan oleh tempoh masa kajian yang terhad, kajian ini hanya memperoleh pandangan daripada penerima bantuan PPK dari PPK Kampung Gelung Pepuyu. Kajian ini terbatas kepada tempoh ketika penerima bantuan PPK mula berpindah dan menetap di dalam kawasan perumahan tersebut dari Mac 2018 hingga Jun 2019. Jumlah penduduk yang terlibat adalah empat puluh enam (46), dan baki lapan (8) penerima masih belum menduduki rumah tersebut sepenuhnya. BAB 4: PENEMUAN KAJIAN 4.1 Pencapaian Hasil Projek ini telah mencapai hasil yang disasarkan seperti yang dapat dilihat pada Jadual 1: Jadual 1: Pencapaian Hasil yang Disasarkan SASARAN PENCAPAIAN 1. Membangunkan 7.5 ekar tanah 2. Membina 54 unit perumahan PPRT 3. Membina 1 unit pencawang elektrik 4. Memasang sistem bekalan air 5. Membina jalan sepanjang 2.5 km 6. Membina dewan serbaguna 7. Menyediakan taman permainan 8. Membina 4 unit kedai 7.5 ekar tanah telah dibangunkan 54 unit perumahan PPRT telah dibina 1 unit pencawang elektrik telah dibina Sistem bekalan air telah dipasang Jalan sepanjang 2.5 km telah dibina Dewan serbaguna telah dibina Taman permainan telah disediakan 4 unit kedai telah dibina BUKU JURNAL KPLB 002.indd 56 05/03/2021 10:26 AM

ARTIKEL JURNAL LUAR BANDAR SEJAHTERA 2020 4.2 Hasil Sasaran 1: 80% Penerima Berpuas Hati dengan Rumah yang Disediakan Hasil sasaran pertama dapat dicapai dengan sembilan puluh peratus (90%) daripada penerima bantuan PPK berpuas hati dengan rumah yang disediakan, berbanding dengan sasaran yang ditetapkan iaitu lapan puluh peratus (80%). Unit perumahan telah dibina dengan baik dan dilengkapi dengan ruang dan bilik yang mencukupi untuk perlindungan keluarga. 4.3 Hasil Sasaran 2: 80% Penerima Berpuas Hati dengan Prasarana Asas dan Kemudahan Sosial yang Disediakan Hasil sasaran kedua dapat dicapai dengan empat puluh peratus (84.8%) daripada penerima bantuan PPK berpuas hati dengan prasarana asas dan kemudahan sosial yang disediakan, berbanding dengan sasaran yang ditetapkan iaitu lapan puluh peratus (80%). Prasarana asas dan kemudahan sosial yang disediakan memenuhi piawaian ditetapkan dan berfungsi dengan baik. 4.4 Hasil Sasaran 3: 80% Penerima Berpuas Hati dengan Perubahan Sosio-Ekonomi Selepas Penempatan Semula Lima (5) Petunjuk Prestasi Utama (KPI) telah dipilih untuk menilai hasil sasaran ketiga, iaitu termasuklah faktor pendapatan, alam sekitar, keselamatan, akses kepada pendidikan, kesihatan, ekonomi, kemudahan sosial, dan inklusi sosial. Purata pencapaian untuk setiap KPI telah dinilai seperti yang ditunjukkan dalam Jadual 2: 57 Hasil yang Disasarkan 80% peserta berpuas hati dengan prasarana asas dan kemudahan sosial yang disediakan Pencapaian 84.8% peserta berpuas hati dengan prasarana asas dan kemudahan sosial yang disediakan Ringkasan Penilaian Faktor utama ialah prasarana asas dan kemudahan sosial yang disediakan dapat memenuhi piawaian ditetapkan dan berfungsi dengan baik Hasil yang Disasarkan 80% peserta berpuas hati dengan perumahan yang disediakan Pencapaian 90% peserta berpuas hati dengan perumahan yang disediakan Ringkasan Penilaian Faktor utama ialah kualiti rumah yang tinggi dengan ruang dan bilik yang mencukupi demi keselesaan keluarga BUKU JURNAL KPLB 002.indd 57 05/03/2021 10:26 AM

ARTIKEL JURNAL LUAR BANDAR SEJAHTERA 2020 58 Jadual 2 : Pencapaian KPI bagi Hasil Sasaran 3 Hasil sasaran ketiga dapat dicapai dengan jumlah purata kira-kira lapan puluh enam peratus (86.8%) daripada penerima bantuan PPK berpuas hati dengan perubahan sosio-ekonomi selepas berpindah ke penempatan baharu. BAB 5: ISU DAN LANGKAH KE HADAPAN 5.1 Isu dan Penyelesaian Sungguhpun projek ini telah mencapai hasil yang disasarkan, penerima bantuan PPK membangkitkan beberapa isu utama berkaitan dengan projek. Pihak kontraktor telah menangani isu-isu yang berkaitan dengan infrastruktur, disebabkan oleh tempoh tanggungan kecacatan yang masih berkuat kuasa pada ketika itu. Pihak bertanggungjawab yang lain juga menyelesaikan isu-isu lain yang berkaitan. Semua isu dapat diatasi seperti yang dipaparkan dalam Jadual 3 di bawah. Jadual 3: Isu dan Penyelesaian PENCAPAIAN (%) 54.3 60.9 84.8 100.0 94.9 85.8 86.9 86.8 KPI 1. Pendapatan (i) Peningkatan pendapatan (ii) Peningkatan perbelanjaan (iii) Peningkatan pemilikan aset 2. Alam sekitar 3. Keselamatan 4. Akses kepada pendidikan, kesihatan, ekonomi, kemudahan sosial 5. Penyertaan sosial JUMLAH PURATA BIL. ISU PENYELESAIAN 1. Saliran longkang tidak mengalir dengan baik 2. Kenderaan memandu dengan laju di kawasan perumahan 3. Masalah kehadiran monyet/hidupan liar. 4. Semak samun berhampiran Loji Rawatan Kumbahan (STP). Kontraktor telah memperbaiki saliran longkang. Kontraktor telah membina bonggol jalan untuk mengurangkan kelajuan pengguna jalan. Jabatan Perlindungan Hidupan Liar dan Taman Negara (PERHILITAN) telah memasang perangkap hidupan liar bagi mengatasi masalah ini. Pihak berkuasa tempatan telah menyediakan perkhidmatan perbandaran seperti pengurusan rumpai dan semak samun. BUKU JURNAL KPLB 002.indd 58 05/03/2021 10:26 AM

ARTIKEL JURNAL LUAR BANDAR SEJAHTERA 2020 Melalui kaji selidik yang dilakukan, penduduk turut diberi peluang untuk mengemukakan cadangan dan pandangan mereka termasuklah tentang program-program berpotensi yang boleh dilakukan di PPK Kampung Gelung Pepuyu untuk meningkatkan kebolehan penduduk. Di antara program yang dicadangkan adalah seperti berikut: (i) Menganjurkan kursus kemahiran seperti kursus menjahit, memasak, dan membuat kek bagi mengisi masa lapang dan meningkatkan kemahiran para suri rumah yang tidak bekerja; (ii) Mengendalikan kursus pemasaran dan keusahawanan; dan (iii) Menyediakan bantuan kewangan untuk memulakan perniagaan kecil. 5.2 Langkah ke Hadapan Beberapa perkara turut dicadangkan sebagai inisiatif yang boleh dilakukan selepas pelaksanaan projek ini. Cadangan ini juga boleh digunakan oleh projek PPK baharu pada masa akan datang. Berikut merupakan cadangan yang telah diketengahkan: (i) Menyediakan lebih banyak bonggol jalan di kawasan penempatan; (ii) Penduduk boleh dikaitkan dengan program-program KPLB sedia ada seperti Program Peningkatan Pendapatan (PPP) dan Program Latihan dan Kemahiran Kerjaya (PLKK); (iii) Penduduk digalakkan untuk menjalankan aktiviti pertanian berskala kecil di sekitar kawasan rumah atau tanah kosong berhampiran; (iv) Menyediakan kawasan pengumpulan sisa pepejal dan teknologi pelupusan sisa pepejal (seperti teknologi Eco-waste Asher) untuk mengurangkan beban PBT dalam perkhidmatan pengumpulan sisa pepejal; dan (v) Mengendalikan lebih banyak aktiviti komuniti seperti rondaan sukarela dan pembersihan kawasan perumahan. BAB 6: KESIMPULAN Projek PPK di Kampung Gelung Pepuyu membawa impak positif kepada komuniti, khususnya penerima bantuan PPK. Penempatan bersepadu dengan prasarana asas dan kemudahan sosial membolehkan penduduk untuk memiliki rumah dan menjalani kehidupan yang lebih selesa. Selain itu, penempatan bersepadu ini membantu pelaksanaan aktiviti ekonomi atau sosial dan pengagihan bantuan kepada penerima yang layak. Projek PPK ini juga berpotensi untuk meningkatkan kualiti hidup golongan miskin tegar. Secara kesimpulannya, pelaksanaan projek PPK dapat mewujudkan komuniti luar bandar yang aman dan makmur dalam pelbagai sudut kehidupan seperti sosial, ekonomi, budaya, dan alam sekitar, di mana aspek-aspek ini sejajar dengan Dasar Pembangunan Luar Bandar. 59 BUKU JURNAL KPLB 002.indd 59 05/03/2021 10:26 AM

ARTIKEL JURNAL LUAR BANDAR SEJAHTERA 2020 60 SENARAI SINGKATAN SINGKATAN HURAIAN B40 Bottom 40 e-kasih Portal pembasmian kemiskinan DPLB Dasar Pembangunan Luar Bandar FELCRA Berhad Lembaga Penyatuan dan Pemulihan Tanah Persekutuan KEMAS Jabatan Kemajuan Masyarakat KPI Petunjuk Prestasi Utama KPLB Kementerian Pembangunan Luar Bandar PBT Pihak Berkuasa Tempatan PERHILITAN Jabatan Perlindungan Hidupan Liar dan Taman Negara PLKK Program Latihan dan Kemahiran Kerjaya PPD Pusat Pertumbuhan Desa PPP Program Peningkatan Pendapatan PROSDET Projek Bersepadu Desa Terpencil PSK Penempatan Semula kampung SMART Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, Time Bound SPP II Project Monitoring System II SPSS Statistic Package for the Social Sciene TABIKA Taman Bimbingan Kanak-Kanak TAKSA Taman Asukan Kanak-Kanak RUJUKAN https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jalan_Gelung_Pepuyu http://www.mdpt.gov.my/en/node/960 Rural Development Policy. 2019. Putrajaya: KPLB, Malaysia. BUKU JURNAL KPLB 002.indd 60 05/03/2021 10:26 AM

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ARTIKEL JURNAL LUAR BANDAR SEJAHTERA 2020 JOURNAL ARTICLE 2020 68 BUKU JURNAL KPLB 002.indd 62 05/03/2021 10:26 AM

ARTIKEL JURNAL LUAR BANDAR SEJAHTERA 2020 JOURNAL ARTICLE 2020 Volume 1 of 2020: Division Policy And Research , Institute For Rural Advancement (INFRA), Ministry For Rural and Regional Development, (KPLB). Journal Cover: Unit Corporate Communications, INFRA @ 2020 INFRA, All Rights Reserved. Copyright Division Policy and Research, Institute for Rural Advancement (INFRA), Ministry For Rural Development (MRD). All articles from this publication may not be reproduced or stored in a retrieval form or published in any form including electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without the permission of the Institute for Rural Advancement (INFRA). Publication Journal Article 2020 in line with the decision of the MRD Top Management Meeting dated 01 November 2019 to ask INFRA together with the Division at MRD to form a team to write articles related to MRD programs and activities. Following that, INFRA has held a meeting with YBhg. Dato’ Dr Ahmad Jailani bin Muhamed Yunus, Secretary General, MRD on 05 November 2019 regarding the instructions of the meeting. Journal Article 2020 aims to share knowledge and disseminate written results from officials of related to rural research, especially activities and programs that have been implemented by MRD. Featured articles include Challenges in Achieving Rural Development WellBeing - Theory and Practice Perspectives, Development of I-Desa Application for Centralized Planning and Delivery of Information in Village Areas, English Competence Among KEMAS Kindergarten Teachers, Rural Business Challenges: Achievements and Challenges and other articles related to rural development programs. The Division Policy and Research of INFRA, welcomes the contribution of articles based on rural research from all MRD employees, academics and officials from various ministries to be considered in the future publication of Journal Article 2020. Interested authors can contact the secretariat for more information such as the following address. Journal Article Publication Secretariat 2020 Bahagian Dasar Dan Penyelidikan, Institut Kemajuan Desa (INFRA), Lot 2a, Persiaran Institusi, Bandar Baru Bangi, 43000 Kajang, Selangor Darul Ehsan Telefon : 03-8735 2400 69 BUKU JURNAL KPLB 002.indd 63 05/03/2021 10:26 AM

ARTIKEL JURNAL LUAR BANDAR SEJAHTERA 2020 RURAL BUSINESS CHALLENGE (RBC) : ACHIEVEMENTS AND CHALLENGES Mohd Naim Bin Norman Rural Entrepreneurship Development Division, MRD CHALLENGES IN ACHIEVING WELL-BEING IN RURAL DEVELOPMENT – PERSPECTIVE OF THEORY AND PRACTICES Mohamad Tarmizi Abd Hamid Institute for Rural Development (INFRA), MRD ENGLISH LANGUAGE COMPETENCY AMONG KEMAS KINDERGARTEN’S TEACHERS Siti Norziana Binti Abdul Karim Community Development Department (KEMAS), MRD DEVELOPMENT OF I-DESA APPLICATION FOR CENTRALISED VILLAGE INFORMATION AND PLANNING Roslida Mat Zin, Rhoodie George Institute for Rural Development (INFRA), MRD IMPROVEMENT OF MPKK KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS IN MANAGING THE RURAL AREAS FROM SIJIL TADBIR URUS DESA PROGRAMME INFRA-UNIKL Aslina Wati Abdullah Institute for Rural Development (INFRA), MRD SOCIAL MEDIA PRACTICE IN KPLB Nurul Adha binti Md Daud Institute for Rural Development (INFRA), MRD PROGRAMME DESA HARAPAN : A STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF SOCIAL –ECONOMICS IN RURAL AREAS Raja Nazrin bin Raja Ahmad Rural Community Division, MRD THE REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT PROJECT OF KG. GELUNG PEPUYU, PERAK TENGAH, PERAK: AN OUTCOME ASSESSMENT STUDY Mr Mohamed bin Mat Yaakob, Mr Ahmad Zeohairi Ismail@Zanudin, Miss Siti Fatimah Ramli, Mr.Suhaimi Hasan, Miss Faeizah Norjinal and Mr Raden Mohd Fawwaz BIL CONTENTS PAGES 70 71 78 84 97 101 105 111 116 BUKU JURNAL KPLB 002.indd 64 05/03/2021 10:26 AM

ARTIKEL JURNAL LUAR BANDAR SEJAHTERA 2020 RURAL BUSINESS CHALLENGE (RBC): ACHIEVEMENTS AND CHALLENGES Mohd Naim Bin Norman Rural Entrepreneurship Development Division, MRD ABSTRACT Rural entrepreneurship is one of the fundamentals components in rural economic development. In Malaysia, Rural Business Challenge (RBC) programme was introduced by the MRD through the initiatives of Government Transformation Programme (GTP) 2.0 under the 21st Century Village Programme at 2012. This programme aimed to encourage youths in rural areas to choose entrepreneurship as their future career, to create more job opportunities, and to improve the income level among the rural communities while promoting a more attractive rural area to live in. This competition encouraged innovative youth entrepreneurs to come forward with robust business proposals (BP) aimed at developing a sustainable business within rural areas. RBC winners will receive business grants up to RM2 millions to execute their robust business plans within the designated rural sector. A total of two hundred and nine (209) out of the four thousand and four hundred ninety-eight (4,498) entrepreneurs have been chosen as the winners. To date, one hundred and forty-three (143) winners have completed their projects while the remaining sixty-six (66) winners were still at the implementation stage. A brief outcome study involved 2012 to 2015 winners showed that RBC programme is a successful initiative as it improved all winners’ incomes up to about ninety-five percent (95.2%), which was amounted to RM3.224 million. It created more than one thousand and eight hundred ninety-two (1,892) job opportunities and generated a total of four hundred and thirty-one (431) new entrepreneurs. Nevertheless, RBC also faced few challenges including incompetent contractors and suppliers, natural disaster, bureaucracies, rising cost, and lack of monitoring during the project implementation phase, which led to project delays and unclaimed grants. Drastic measures were taken to overcome the issues and ensured that the business grants could be utilised efficiently by the RBC winners according to their proposed business plans. The future of RBC programme will be determined from a comprehensive impacts study. The study accessed the real outcomes and impacts of these programmes compared to its initial objectives. From the study, better implementation approaches for this programme were also proposed. As a whole, sustainable youth rural entrepreneurship programme will benefit and uplift the rural areas and its communities. Keywords: Rural development, Entrepreneurship, Rural business challenge, Grants, MRD. 71 BUKU JURNAL KPLB 002.indd 65 05/03/2021 10:26 AM

ARTIKEL JURNAL LUAR BANDAR SEJAHTERA 2020 72 INTRODUCTION Entrepreneurship is widely recognised as a vital element for economic growth. It stimulates the economy through the spill over effect of knowledge and promotes healthy competition between the entrepreneurs (Carree & Thurik 2005). Rural entrepreneurship plays a crucial role in developing the economic growth of a country, particularly for developing countries in Asia, such as China, India, Malaysia, and Thailand. Few parties like government, institutions and individuals generally reached a mutual consensus on the crucial needs to promote rural enterprises. This is because rural enterprises have enormous employment potential and mechanism to improve the well-being of the rural community. In Malaysia, the development of Rural Entrepreneurship Agenda has been started since 1970. New Economy Policy (NEP) was introduced and targeted for national unity, and the spirit is still continuing until today. The NEP has two main objectives, which are to eliminate poverty and inequality among the diverse groups of the Malaysian population and to eradicate inter and intra-racial concentration of dominant economic power in different type of professions and businesses (Osman-Rani 1990). Under NEP, the government had to strengthen the establishment of several agencies, including the MRD, Ministry of Agriculture, and Agro-based Industry before developing the rural economies in Malaysia via the implementation of robust programmes and strategies. In 1990, the Rural Entrepreneurship Programme continued to be developed under the Malaysia Plan, followed by the New Philosophy and Strategy for Rural Development in 1994 (MRD 2019). However, the government has shifted its focus from infrastructure to the empowerment of the rural community. The government also implemented a series of programmes and supports to enhance the development of rural entrepreneurship via the KPLB. Such programmes include entrepreneurship training programmes, marketing programmes, agriculture and tourism development programmes, and financial assistance scheme. Programmes like Gerakan Desa Wawasan were also implemented to transform the rural areas into a more attractive and profitable place for living (New Straits Times 2019). The government also attempted to encourage the youths to remain living in the rural areas via the 21st Century Village programme through three (3) initiatives: the Desa Lestari programme, large scale premium fruits farming, and the Rural Business Challenge (RBC) (JPM 2014) which will be discussed later in this paper. LITERATURE REVIEW Rural entrepreneurship is one of the fundamental elements in rural economic development. Rural entrepreneurship is defined as the establishment of a new organisation that produces a new product, creates a new market, or utilises new technology in a rural environment (Wortman 1990). In this context, a rural entrepreneur is someone who lives in the countryside and contributing to the creation of local wealth (Petrin 1994). They focused on natural resources and agriculture activities. General perception of a rural entrepreneur is someone independent, risk-taking, success-oriented, self-confident, optimistic, hardworking, and innovative. BUKU JURNAL KPLB 002.indd 66 05/03/2021 10:26 AM

ARTIKEL JURNAL LUAR BANDAR SEJAHTERA 2020 Furthermore, rural entrepreneurship is mainly focused upon creating new employment opportunities in rural areas through the establishment of new enterprises (Noor & Ramin 2012). Stathopoulos et al. (2004) divided rural entrepreneurship development into three (3) phases; conceptual development, entrepreneur awareness towards the opportunities, and operational phase (actual business operations). The definition above indicates that rural entrepreneurs are individuals who have entrepreneurship development in the rural area. At the same time, they are capable of adapting to the environment change. Rural areas are home to nearly three-quarter (3/4) of the world’s poor today despite the substantial out-migration to urban areas phenomena. Rural lands also provide a majority of the world’s food (FAO 2014). In the Malaysia context, rural can be defined as “all the gazetted areas with less than 10,000 people and all of the non-gazetted areas”. According to the MRD (2019), rural is also defined as an area with a population of fewer than 10,000 people. Demographers forecasted that around sixty-one percent (68%) of the world’s population would be living in urban areas by 2050 (UN 2018). As out-migration trends become more prominent, many countries will experience increasing pressure due to scarce economic and food resources (FAO 2014). Malaysia is no exclusion to this trend. Due to the considerable out-migration phenomena in the post-1970 period, all rural areas experienced a significant drop in the population. During this period, Malaysia started a series of intensive efforts towards urbanisation and industrialisation programmes (Arshad & Shamsudin 1997). The latest figure in 2018 showed that seventy-seven percent (77%) of the total Malaysia’s population lived in the urban area and this figure is expected to increase to twenty-six (26) million people or eighty percent (80%) of the total Malaysian’s population by 2030 (NST 2019). With such nerve-wracking trend envisaged, the Malaysian government has embarked various economic programmes and strategies to develop the rural sector through infrastructure, agricultural, industrialisation, and economic policies, particularly in rural entrepreneurship empowerment. In recent years, the Malaysian government has been actively introducing a series of new programmes as an effort to encourage the rural youths to live in the countryside by providing a better quality of life and environment in rural areas. The introduction of Rural Development National Key Result Areas (RD NKRA) under Government Transformation Programme (GTP) in 2010 has accelerated the delivery of basic infrastructures in rural areas, while the groundwork for the second phase of rural development, specifically in empowering the rural Malaysians financially, is occurring as well. The RD NKRA’s initiatives in the latter segment are grouped under the 21st Century Village Programme. It comprises Driving Youth Entrepreneurship Initiative via RBC programme implemented by MRD. 73 BUKU JURNAL KPLB 002.indd 67 05/03/2021 10:26 AM

ARTIKEL JURNAL LUAR BANDAR SEJAHTERA 2020 74 RURAL BUSINESS CHALLENGE PROGRAMME (RBC) The RBC programme was introduced in 2012 through the GTP 2.0 under the 21st Century Youth Entrepreneurship Village Programme. The RBC programme aimed to discover young entrepreneurs’ talent in launching their business plans and to expand their existing businesses in rural areas. Besides, this model targeted to encourage youths to live in in the rural area or attract the youths to return by allowing the young entrepreneurs to create BP. The winners from this programme will receive a business grant to expand their business under the supervision of MRD. At the same time, successful businesses will improve the income level of rural entrepreneurs and communities, which makes it a win-win situation. Figure 1: Rural Business Challenge (RBC) Programme model With the cooperation of MRD agencies such as MARA, KEJORA, KETENGAH, KEDA, KESEDAR, INFRA, FELCRA, RISDA, JAKOA and KEMAS, the programme also received collaboration from other ministry agencies such as MARDI, Department of Agriculture, Department of Veterinary Services, Malaysian Timber Industry Board (MTIB), Bumiputra Agenda Steering Unit (TERAJU), Federal Agricultural Marketing Authority (FAMA), SIRIM Berhad, MDEC, and Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation (MATRADE). The extensive collaboration network plays a critical role in this competition as it ensures all projects achieved its objectives and gave a significant impact on the rural community. Thus, the main objectives of this entrepreneurial-oriented programme were to: (i) encourage youths especially in rural areas to choose entrepreneurship as their preferred career; (ii) create job opportunities and improve the income level of rural population; and (iii) create an attractive countryside to live in. The RBC programme was implemented based on two categories of the business proposal (BP), which are Business Growth (PP) and Business Idea (IP). BP category is for participants who were already an entrepreneur but aspired to expand their business. Meanwhile, IP category is for youth who have robust ideas and wished to venture into the rural business sector. A total of four thousand and four hundred ninety-eight (4,498) BP entries were received from 2012 to 2017, and MRD evaluated all proposals. A total of two hundred and nine (209) entrepreneurs out of the total entries were shortlisted as the winners. One hundred thirty-two (132) participants from the PP category were awarded business grant prizes worth up to RM 76 million. Competition KPLB funds and organises a business plan competition for all Malaysian youth. Competition will be advertised in major local print, broadcast and online media. Funding Panel consisting of KPLB will review all proposal submissions and all of the finalists will be interviewed before winners are announced. Business In order to start up their BP, financial assistance will be provided to the winner BUKU JURNAL KPLB 002.indd 68 05/03/2021 10:26 AM

ARTIKEL JURNAL LUAR BANDAR SEJAHTERA 2020 Seventy-seven (77) participants from the IP category received cash prizes worth up to RM 1.08 million. The grant payments were given in a few phases subjected to the project implementation milestones achieved by the winners. Out of the two hundred and nine (209) entrepreneurs, one hundred forty-three (143) winners had completed their projects while the remaining sixty-six (66) winners were still implementing their projects with RM 6.9 million balance in their grants. However, the RBC programme was temporarily halted in 2018 and 2019 to allow MRD focused on monitoring the winners’ projects, exploring market access, and performing impact study of the programme. ACHIEVEMENTS AND CHALLENGES OF RBC PROGRAMME A brief outcome study was conducted in 2017 to evaluate the actual outcomes of the RBC programme in 2012 to 2015 (Table 1). Seventy-seven (77) entrepreneurs (100% sampling) who won the RBC competition in the PP category were evaluated in the aspects of (i) revenue/ incomes; (ii) numbers of trained entrepreneur, and (iii) numbers of job opportunities. The evaluation outcomes are stated in Table 2. Table 1: The number of winners (RBC Business Growth Category) Table 2: The results of evaluation outcomes. From the implementation of the RBC programme in 2012 to 2015, the winner’s revenue has increased significantly by about ninety-five percent (95.2%), which was amounted to RM3.224 million over a year as compared to that of before competition. The winners mentored a total of four hundred thirty-one (431) entrepreneurs. One thousand eight hundred ninety-two (1892) job opportunities were created and contributed to the socioeconomic activities in rural areas. 75 OUTCOME RBC 2012 RBC 2013 RBC 2014 RBC 2015 TOTAL Revenue increment (RM) 303,000.00 1,400,000.00 635,000.00 886,000.00 RM3,224,000.00 (95.2%) Numbers of entrepreneurs created 93 178 82 78 431 Entrepreneurs Numbers of job 389 805 352 346 1,892 opportunities opportunities created. YEAR THE NUMBER OF WINNERS 2012 11 2013 20 2014 23 2015 23 Total 77 BUKU JURNAL KPLB 002.indd 69 05/03/2021 10:26 AM

ARTIKEL JURNAL LUAR BANDAR SEJAHTERA 2020 From the study, several issues and challenges were encountered by the winners during the implementation of their project plans. Those issues and challenges have affected their performance and outcomes adversely. Some of the main issues and challenges were listed in Table 3. Table 3: Issues and Challenges Faced The issues and challenges reported from the assessment study enable the government to identify the weaknesses of RBC programme and undertake prompt actions to overcome the issues. For example, the selection criteria in appointing contractors and suppliers as outlined in the RBC guidelines have been tightened. The RBC Programme Coordination Committee (JPP-RBC) meetings should be held frequently in order to expedite and approve any project applications, so that the grant can be utilised efficiently. Regular monitoring activities should take place to assist the youth entrepreneurs in managing their project issues. Besides, entrepreneurs must organise their project planning including foreseeing all of the project requirements and risks, obtaining necessary approvals from the related authorities in the advanced, proper selection of contractors, suppliers and locations as well as keeping track on the latest business trends. Systematic project planning and management are extremely important as it eliminates undesirable delay of the projects and unclaimed grants during the implementation phase. As RBC programme is moving forward, a comprehensive study on the impact of this programme is essential to be carried out. It should expound all methods, outputs, outcomes, and impacts of this programme. The results of the impact study will identify the benefits, strengths, and weaknesses of this programme towards rural development in the next twelfth Malaysian Plan (RMK-12) CONCLUSION Entrepreneurship is one of the major workhorses in accelerating the economic development of a country. The rural entrepreneurship programme aimed to improve the socio-economic level of the rural areas by creating more socio-economic activities and job opportunities while making the countryside a more liveable place. From 2012 to 2017, the MRD has devised the RBC programme to discover more rural youth entrepreneurs, create more job opportunities in the rural area, improve the income level of rural society, and reduce rural ISSUES / CHALLENGES NUMBER OF ENTREPRENEURS INVOLVED Incompetent contractor / supplier 12 Change in contractor/supplier 7 Difficulty in finding a suitable project site 5 Obtaining approval from the authorities (local authority/DOE/TNB etc.) 3 Natural disaster 3 Delay in project milestones as the proposal was not approved by JPP-RBC 2 The winner got sick / died 2 Cost savings from approved projects 2 Total 36 76 BUKU JURNAL KPLB 002.indd 70 05/03/2021 10:26 AM

ARTIKEL JURNAL LUAR BANDAR SEJAHTERA 2020 migration to urban cities. From the outcome study, the RBC programme has successfully increased the winner’s revenue, created more job opportunities and discovered more youth entrepreneurs in rural areas. The way forward of the RBC programme will be determined through the impact assessment study. The impact assessment study will evaluate the benefits of this programme for rural development. From the evaluation outcome, new or improved youth entrepreneurship programme will be proposed to be implemented in the next twelfth Malaysia Plan (RMK12). REFERENCES Arshad, F.M. and Shamsudin, M.N., 1997. Rural development model in Malaysia. Retrieved August, 23, p.2004. Carree, M.A. and Thurik, A.R., 2010. The impact of entrepreneurship on economic growth. In Handbook of entrepreneurship research (pp. 557-594). Springer, New York, NY. FAO, T., 2014. The state of food and agriculture: Innovation in family farming. Rome: FAO. Hezri Adnan. 2019. Revitalising rural Malaysia. New Straits Times, 25 February. Jabatan Perdana Menteri, 2014. Government transformation programme: Annual report 2013. Malaysia: Government of Malaysia. Kementerian Pembangunan Luar Bandar (KPLB). Background of Rural Development. https://www.rurallink.gov.my/en/background-of-rural-development Kementerian Pembangunan Luar Bandar (KPLB). Dasar Pembangunan Luar Bandar. https://www.rurallink.gov.my/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/BUKU-DASAR-DPLB-2019_new.pdf Noor, H.M. and Ramin, A.K., 2012. Preliminary Study Of Rural Entrepreneruship Development Program In Malaysia. Journal of global entrepreneurship. Osman-Rani, H., 1990. Malaysia’s New Economic Policy: After 1990. Southeast Asian Affairs, pp.204-226. Petrin, T., 1994. Entrepreneurship and supporting institutions: An analytical approach. Seventh FAO/REU International Rural Development Summer School, Herrsching, Germany. FAO. Stathopoulou, S., Psaltopoulos, D. and Skuras, D., 2004. Rural entrepreneurship in Europe. International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behavior & Research. United Nations, 2018. 68% of the world population projected to live in urban areas by 2050, says UN. Wortman Jr, M.S., 1990. Rural entrepreneurship research: An integration into the entrepreneurship field. Agribusiness, 6(4), pp.329-344. 77 BUKU JURNAL KPLB 002.indd 71 05/03/2021 10:26 AM

ARTIKEL JURNAL LUAR BANDAR SEJAHTERA 2020 CHALLENGES IN ACHIEVING WELL-BEING IN RURAL DEVELOPMENT – PERSPECTIVE OF THEORY AND PRACTICES Mohamad Tarmizi Abd Hamid Institute for Rural Advancement (INFRA), MRD ABSTRACT This article discussed the well-being, challenges, and benefits of rural development from the theoretical and practices perspective. Well-being is not just as a phrase, but it has a myriad of benefits and impacts on rural development in Malaysia. The well-being of rural areas has been widely accepted as one of the nation’s visions to help the rural people in bringing their hopes to reality. The Ministry For Rural Development (MRD) has taken a major role in achieving the national vision. In line with this new aspiration, the government has launched The Rural Development Policy, which was implemented by MRD and supported by other departments. A series of rural development programmes have been implemented ever since. From the implementation of the rural development programmes, it was found out that there are many challenges yet to be confronted. Finally, this article also discussed the benefits of rural development programmes in shaping the new future of well-being for the rural people. Keywords: Rural Development, Well-being, Challenges, Human Capital, Capacity Building. INTRODUCTION In Malaysia, rural development is one of the main efforts undertaken by the government to resolve socio-economic issues in rural areas. Before national independence, most of the rural development was still limited in practice. Numerous rural development programmes have been introduced and implemented to help the low-income groups in rural areas. Most of the nation’s development programme took place in the urban areas, where the economic resources brought more benefits to the urban cities than the rural areas. At the same time, natural resources such as tin and rubber became the main domestic commodities for export and main incomes source for the local people. In 1959, the MRD was established, and few government initiatives were introduced to enhance rural development. During this period, many rural development programmes like basic infrastructure and socio-economic programmes have been implemented by the MRD. The main goal of those programmes was to improve the quality of life of all the people in rural areas regardless of ethnic and races. However, there is plenty of room for improvement to reduce the gap between rural and urban areas. As an effort in addressing such a situation, a new transformation policy and initiative should be introduced to help the rural people, especially in the context of well-being initiatives. Therefore, the government has launched a few new and specific policies related to rural development, such as the Rural Development Policy. This policy was launched officially by the Prime Minister on 27 June 2019. This national policy has a clear nation’s vision to deliver the rural well-being initiative. From this policy, all programmes and initiatives introduced by MRD aim to give significant impacts on the well-being of the rural areas and people. 78 BUKU JURNAL KPLB 002.indd 72 05/03/2021 10:26 AM

ARTIKEL JURNAL LUAR BANDAR SEJAHTERA 2020 As a whole, this article emphasises on the well-being concept, challenges, and benefits of rural development from the perspective of MRD theoretical and practices. LITERATURE REVIEW As mentioned earlier, the government has been making many efforts in developing rural areas since independence. The government has prioritised all kind of dimensions, including the quality of life for rural development (Malaysian Quality of Life Report 1999). The people are the main targeted group who receives benefits through various government programmes and initiatives. However, most of benefits should be given to the rural people, especially the poor. The assistance will improve their quality of life significantly. These target groups were established by the government, and a series of social and economic programmes were implemented to improve the living conditions of the target group six (6) decades ago. As stated in the Malaysian Quality of Life Report (1999) these efforts include improving living conditions of the poor, increasing the income level of the rural people, providing a better quality education, health and housing as well as offering improved working conditions (Malaysian Quality of Life Report 1999). In the context of living conditions, the actual impacts and outcomes to the rural people should be investigated in detailed. One of the nation’s visions is to achieve a balanced wellbeing state for the rural people and living areas. Well-being can be defined in many aspects, such as social well-being or economy well-being. In the context of rural development, a balanced development encompasses all dimensions in life and requires the attainment of well-being in the concept of achievement. The nation vision not only aims to enhance the rural areas in the context of economic development but also in social improvement as well. From the literature review, there are different concepts about the well-being related to human life; however, the definition of well-being concept is generally too broad to describe. As the concept of well-being is undeniably complex, Dodge et al. (2012) proposed a new definition of well-being as the balance point between all individual’s resources including psychological aspect, social aspect, physical aspect, and challenges encountered in all those aspects. Dodge et al. (2012) even suggested that an individual’s equilibrium can be affected by the elements related to resources and challenges. People will meet a particular element in a specific challenge. In their definition, the level of well-being can be low or high, depending on the stability of the resources and related challenges faced. From the literature review, aspects including economic development, psychological, social, and cultural are regarded as the quality of life elements. Thus, the quality of life in Malaysia is defined as follows;“encompassing personal advancements, a healthy lifestyle, access and freedom to pursue knowledge, and a standard of basic needs of individuals and their psychological needs, to achieve a level of social well-being compatible with the nation’s aspiration” (p. 6, Malaysian Quality of Life Report, 1999). From this report, the well-being can be regarded as a national vision because the government aspired to achieve the well-being of the rural community. Besides, some scholars associated well-being with the quality of life, while others said well-being is not only limited to the quality of life. 79 BUKU JURNAL KPLB 002.indd 73 05/03/2021 10:26 AM

ARTIKEL JURNAL LUAR BANDAR SEJAHTERA 2020 80 It can be defined in many ways, depending on the situation. From the concept and theory of well-being, economic, psychological, social, and physical elements can be accepted as the elements of well-being for the rural people’s needs. The well-being can be proposed as a national aspiration, as stated earlier in the Malaysian Quality of Life Report (1999). In parallel with this aspiration, MRD has accepted the importance of well-being to the people in rural areas since its establishment in 1959. Despite the acceptance, the well-being was poorly emphasised at that time due to the proponent poverty issues and lack of basic needs after independence. Hence, the achievement of well-being in all dimensions for the rural areas is still yet to be achieved at a large scale. To address such phenomenon, the ministry proposed the specific policy to tackle the urgent rural development issues and bring well-being for the rural people as part of the nation’s aspiration. WELL-BEING CONCEPTUAL In Malaysia, Rural Development Policy (RDP) was launched by the Prime Minister on 27th June 2019. This policy has ten (10) thrusts comprising of economy, entrepreneurship, human capital, infrastructure, youth, women, well-being for rural, delivery system, environment, housing, and regional development. All pillars were discussed thoroughly among the stakeholders, rural people, government agencies, non-governmental organisations, target groups, and other parties. A wide spectrum of views and inputs were given by all parties to enhance the rural development programmes. The extensive efforts took by the MRD indicated the solemnity of the government in bringing all aspects and dimensions of well-being to the rural areas. Therefore, the wellbeing has been acknowledged as one of the nation’s visions to be attained by 2030 or earlier. However, it is not easy to achieve this vision overnight as it needs more efforts and commitments to put this vision in reality. All agencies under MRD and other machinery of government must be cooperated with an integrated approach and spirits to implement all thrusts of rural development in RDP. Among the challenges in delivering well-being for the people in rural areas, there are two scopes of challenges which can be derived from human factor and physical needs (Study in Training Impact, INFRA 2018). Human factors involve the management of human psychological, behaviour, character, values, and human capital, including attitude, commitment, interest, knowledge, skills, and culture. In contrast, physical factors involve either internal or external resources and not limited to infrastructure, basic needs, financial, instrument, tools, and equipment. The machinery of government should carry out all efforts to improve the rural socio-economic, and the initiatives should be supported by the people. The implementation of rural development programmes should be carried out by the government and the rural community together. BUKU JURNAL KPLB 002.indd 74 05/03/2021 10:26 AM

ARTIKEL JURNAL LUAR BANDAR SEJAHTERA 2020 CHALLENGES Involvement of rural people in this mission may eliminate some of the challenging issues in providing well-being for all. Human factors should be accepted as one of the important elements in implementing rural development programmes. The individuals must have proper psychological traits, skills and, knowledge in different fields. All these precondition elements must be included under the human capital development programme. In line with the human capital development, MRD focused on the training and lifelong education to the rural people. In recent days, this mission has been implemented with a series of new strategies and efforts. The programme aims to improve the knowledge, skills, and values of rural people in all dimensions. Some of the major issues on the human factor and other factors hindering the success of well-being vision are listed as follows. a. To reduce negative attitude towards development programmes. b. To provide proper knowledge and skills. c. To encourage high involvement and interest of rural people. d. To enhance collaboration and commitment. e. To instil high awareness and positive psychological traits. f. To develop effective rural community leadership. g. To support with adequate resources to those who are applicable. Challenges of implementing rural development programmes were also clearly stated in RDP. There are many challenges necessary to be tackled according to the respective thrusts. For example, in human capital thrust, people mindset and the inclusiveness of capacity building are some of the challenges. It is usually challenging to change the people mindset instantly from negative perception towards positive thinking and proactive personality. This challenge is regarded as a universal phenomenon, which can be found in many societies, either rural or urban people and either in the developing or industrial countries. Another challenge related to human development is creating skilful and productive workforce among the younger generation. In the context of human development, MRD provided proper knowledge and skills training from all over the education and training institutions in Malaysia. After all, the most challenging issue for MRD to solve is to bring such capacity building to all people in rural areas, including the remote areas. At the same time, people should be interested in learning new skills and knowledge from many fields. Despite the scattered resident population in a rural area, it can still be achieved progressively with the high commitment of agencies in reaching out to these groups at various places and areas. Rural people should not be left behind with proper education and skill training by the government. Such matters must be integrated with the involvement of rural leaders and community in the respective village or settlement. 81 BUKU JURNAL KPLB 002.indd 75 05/03/2021 10:26 AM

ARTIKEL JURNAL LUAR BANDAR SEJAHTERA 2020 82 The rural leaders and its society must work together in assisting the government in bringing all dimensions of well-being into people lives. Engagement and collaboration with the rural leaders and their villagers is a strategic approach in seeking the involvement of the rural residents for rural development programmes. At present, there are 26,400 villages in Malaysia (RDP 2019) and the rural people of each village should optimise the usage of their own rural resources. This is a critical aspect because the rural residents must protect all natural resources based on the needs and ownership. The rural people must manage the income generation and economic strength from the optimised usage of rural resources. At the same time, the machinery of government should assist and support them within their roles and functions. To overcome these challenges, rural people must work together with an integrated approach proposed by the government agencies. Practical strategies and means should be proposed to the rural people according to the situation and needs in the rural areas. Not all means can be compliant with all situations and hopes. However, the implementation of rural development programmes should be based on the real needs of rural people for an effective empowerment. This offers an opportunity for the rural people to learn and understand new development strategies and technology. Without offering prior awareness and knowledge, the rural people may not understand the potential socio-economic benefits and impacts that may bring into their lives. Once the rural people understand the benefits of the programme, it will be easier for the rural people to accept the programme. BENEFITS AND WAY FORWARD The government has clearly outlined the importance and development of well-being in the five year development plan. In Eleventh Malaysia Plan (2016-2020) mid-term review, the concept of well-being was stated as the second pillar as inclusive development will enhance and brings well-being to all Malaysians (11th Malaysia Plan or MTR 2018). Indeed, one of the approach to achieve well-being is inclusive development. This approach is a strategic thrust towards an equitable society. From the perspective of MRD, the well-being vision will be given as a top priority to enhance the inclusive development in rural areas. Therefore, all dimensions in the economy, social, basic needs, psychological aspects, physical facilities, education, and others will be improved significantly in the rural areas. These dimensions have been stated under RDP as top priorities in 10 thrusts. The success in achieving RDP vision and its goals would depend on the level of commitment and interests exhibited by all parties in implementing the development programmes in the rural areas. Both government and rural community need to work together in bringing the well-being for all people. In ten years before the year 2030, all efforts and programmes proposed in RDP should be implemented thoroughly as MRD moves forward. By the year 2030, all dimensions in the well-being concept should be improved especially in the rural areas, and the concept of well-being is reached within the community and equitable society.. All challenges must be confronted in the right path as guided by RDP in order to achieve well-being. BUKU JURNAL KPLB 002.indd 76 05/03/2021 10:26 AM

ARTIKEL JURNAL LUAR BANDAR SEJAHTERA 2020 CONCLUSION It is envisaged that all rural people should receive all type of benefits from the well-being vision through the rural development programmes. It may take some time to achieve, but it all depends on the efficiency of machinery of government in bringing this vision toreality from all dimensions of social, economy, health, education, and other aspects. As a whole, this MRD vision will benefit 7.8 million people in the rural areas of Malaysia (Basic Data MRD 2018). REFERENCES Basic Data MRD. 2018. Putrajaya: Strategic Planning Division, KPLB, Malaysia. Dodge, R., Daly, A., Huyton, J. & Sanders, L. 2012. The challenge of defining well-being. International Journal of Well-being, 2(3): 222-235. Executive summary mid-term review of the eleventh Malaysia Plan (2016-2020). 2018. Putrajaya: Economic Planning Unit, Ministry of Economic Affairs, Malaysia. Malaysian Quality of Life Report. 1999. Kuala Lumpur: Economic Planning Unit, Prime Minister’s Department. Study in Training Impact on Induction Course to JKKK Leaders in Peninsular Malaysia. Bangi: Research and Planning Division, Institute for Rural Advancement (INFRA). 83 BUKU JURNAL KPLB 002.indd 77 05/03/2021 10:26 AM

ARTIKEL JURNAL LUAR BANDAR SEJAHTERA 2020 84 ENGLISH LANGUAGE COMPETENCY AMONG KEMAS KINDERGARTEN’S TEACHERS Siti Norziana Binti Abdul Karim Community Development Department (KEMAS),MRD [email protected] ABSTRACT Early childhood education plays a critical role in national development as it serves as the foundation for the subsequent education levels. Teaching children as early as six (6) years old can be a tough and complex responsibility. It is a huge challenge for early childhood teachers to teach English as a second language and interact with young English language learners. With Community Development Department (KEMAS) as one of the early childhood operators, a new insight on the English language proficiency of the KEMAS Kindergarten’s teachers (Pemaju Masyarakat or PM) was reported in 2018. From the study, poor English communication skills were observed among the six (6) years old KEMAS kindergarten’s children as compared to other subjects outlined in the National Pre-school Standard Curriculum (NPSC). Since the potential origins of such poor English communication skills are too broad to be examined simultaneously, some limitations should be addressed to make the case study objectively measurable. As a result, the teacher element was chosen as the first examinable case as the literature widely suggested that the teacher’s roles were correlated with the student’s learning performance significantly. Two (2) main categories of KEMAS kindergartens were identified for fair observation and data collection. The first category was KEMAS kindergartens under locality Bandaraya and Bandar (Urban) and the second category was those under Luar Bandar, Pedalaman I and Pedalaman II (SubUrban) locality. Three (3) KEMAS kindergartens under each category (Urban and SubUrban) in Malaysia were visited for Teaching and Learning (TnL) observation. In order to assess the professionalism displayed by KEMAS kindergarten’s teacher and pedagogy adopted, the framework used for this research study was adopted from that proposed by Blomeke and Delaney. From the study, it found out that there were rooms for improvement in every dimension prescribed in the Blomeke & Delaney Framework, especially for the pedagogical elements. As a whole, the recommendation of this study will link the entire findings, so that strategic planning can be formulated effectively in the future. Keywords: English competency, Pedagogy, Early childhood education 1.0 INTRODUCTION This document reported on the competency of KEMAS Kindergarten’s teachers in improving the English language performance of KEMAS Kindergartens’s children. This report also outlined the study background which includes the issue, the specific objectives, the framework adopted, the research methodology with an emphasis on the description of fieldwork, the types of analyses, the discussion of results, and lastly the recommendation before the conclusion. From such a presentation, it is expected that the main issues highlighted in the background will be perceived properly before the empirical investigation can be established. BUKU JURNAL KPLB 002.indd 78 05/03/2021 10:26 AM

ARTIKEL JURNAL LUAR BANDAR SEJAHTERA 2020 2.0 BACKGROUND National development usually involves many tenets. Apart from social, economic and cultural contexts, education is also one of the crucial tenets responsible for national development. Within the education context, childhood education plays a critical role in national development as it serves as the foundation in achieving a good balance of human capital. A good balance human capital was highlighted in the National Pre-school Standard Curriculum (NPSC) (MOE, 2017). It serves as the national development initiative to be implemented in Malaysia childhood education system by the local government and private operators. Within NPSC, six (6) elements are reported and expected to produce a good balance in human capital and also enable the attainment of national development as intended by the Malaysia government. Figure 1: The NPSC framework (MOE, 2017) Figure 1 depicts the six (6) components allowing the attainment of a balanced human capital. Communication is one of the critical components that underpin the NPSC’s goal. In NPSC, communication is about the integration of several language skills into the study of pre-school students. This implied that both Bahasa Melayu and English languages are blended into the pre-school educational delivery system by the operators, including KEMAS, PERPADUAN, Ministry of Education (MOE), and private kindergartens. The pre-school educational delivery systems comprise a wide range of assessment methods to measure and monitor the performance of NPSC delivery. Within the context of KEMAS, there are two (2) main mechanisms to measure the level of children’s development, as illustrated in Table 1 as follow: 85 BUKU JURNAL KPLB 002.indd 79 05/03/2021 10:26 AM

ARTIKEL JURNAL LUAR BANDAR SEJAHTERA 2020 MECHANISMS FOCUS National Pre-school Assessment Instrument (IPPK) The screening and enrichment of reading, writing and arithmetic (3R) skills Module (MSPP) Measuring and monitoring the six (6) components of the NPSC Screening and enrichment of literacy (Bahasa Melayu and English) and numeracy skills 86 Table 1: The mechanisms to measure the level of children’s development The IPPK was established by MOE in 2017, whereas KEMAS introduced MSPP in 2016. Both mechanisms are important as the report will be used as a guideline for KEMAS in formulating action plans to enhance the early childhood education in KEMAS. As KEMAS emphasises on the school readiness of the children, KPIs related to the level of children’s development in both NPSC delivery and 3R’s skills were revised yearly. The report will monitor and present to the top management of KEMAS twice a year (August and December). As for the 2017 assessment, the IPPK indicated that the communication element scored the lowest as compared to other NPSC components. Only seventy percent (70%) of 56,42 the six years old children were able to master English communication skills, and the targeted KPI of eighty percent (80%) was unable to achieve. However, the poor English reading and writing performance for MSPP were reported at seventy-seven percent (77%) and eightytwo percent (82%), respectively (79% in average) as compared to Bahasa Melayu (89%) and Mathematics (89%). Although all subjects measured under MSPP failed to achieve the targeted KPI (90%), the English performance (only 79%) was the weakest among all as compared to Bahasa Melayu (89%) and Mathematics (89%). Hence, more studies need to be conducted to investigate the factors that contributed to the large performance gap between English communication and other subjects. 3.0 PROBLEM STATEMENT The integration of language skills, especially English, is well acknowledged in multiple government policies. There are six (6) key attributes every student should possess in order to be globally competitive, as highlighted under Malaysia Education Blueprint (2013- 2025). One of the key attributes is learning and mastering of a foreign language by 2025 (MOE, 2012). Under Malaysia Education Blueprint (2013-2025), MOE also underlined eleven (11) shifts to transform the Malaysia education system. One of the shifts is to ensure that every child is proficient in both Bahasa Melayu and English languages. Very recently, the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) (2018) was adopted by MOE in teaching and learning English language in Malaysia. As English language communication skill is a continuous learning journey from pre-school to university, CEFR also was aligned with the NPSC. According to NPSC (MOE, 2017), 50% of the time allocated in the preschool classroom must be conducted in the English language. In contrast, the another 50% of the time allocated is conducted in the Bahasa Melayu medium. To become a global citizen of the 21st century, the urgent need to instil valuable knowledge and skills from an early age is crucial. BUKU JURNAL KPLB 002.indd 80 05/03/2021 10:26 AM

ARTIKEL JURNAL LUAR BANDAR SEJAHTERA 2020 Furthermore, KEMAS under MRD also governed by these policies. There are existing policies related to early childhood education under human capital enhancement aspects such as Rural Development Policy (2020-2030) and Pelan Harapan (2018-2023). Of late, Pelan Tindakan Kualiti Pendidikan Awal Kanak-kanak KEMAS (2020-2030) was launched by YB Datuk Seri Rina binti Mohd Harun, Minister of Rural Development on 31th October 2019. The policy emphasises on the enhancement of human capital in the rural area through various aspects, including upgrading the syllabus and improving the teacher’s proficiencies. There is no doubt that all these policies were part of the government’s initiatives to improve the quality of early childhood education, particularly English as a second language. However, the English language communication skills of KEMAS Kindergarten children were still rather poor compared to other subjects. Based on the trends of MSPP and IPPK performances in 2017 to 2018 as shown in Table 2 and 3 respectively, there must be a contributing factor that leads to such weak English language communication performance in many subjects such as Bahasa Melayu, Early Mathematics, Early Science, Islamic Education, Moral Education, Humanities, Personal Competence, Physical Development and Health Care, Creativity, and Aesthetics. Many factors can be potentially associated with the weak performance of English communication elements such as the teaching and learning module, infrastructure, teacher, children, parent, and learning environment. Table 2: MSPP’s Trend in 2017 and 2018 Table 3: IPPK’s Trend in 2017 and 2018 87 2017 (%) KPI 79 89 89 86% 70 80 80 - 84 92 92 90% 90 TARGET KPI TARGET 2018 (%) SUBJECTS/ COMPONENTS English Bahasa melayu Mathematic AVERAGE % 2017 (%) KPI 70 84 82 82 77 82 84 87 88 85 92 90 93 93 95 95 93 82% 81 93 92 92% 80 80 TARGET KPI TARGET 2018 (%) SUBJECTS/ COMPONENTS English Bahasa melayu Early Mathematic Early Science Islamic Education Moral Education Humanities Personal Competence Physical Development and Health Care Creativity and Aesthetics AVERAGE % BUKU JURNAL KPLB 002.indd 81 05/03/2021 10:26 AM

ARTIKEL JURNAL LUAR BANDAR SEJAHTERA 2020 88 However, since the factors contributing to the weak English language performance are extremely broad to be examined simultaneously, some limitations should be highlighted to make the case study objectively measurable. As a result, the teacher element was chosen as the first examinable case as many works of literature have suggested that teacher’s roles were one of the significant factors affecting the student’s learning performance (Gueririo 2014, 2015; Subadrah Madhawa Nair & Sopia Md Yassin 2017; Subadrah & Sophia 2017; Sheridan et al. .2009). With such justification, the teacher element was therefore considered as the factor to examine the weak English language performance of IPPK and MSPP assessments in KEMAS Kindergartens. 4.0 OBJECTIVES In this empirical research study, Teaching and Learning (TnL) processes in KEMAS Kindergarten were observed, and the objectives were specified as follows: i. To identify the level of English language usage among the teachers during TnL at KEMAS Kindergartens; and ii. To evaluate the professionalism and pedagogy adopted by teachers in teaching the English language at KEMAS Kindergartens. 5.0 SCOPE OF THE STUDY In achieving the predetermined objectives, the study focused on the four (4) subjects namely: 5.1 English Language Subject As briefly described in the background, the issue addressed in this study is the poor English language performance of KEMAS Kindergarten children as compared to other subjects. Therefore, the deliberate examination of this study is merely the English language subject. 5.2 Teachers Many components (curricular, modules, teacher, children, infrastructure, parent, and assessment environment) can establish meaningful learning system. In this study, it was performed to observe and monitor the teacher in delivering English language subject. 5.3 Mastery and Usage of English language To deliver the modules and conduct the class effectively, the teacher must be proficient to some necessary extent in the English language.Proficiency includes mastery and frequent usage of the English language during teaching. Therefore, this study narrowed down into mastery and usage of English language during class teaching. BUKU JURNAL KPLB 002.indd 82 05/03/2021 10:26 AM

ARTIKEL JURNAL LUAR BANDAR SEJAHTERA 2020 5.4 English Teaching Pedagogy Teaching different subjects and different level of students require different pedagogical approaches. Proper adoption of pedagogy is crucial as pedagogy helps to facilitate the learning effectively. Thus, this study focused on the teacher’s pedagogy when teaching English. 6.0 FRAMEWORK ADOPTED To measure the quality of teaching, the professionalism of teachers should be recognised and documented. In order to assess the pedagogical knowledge and professionalism displayed by the KEMAS Kindergarten’s teachers, the framework applied for this research study was adopted from that of Blomeke and Delaney (2012). The selection of Blomeke and Delaney’s framework was well justified as the framework includes all critical components related to the teacher’s professionalism, and it is widely recommended in the literature. Figure 2 depicts the Blomeke and Delaney (2012) framework. Figure 1: Seven (7) Attributes of Teacher’s Professionalism (Blomeke and Delaney, 2012) According to them, there are seven (7) identified domains that can be used to assess the professionalism and pedagogical knowledge of a teacher. The seven (7) identified domains are:- 6.1 Professional Knowledge (PK) PK plays an essential role in delivering high quality of classroom teaching and learning (Loughan, 2011). Hence, the current study is an attempt to develop adeep understanding of how PK can be documented, established, and refined among the KEMAS Kindergarten’s teachers. As teaching is the key milestone of a students’ academic performance, there is a major concern when a teacher displays poor PK. Assessing the quality of a teacher’s PK is a step closer to facilitate a good teaching process. A teacher should be well-equipped with the necessary knowledge and the general practices for an effective teaching-learning process 89 Cognitive Abilities Professional Knowledge General Pedagogical Knowledge Content Knowledge pedagogocal Content Knowledge Affective - Motivational Characteristics Motivation Self-Regulation Professional Beliefs About Teaching And Learning And The Subject Content BUKU JURNAL KPLB 002.indd 83 05/03/2021 10:26 AM

ARTIKEL JURNAL LUAR BANDAR SEJAHTERA 2020 90 6.2 General Pedagogical Knowledge General pedagogical knowledge (GPK) is evaluated among the KEMAS Kindergarten’s teachers. GPK is a major aspect of teaching. In this study, the teacher’s GPK is evaluated to determine their competency in adopting proper instructional methods, approaches, and techniques as well as classroom management skills for effective delivery of English language subject. From a study conducted by Konig and Pflanzl (2016), the relationship between teacher’s GPK and their instructional quality was found to be significant. The teacher’s GPK was correlated positively with the students’ perceptions of effective classroom management, generic teaching methods/teacher clarity, and teacher-student relationships. 6.3 Content Knowledge (CK) CK is also known as subject-matter knowledge. According to Ball and McDiarmid (1989), teachers who “possess inaccurate information or conceive of knowledge in narrow ways, they may pass on those ideas to their students”.The teachers must have high CK of the subjects they teach because teacher’s conceptions of knowledge could shape their teaching practices including the type of questions they asked, the type of ideas they reinforced, and the type of tasks they assigned (Ball & McDiarmid, 1989). 6.4 Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK) Teachers need to demonstrate a sufficient level of knowledge on the subject matter he or she is teaching (Shulman, 1986). Effective application of PCK will impact the teaching quality and students’ learning process significantly (Evens, Elen, & Depaepe, 2015). Thus, the teaching methods adopted by teachers when delivering the contents of the English lesson was observed as a key factor to determine their competence in this area. 6.5 Motivation One of the factors measured in this study was the level of teacher’s motivation. Handing pre-schoolers inside and outside of the classrooms can be quite challenging and exhausting for a teacher on a daily basis. These could be the setbacks for the teachers in gaining maximum job satisfaction (Suslu, 2006).Thus, motivation plays a fundamental role in the teaching profession as it attends to the teacher’s needs to stay motivated and internally driven.Therefore, the school administrators must ensure that the teachers are well motivated and professionally competent at carrying out the teaching profession. 6.6 Self-regulation This study observed the teacher’s self-regulated inclinations as it reflects in the instructor’s teaching and learning processes. Self-regulation has been proven to be important in life, especially for academic success (Bandura, 2006; Boekaerts, 1999). Self-regulation can be determined from the way the teachers set goals for teaching and learning, action planning, usage of proper instructional strategies based on the pre-set goals, frequent monitoring and evaluation of the outcomes, quick adaption and revision of their approach when necessary (Peeter et al., 2014). The teacher’s decisions and approaches to all these elements were observed as part of the study to evaluate the level of self-regulation in English language instruction. BUKU JURNAL KPLB 002.indd 84 05/03/2021 10:26 AM

ARTIKEL JURNAL LUAR BANDAR SEJAHTERA 2020 6.7 Professional belief about teaching, learning & subject content The next theme observed in this study was the teacher’s professional belief in teaching, learning and subject content. The selection of this domain was well justified as the teacher’s belief has a significant impact on influencing the instructional behaviours and teaching content (Turner, Christensen & Meyer, 2009). The identification of such domain was attained by analysing on how teachers were trained and how knowledge and beliefs were gained at the end of training (Blomeke & Delaney, 2012). 7.0 DESCRIPTION OF FIELDWORKS The following items form up the description of fieldwork. 7.1 Observation Field observations were chosen as the research technique in this study. With a systematic data collection approach, observation allows the use of human senses to examine the professionalism and pedagogy of KEMAS Kindergarten’s teachers during the fieldwork. Two (2) categories of KEMAS Kindergartens were selected for fair observation and data collection. The first category was the KEMAS Kindergartens under locality Bandaraya and Bandar (Urban) and the second category was those under Luar Bandar, Pedalaman I and Pedalaman II (Sub-Urban) locality. Three (3) KEMAS Kindergartens under each category (Urban and Sub-Urban) in Malaysia were visited for TnL observation. In order to maintain the reliability of the study, the selected KEMAS Kindergartens remain undisclosed, and the authors only communicated with the state’s representative before the visit trips. 7.2 Data gathering The observation used two (2) instruments that complement each other. They were a visual recorder and observation form. A visual recorder was used to capture the teacher’s behaviour during the English language teaching slot. The recorder was placed at the proper room corners to cover all teacher’s movement during teaching. The recording started immediately when the English slot commenced and ended when the slot finished. The observation form was used along with the visual recording to capture the detailed conducts of seven (7) dimensions prescribed in the framework. As the visual recording is capturing the teacher’s movement and activities, the form was used to record the ratings of seven (7) attributes associated with the teacher’s professionalism. 8.0 FINDINGS & DISCUSSIONS Based on the seven (7) dimensions prescribed in the framework (Blomeke & Delaney, 2012), this study found out that there is no significant relationship between the demographic factors such as age, locality of the teachers, and the location of the KEMAS Kindergarten with the dimensions. Particularly, this study indicated that: 8.1 Professional Knowledge (PK) This study found out that the teachers possessed sufficient PK attained from their previous tertiary education in the universities. The classroom was well managed, and the TnL processes were implemented effectively according to the syllabus and learning objectives. However, there was room for improvement in the methodology and pedagogy adopted during the TnL in English slot. 91 BUKU JURNAL KPLB 002.indd 85 05/03/2021 10:26 AM

ARTIKEL JURNAL LUAR BANDAR SEJAHTERA 2020 The English class activities were supposed to be active learning and teachers should apply the 21st Century learning methodology. By applying the principles of PK with the subject knowledge and relevant pedagogy, a significant enhancement in learners’ academic performances will be resulted. 8.2 General Pedagogical Knowledge GPK can also be categorised as a teaching method, instructional model, classroom management skill, or classroom communication tool (Morine-Deshimer & Kent, 1999). Hence, this study found out that there was plenty of room for improvement in the teacher’s GPK in the future due to rapid change in the Malaysia education system. Thus, both innovation and technology are some of the indispensable tools to cope with the fastchanging education system at the threshold of the 21st century. 8.3 Content Knowledge (CK) Aforementioned earlier, CK is also known as subject-matter knowledge. This study found out that English language proficiency among the teachers should be improved. It is found out that only thirty percent (30%) of the teachers (23 out of the 78 samples) applied the English language during TnL in the classroom. As required by NPSC, 50% of the teaching session must conduct in the English language, and another 50% of the day must be conducted in the Bahasa Melayu medium. This was not in place during the English teaching slot. This is because the pre-school’s teachers were not an English teacher who majored in the English language subject in primary and secondary schools. However, the pre-school’s teacher should at least be able to master listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills as outlined in the NPSC. 8.4 Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK) Evens, Elen, & Depaepe (2015) said the effective application of PCK would impact the teaching quality and students’ learning. Shulman (1986) asserted that mere CK without pedagogical application to the subject matter is useless in both ways. Thus, this study found out that the PCK among teachers also needs further improvement. The TnL will be conducted more successfully when the teachers can use a variety of audio-visual aids. The children would be more interested to learn English if the teachers adopted a new visual pedagogy where what subject is no longer matters. Thus, the skills and persuasive power to attract children’s in learning English are rather important. 8.5 Motivation Teacher motivation is crucial as it relates to the use of motivating strategies, which is directly affected the student motivation and English achievement as empirically supported by Bernaus, Wilson and Gardner (2009). Although the teaching motivation of KEMAS Kindergarten’s teacher met the study’s expectation, any efforts in promoting higher level of motivation among teachers should be encouraged as it also promotes more effective learning among the pre-school learners as well. 92 BUKU JURNAL KPLB 002.indd 86 05/03/2021 10:26 AM

ARTIKEL JURNAL LUAR BANDAR SEJAHTERA 2020 8.6 Self-regulation Self-regulation is an important component of the teachers’ competence. This study observed satisfactory self-regulation from the teachers, and the teachers were able to apply selfregulation behaviour in their profession. It is a soft skill that can be learnt from experience in practice. Furthermore, teachers are expected to acquire, practice, and improve selfregulation in the future (Randi, 2004). 8.7 Professional belief about teaching, learning & subject content As illustrated earlier, teacher’s belief in teaching is crucial in promoting high motivation level among the students, in shaping the instructional behaviour and content and finally, in achieving better academic performances (Turner, Christensen & Meyer, 2009). Therefore, the teachers’ belief in TnL and subject content must be investigated in order to gain a more in-depth picture of the teaching process that took place in KEMAS Kindergartens. Hence, the teachers’ belief in the teaching of English subject met the expectation of this study. These beliefs will affect the interaction behaviour between the teachers, children, and subject matter significantly. 9.0 RECOMMENDATION From the findings, several recommendations were proposed to KEMAS for rooms of improvement. KEMAS needs to come out with new insight on how significant each of the dimensions prescribed in the Blomeke & Delaney Framework (2012). Thus, the recommendations of this study will link the entire findings, and strategic planning can be formulated effectively in the future. 9.1 Vary teaching technique Teachers can attempt to adopt different teaching techniques and incorporating new materials (Moore, 2007). Teachers should capture and maintain the students’ interests by being innovative and adopting a variety of instructional approaches such as discovery learning, problem-solving, debates, forums, role-playing, simulation, games, computerassisted instructions, and other stimulating approaches that can customise the students’ learning preferences based on learning styles and intelligence. Games, simulations, and other activities with interesting features can promote active learning interaction, illustrate relevant aspects of real-world situations, and encourage possible direct involvement in the learning process (Burden and Byrd, 2003, p. 123). Drama, art, and music are highly recommended in the reading class. Students can dramatise stories, use art to create visuals of what they have read, and use lyrics as a fun way to reinforce reading (Yopp and Yopp, 1991, p. 132). 93 BUKU JURNAL KPLB 002.indd 87 05/03/2021 10:26 AM

ARTIKEL JURNAL LUAR BANDAR SEJAHTERA 2020 94 9.2 Promote critical and creative thinking Teachers can encourage the students to think critically and creatively by incorporating activities that promote awareness in cognitive processes (Ornstein and Lesley II, 2004) and enhance opportunities for thinking (Moore, 2007). To promote critical thinking, Lipman (1988) suggests that teachers should provide activities that would allow students to change their thinking from guessing to estimating, from preferring to evaluating, from grouping to classifying, from believing to assuming, from inferring to inferring logically, from associating concepts to grasping principles, from noting relationships to noting relationships among relationships, from supposing to hypothesising, from offering opinions with reasons to offering opinions with reason, and from making judgements without criteria to making judgements with criteria. 9.3 Encourage collaboration Many teachers exploited the collaboration method to stimulate and maintain the students’ intrinsic motivation while mastery goal orientation (Guthrie, 2000, p. 127). Cole (2003, p. 59) proposed that arranging opportunities for students to engage in social interactions is essential. While some students learn efficiently on their own, many students need the support of peers and talk, to learn and achieve. Collaboration among students will enable them to help each other and hence ease the feeling of anxiety and stress when the lowachieving students received peer-supports from the high-achieving students (Ornstein and Lesley II, 2004). It will also promote learner autonomy (Williams, 2006). 9.4 Creating awareness of the importance of Reading and Writing Reading and writing are two of the major skills inherent to modern living. In fact, these two skills are used naturally in our daily activities. Teachers can improve the students’ awareness of the usefulness of these two skills and how important it is to be able to read and write well. It can be for pleasure, like reading storybooks, poems, magazines, and newspapers. It can also be for practical reasons like reading labels, instructions, or recipe books. Many people read to enrich their knowledge and gain extra information. Students may spend much time reading materials related to their course and areas of study. 9.5 Enhance teacher’s English language proficiency including PCK Teachers’ teaching approach should complement the students’ self-concept. This can be achieved by providing the right reinforcements that matched each student’s capabilities and offer positive feedback to enhance their sense of competence. When students possess the right level of self-concept, they will most likely feel less anxious in the learning process and will not give up easily (Noels, Pelletier, Clemont and Vallerand, 2004, p.147). Teachers need to use deep and active learning strategies for a more meaningful and experiential learning experience. Retention of active learning and experiential learning, including the use of Total Physical Response, parallel talk, and self-talk is more effective. The ability of the teachers to relate lessons to real-life applications lead to more relevant and meaningful TnL. It also promotes the transfer and application of knowledge to situations in their daily life. Adoption of 21st century learning with the integration of the 4Cs: communication, collaboration, critical thinking, creative thinking, and others is vital in today’s’ education need. The teachers need to adopt Higher Order Thinking Skills (HOTs) elements in their instructions as stipulated in the pre-school curriculum documents BUKU JURNAL KPLB 002.indd 88 05/03/2021 10:26 AM

ARTIKEL JURNAL LUAR BANDAR SEJAHTERA 2020 REFERRENCE Norhanisha Binti Yusof, Syamsiah Binti Hussin & Syaiful Anas Bin Ibrahim (2010). Penggunaan Bahasa Inggeris Bagi Proses Pengajaran Dalam Kalangan Pensyarah Politeknik Balik Pulau Dan Politeknik Seberang Perai. Siti Hamim Stapa, Nadzrah Abu Bakar dan Rozmel Abdul Latiff (2007). Penulisan Bahasa Inggeris Dalam Kalangan Pelajar Luar Bandar: Implikasi Terhadap Pengajaran Dan Pemelajaran. Jurnal e-Bangi, Jilid 2, Bil.2 Ms 1-17. Meor Ibrahim Bin Kamaruddin & Siti Zubaidah Binti Osman (2008). Tahap Penguasaan Bahasa Inggeris Bagi Bakal Guru Sains Di Kalangan Pelajar Tahun Empat Akhir Sarjana Muda Dalam Pendidikan (Sains), Universiti Teknologi Malaysia. Online. Guerriero, S., 2015. Teachers’ pedagogical knowledge and the teaching profession. OECD Background Report and Project Objectives Background_document_to_Symposium_ITEL-FINAL. pdf. http://www.oecd.org/edu/ceri/ Guerriero, S. (2014). Teachers’ Pedagogical Knowledge and the Teaching Profession. Teaching and Teacher Education, 2(1), 7. Subadrah Madhawa Nair, Sopia Md Yassin (2017). Do Preschool Teachers’ Professional Qualifications Play A Role In Enhancing Their Understanding Of ECCE Training? AESS Publications, International Journal of Asian Social Science, 2017, 7(9): 754-763. NAEYC, 2015. Promoting high quality early learning by connecting practice, policy and research. Retrieved from http://www.naeyc.org/content/about-naeyc Sheridan, Edwards, Marvin and Knoche, 2009. Professional development in early childhood programs: Process issues and research needs. Early Education and Development, 20(3): 377-401 MQA (2014). Programme Standards: Early Childhood Education Rosmah Binti Abd. Ghani & Mariani Md Nor, Pelaksanaan Kurikulum Standard Prasekolah Kebangsaan oleh Guru Prasekolah. Vol 7 (2014): Jurnal Peradaban. Blömeke, S. & Delaney, S. (2012). Assessment of teacher knowledge across countries: A review of the state of research. ZDM Mathematics Education, 44, 223-247. Saayah Abu 2008 Menjadi Guru Tadika. PTS Professional Publishing Sdn Bhd. Thanavalli AlP Subrabmonion (2016). Analisis Aplikasi Kognisi Dalam Tunjang Komunikasi Bahasa Malaysia Prasekolah. Tesis Sarjana. Cooner, M. 2001. Motivation in second language education. (22 Julai 2002) www.public.iastate.edu/~micon.classes/517/motive.html Jabatan Kemajuan Masyarakat (KEMAS). (2018). Pengajaran & Pembelajaran. Online. http:// www.kemas.gov.my/index.php/my/sppa/43-pra-sekolah/tabika/171-pengajaran-pembelajaran 95 BUKU JURNAL KPLB 002.indd 89 05/03/2021 10:26 AM

ARTIKEL JURNAL LUAR BANDAR SEJAHTERA 2020 96 Nik Rosli Ibrahim & Hidzir Bin Zulkelple (2016) Persepsi Guru-Guru Kemas Terhadap Penggunaan Kaedah i-Think Dalam Pengajaran Dan Pembelajaran Dalam Bilik Darjah, Dalam Prosiding Seminar Penyelidikan Tindakan Pendidik Guru 2016: 1 Pensyarah 1 Penyelidikan, Institut Pendidikan Guru Kampus Sultan Mizan Besut, Terengganu. m/s 454-461 Bahagian Pembangunan Kurikulum (BPK). (t.t) KURIKULUM STANDARD PRASEKOLAH KEBANGSAAN (KSPK). Kementerian Pendidikan Malaysia. Online. https://arazaharah.weebly. com/uploads/1/0/3/0/103027916/01_taklimat_umum_kspk.pdf National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), (2015). Malaysian ECE Curriculum & International Approach. Online. http://earlychildhood msu.blogspot.my/2015/08/ malaysian-ece-curriculum-international.html BUKU JURNAL KPLB 002.indd 90 05/03/2021 10:26 AM

ARTIKEL JURNAL LUAR BANDAR SEJAHTERA 2020 DEVELOPMENT OF I-DESA APPLICATION FOR CENTRALISED VILLAGE INFORMATION AND PLANNING Roslida Mat Zin, Rhoodie George Institute for Rural Development (INFRA), MRD ABSTRACT A total of 15,434 villages in Malaysia were registered and monitored under the Village Community Management Council (MPKK). Most of these villages were located in the rural areas. Centralised village information helps to collect and store the basic information of villages with minimum time and cost. Thus, i-Desa system was introduced in 2015 to centralise the basic information of all villages in Malaysia under MPKK. It was available for download on PC, Google Play Store, and Apple Store. The platform was free for any party without any registration. From the i-Desa application, the users can view the basic information of a particular village including the appointed Village Community Management Council (MPKK), number of people in the village, infrastructure, facilities, and local products available in the villages. From the study, the outcome of the i-Desa system may depend on its reliability of the information. Thus, MPKK and the stakeholders must share a common goal in disseminating trustworthy information that benefits the public. INTRODUCTION i-Desa application was an initiative introduced by INFRA consistent with the new MRD Transformation programme in 2015. The i-Desa app was created to provide centralised village information, which can be easily shared using the mobile apps platform. The development of i-Desa application took in the account of the availability of the National Level Profile System (SPKPN) developed by Economic Planning Unit (now the Ministry of Economic Affairs) and the village profile information provided by INFRA manually through the JKKK / P (now MPKK) Induction course. All sources of these information will be integrated into the i-Desa application before translated into user-friendly information. OBJECTIVE i. To find and share basic village profile information easily ii. To promote a registered homestay village LIST OF INFORMATION IN I-DESA The basic village information in i-Desa consists of the following information: • The name of the parent village with a list of linked villages • Name of village leaders • Number of residents • Type of basic facilities • Community convenience • Village coordinates • Type of village products • Homestay registered with MOTAC 97 BUKU JURNAL KPLB 002.indd 91 05/03/2021 10:26 AM

ARTIKEL JURNAL LUAR BANDAR SEJAHTERA 2020 98 ABOUT i-DESA The conventional approach to expand the information system is to use computer facilities at work. To support the government’s agenda in Industrial Revolution 4.0 and Big Data, INFRA optimised the use of smart device technology to bridge the information gaps among the public through the i-Desa application. Numerous parties provided village profile data of the districts, states and even agencies under MRD. However, this data is difficult to obtain because it involves the access and control of data ownership of the agency. Therefore, the application was developed on a central basis to centralise information effortlessly. The data collection process was completed manually using the SPKPN village profile form, which was distributed during the MPKK Induction Course. Information access within the SPKPN was limited to individuals with ID access only. As such, stakeholders such as the MPKK, District office, State Secretariat Office, KPLB, and others are difficult to obtain the basic village information for planning and execution purposes. To address the issue, i-Desa application was developed without the need for ID access as all information provided in the i-Desa application are for general access. i-Desa application was built internally using existing resources at no cost. It exploited Android and Apple smart devices platforms to make it even more efficient. The costs involved are subscription fees on both platforms as follows: i) Google Play Store platform fee: USD 25.00 one-time fee ii) Apple App Store platform fee: RM 370.00 per year BENEFITS INFRA conducted an in-house testing session on the developed application before it was uploaded to the Google Play Store and Apple Apps Store platforms for installation on smart devices. Both of the platforms have been set up before the application was available for users globally. Time/Cost Saving The process of obtaining the village information manually from the stakeholders involved the application of information from many relevant agencies. This method was time consuming and also involved additional costs such as paper, postal, telephone bills, and so on. From the i-Desa application, this information can be accessed instantly under the aid of internet access as it provided information centrally. Increase Productivity. By taking the time and cost into account while using this application, work productivity can be improved with a faster information collection process. Therefore, the planning and implementation of the programme can be done efficiently and promptly. BUKU JURNAL KPLB 002.indd 92 05/03/2021 10:26 AM

ARTIKEL JURNAL LUAR BANDAR SEJAHTERA 2020 User-friendly. i-Desa application was set up with a user-friendly interface. For example, users of this application can search by state, district, state, or local parliamentary elections. Providing Customer / Owner Satisfaction. Based on the user’s comments from the Google Play Store and Apple Apps Store platforms, the ratings were good. The i-Desa application has achieved good customer satisfaction. Contribution to the Well-being of the People. Through i-Desa application, people can access country-wide country profile information easily for many purposes such as homestay information, village location, and contact info. Furthermore, agencies under different levels can also use the information available for project planning and development and the well-being of the people. For example, information related to the population and location of the village can be obtained immediately. Sustainability. i-Desa has been in use since 2015 and still remain active up today. Based on the download records from Google Play Store Platform and Apple Apps Store, the download activity of i-Desa application is still active with most of the users. To ensure i-Desa is still in keeping with the current requirements, i-Desa application has been included as an INFRA KPI. SIGNIFICANT / RELEVANT Height Based on the user comments from the Google Play Store and Apple Apps Store platforms, the feedback provided was generally good. One can conclude that this app met customer requirements. Apple i-Desa application download records also showed that i-Desa application was also downloaded by users in other foreign countries such as China and the United States. COMMITMENT Top management provided supports and commitment in terms of: a) Finance More time allowances were provided for data entry work by the Task Force i-Desa team. b)Human Resources The i-Desa Task Force was formed from the existing INFRA staff. c) Equipment A portable Android TV was provided for the purpose of promoting and learning this application. 99 BUKU JURNAL KPLB 002.indd 93 05/03/2021 10:26 AM

ARTIKEL JURNAL LUAR BANDAR SEJAHTERA 2020 100 I-DESA (CONTENT AND APPLICATION UPDATE) i-Desa application was developed in September 2015 and available in the Google Play Store and Apple iTunes. The application must be consistently updated to improve the performance, stability and, security of the application in both android and IOS platforms. Regular updates of the application will ensure the software continues to run safely and efficiently. It will also reduce the exploitation of outdated software with unpatched security flaws. INFRA is fully aware of the threats related to the exploitation of the content from the application by irresponsible individual or organisation. INFRA undertook steps to update the i-Desa application from time to time. While updating the i-Desa application is important, the content in the application also requires a regular update. The term of MPKK is only valid for two years, and the members may change. The content of the application needs to be updated if there are new members of the MPKK elected. Keeping the content up to date helps to build trust between the target groups, stakeholders, and INFRA. It will eradicate invalid information in the i-Desa application. New information was collected through courses, seminars, and mobile learning organised by INFRA. Some information was received from email, which was sent out by the members of the MPKK. The content of the application can only be updated by INFRA personnel to prevent exploitation of the content by other parties. REFERENCES http://ims.infra.gov.my/iDesa/kplb http://www.infra.gov.my/web/index.php/my/ BUKU JURNAL KPLB 002.indd 94 05/03/2021 10:26 AM

ARTIKEL JURNAL LUAR BANDAR SEJAHTERA 2020 IMPROVEMENT OF MPKK KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS IN MANAGING THE RURAL AREAS FROM CERTIFICATE OF VILLAGE GOVERNANCE PROGRAMME INFRA-UNIKL Aslina Wati Abdullah Institute for Rural Development (INFRA), MRD [email protected] ABSTRACT Village Community Management Counsel (MPKK) is a grassroots leader in the heart of many village developments. MPKK institution was established in 1962 under the National and Rural Development Plan of Directive No.3. It serves as part of the village leadership system, which acts as a catalyst and a vital channel to accelerate the development of village and safety programmes. Since MPKK is the closest community to the village society, it also serves as a key driving agent for mobilising local resources, developing and changing the local community’s attitude towards a more vibrant and innovative villager society. MPKK also plays an important role in assisting and facilitating the achievement of the project objectives as outlined by the government. MRD also contributed the continuous efforts to empower MPKK in terms of organisational and community management through the Certificate of Village Programme cooperation between INFRA and University of Kuala Lumpur (UniKL). In short, the modules in the Certificate of Village Programme are capable of producing knowledgeable, competent, and successful leaders who will assist in the development of government policies and aspirations. Keywords: MPKK, Certificate of Village Programme, Knowledge, Skills. INTRODUCTION The Certificate of Village Programme is one of many government initiatives launched under the Rural Transformation Plan on 20th November 2015. The initiative focuses on strengthening the grassroots level of the MPKK as a machinery of government administration. This initiative adds value to short-term training programmes and strengthens the capacity of village administrators and community leaders. The programme was developed by the Institute of Rural Development (INFRA) with the expertise of the University of Kuala Lumpur (UniKL). The target of this programme is to establish a total of 16,000 MPKK nationwide. The programme aims to produce MPKK who are professional, informative, and skilled in carrying out the administrative duties of the organisation and community. The improvement in knowledge and skills can be achieved from the rural transfection programmes and ultimately lead to better rural economies. MPKKs are frontline leaders at the heart of a village development. The MPKK institution was established in 1962 under Directive No.3 of the National and Rural Development Plan. It was part of the village leadership system to serve as a catalyst and monitoring channel for a variety of village development and safety programmes. It also serves as a communication bridge between the government and people. 101 BUKU JURNAL KPLB 002.indd 95 05/03/2021 10:26 AM

ARTIKEL JURNAL LUAR BANDAR SEJAHTERA 2020 102 It is the most effective structure to bring villagers in embracing the new dimensions and enjoying the benefits of national development beyond 2020. As MPKK is the closest community to the villagers, MPKK also serves as the main driving agent to mobilise local resources and develop a more vibrant and innovative local community. MPKK plays an important function and role in ensuring the achievement of the government’s stated objectives. MRD also put in efforts to empower MPKK in terms of organisational and community management. IMPLEMENTATION STRATEGY The Certificate of Village Programme was implemented at five (5) zones, namely Central / South Zone, North Zone, East Zone, Sarawak Zone, and Sabah & Labuan Zone phases in 2017. Its implementation method was adopted from the APEL (Accreditation Prior Experiential Learning) It considered all the courses related to INFRA and other agencies/ departments attended by the MPKK. The selection of candidates was based on the following criteria; • Selection of participants was agreed by the chairman, secretary, youth bureau, women’s bureau, and economic bureau of MPKK; • Had held positions in MPKK; • At least one level of education and able to master 3M’s basic skills of reading, writing, and counting; • Attended courses organised by INFRA and other agencies/departments in areas related to governance; and • Other criteria set by MRD based on existing requirements. All participants must attend face-to-face training, three (3) day intensive class or a lecture. The modules include village management and financial management of MPKK, village strategic plan (Pelan Strategik Desa), leadership and entrepreneurship, project monitoring and responsibility as assistant registrar of voters. Participants will be evaluated through the final project of proposing a hands-on village strategic plan with fourty percent (40%) mark. Another sixty percent (60%) was evaluated based on the overall commitment of the programme including the attendance of each session, module mastery, general knowledge, experience sharing and level of idea contribution for each activity carried out throughout the programme. The speakers and facilitators for the programme were UniKL educators, INFRA, agencies under MRD agencies, and the Election Commission of Malaysia (SPR). Participants who successfully completed the programme will be awarded a certificate in rural governance and transcripts by UniKL with the different grades of Excellent (A), Honours (B), Passed (C), and Not levelled (D). The crediting of each participant was based on the scores as listed in Table 1 below. BUKU JURNAL KPLB 002.indd 96 05/03/2021 10:26 AM

ARTIKEL JURNAL LUAR BANDAR SEJAHTERA 2020 Table 1:Grading for Sijil Tadbir Urus Desa Participants A total of three thousand and five hundred (3,500) MPKK participants took part in this programme at Phase 1. Out of the total number, about three thousand and twenty-five (3,025) MPKK successfully completed the course. At the end of the programme, participants were presented with a Certificate of Village Programme and transcripts awarded by UniKL. The certificates presentation ceremony was completed by the Prime Minister of Malaysia in conjunction with the Convention of MPKK on August 22, 2017, at PWTC, Kuala Lumpur. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY To evaluate the efficiency of the programme, a survey questionnaire was conducted to three thousand and twenty-five (3,025) MPKK who participated in the programme. The analysis found out that a total of thirty-nine percent (39%) respondents said that the content of the programme was appropriate and thirty-one percent (31%) of the respondents indicated that the speaker (teaching staff) was good. The survey also found out that seventy-one percent (71%) of the respondents were satisfied with the course content related to MPKK village administration, financial management, and accounting. To determine the relevance of the programme to the MPKK field, questions regarding to the relevance and importance of the programme were also listed. From the analysis, ninetyeight percent (98%) of respondents indicated that the content of the programme was helpful in carrying out the day-to-day tasks of the MPKK. All of the respondents (100%) agreed that the course could train them in carrying out the tasks related to the JKKK institution administration. 103 Gred A B C D Excellent Honours Pass Not levelled LEVEL OF GRED Mark 80 - 100 60 - 79 30 - 59 29 - Below BUKU JURNAL KPLB 002.indd 97 05/03/2021 10:26 AM

ARTIKEL JURNAL LUAR BANDAR SEJAHTERA 2020 104 CONCLUSION As an important government agent in the practice of democracy, the competencies of a village leader is not only limited his or her ability in carrying out daily tasks but also included his proactive concerns and responses in addressing the internal and external changes in his village. Therefore, a leader needs to be proactive, visionary, and wiser at the right time and the right place. Through the implementation of Certificate of Village Programme INFRA-UniKL Programme, MPKK can assist, support, and guide the villagers in delivering the best projects/ programme. The guidance and skills attained from the workshop and lecture sessions can be applied by each participant to enhance their practical ability in managing their village system more systematically and efficiently. MPKK will be allowed to cooperate in the proposed project. From the INFRA-UniKL Rural Governance Programme, MPKK can provide proper leadership skills and knowledge to the rural community. Implementation of the Sijil Tadbir Urus Desa INFRA-UniKL Programme is crucial to enhance the knowledge and skills of MPKK in managing the rural area at a more professional level. REFERENCE Kertas Cadangan Pelaksanaan Program Sijil Tadbir Urus Desa (STUD), (2017) Institut Kemajuan Desa (INFRA) Universiti Kuala Lumpur (UniKL) Ismail, I. JKKK kini Majlis Pengurusan Komuniti Kampung. (2018 June) Retrieved from pengurusankomuniti-kampung https://www.bharian.com.my/berita/nasional/2018/06/442430/jkkk-kini-majlis BUKU JURNAL KPLB 002.indd 98 05/03/2021 10:26 AM