Kuala lumpur: The Rural Development High-Level Committee (HLC) meeting No 2/2025 has agreed to implement the Youth and Sports Ministry’s (KBS) Rural Youth Development Programme. This initiative will serve as a comprehensive platform to integrate leadership, mental health, sports, and volunteer training programmes.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr. Ahmad Zahid Hamidi announced that the programme aims to coordinate all youth initiatives by utilizing ministry and agency assets in rural areas. This approach aligns with the aspirations of the 13th Malaysia Plan (13MP) to strengthen the rural development agenda.

The HLC meeting outlined several strategic steps to modernize and make rural areas more inclusive and resilient. The committee emphasized closing the development gap by enhancing education access, creating new economic opportunities, fostering talent development, and integrating digital solutions across regions.

In a move to improve rural early education, the HLC plans to readjust educational facilities in Felda areas. This includes closing 224 Family Literacy Centres in stages and assimilating over 3,200 students into KEMAS facilities, which offer a standardized curriculum and accredited teaching staff. KEMAS will also expand Tunas Istimewa kindergartens for autistic children, ensuring inclusive education.

The HLC supports a strategic partnership with Felda to boost entrepreneurial training, product certification, and digital marketing. It aims to utilize unused Felda assets as skill training centres, benefiting over 112,000 settlers. The meeting also decided to increase the participation of Felda entrepreneurs in mainstream programmes such as the Rural Business Challenge and the Malaysia Halal International Exhibition.

Additionally, the HLC has mandated the creation of a National Rural Development Data Dashboard. This tool will help identify service coverage gaps, reduce function overlaps, and ensure policy decisions are data-driven.

Ahmad Zahid outlined four major focuses of the HLC: transforming rural areas into career hubs, promoting a techno-entrepreneur wave, enhancing rural agencies, and boosting rural tourism as an economic catalyst. These measures aim to close the development gap and improve rural community well-being sustainably.