Justify RM22mil PE course, Muhyiddin told

Although the United States Sports Academy (USSA) has deniedoffering a doctorate to Education Minister Muhyiddin Yassin in return for a contract, the DAP is adamant that questions still surround the deal. 

DAP national publicity secretary Tony Pua (left) said Muhyiddin must justify granting the RM22.9 million contract, through direct negotiations, to a company allegedly linked to Umno, for the re-training of 1,000 physical education teachers.

The re-training is being carried out locally, under the USSA’s ‘International Diploma in Physical Education and Scholastic Sports’ programme.

The USSA has conceded that this is a newly-created programme that has been customised at Muhyiddin’s request, Pua noted in a press statement today.

Describing the USSA as “a little known US college with only some 600 distance-learning students”, he said Muhyiddin must explain why the six-month retraining programme costs RM22,900 for every PE teacher.
 
“This is more than four times what it costs to obtain a Sports Education Diploma from Universiti Teknologi Mara, which charges about RM5,709 for the 18-month course,” he said.

He criticised Muhyiddin (left)for disregarding a call by Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak for government procurements to be awarded via open tender.

“It is clear that the BN has no ability or intent to 'change' itself, as promised by Najib,” added Pua.

DAP election strategist Ong Kian Ming raised this issue last Saturday.