Spot Check On Our Driving Institute On 27th July 2010

Our institute was started way back in 1999. It has been a long time since. From a modest, driving institute with only approximately 30 – 40 driving instructors then, today we have near to 70 – 80 instructors. Proud to say, most instructors have the certificate to teach, the S.M.2., as required by the authorities concerned.

In the years that we have been operating as an institute, the authorities have never conducted a “spot check” or “pemantauan” on us as yet. I remember, on the 27th July 2010, we were subjected to such an exercise.

The above exercise, besides checking on us, was intended as being fostering better relations between the two parties. As a matter of fact, the scrutinity that was to be made by the authorities was good for the welfare of the institute as a whole. Why should this be so?

The institute, to which I am attached to, was to be inspected, was suddenly spruced up by the management concerned. First of all, the institute’s premises and its limited number of roads and parking facilities, were attended to immediately. Parking poles were repainted.

Of course, roads, which were normally riddled with pot holes and small craters, were patched up. An Indian contractor and a few workers were engaged to do the above job. They spent more than half a day at our institute repairing and patching up the entire institute recently. The institute’s premises were trimmed meticulously. Green trees and flowers grown around our institute, to provide shades and to beautify the surroundings, were attended to.

Rubbish and other things that required attention, were accorded the attention that was never given to them previously. For the good of the institute, the authorities, should conduct more of such observations on our institute and other driving institutes more often.

Even, the Deputy Director, who graciously came along to officiate the “pemantauan” exercise, was surprised, that our toilet facilities that particular day, was spick and span.

In his short speech to some 70 – 80 driving instructors and personnel of the institute, the director jokingly reiterated that there were times when he need to use its toilet facilities, had discovered the above facilities in dire, appalling conditions, much to his chagrin. He reminded the institute’s establishment to always remember to keep our toilet facilities clean.

The “pemantauan” programme began at 9.00 a.m. sharp. No fewer than 15 officers from the department arrived at our institute’s premises in 3 or 4 department’s familiar, blue coloured vehicles. After preliminary introductions, the Deputy Director and his team of high ranking officers, were treated to a hearty, traditional Malay breakfast which comprised of nasi lemak and kuih-muih or Malay cakes. As instructors and department’s officers had their breakfast, their conversation continued.

After breakfast, participants gathered in one of the bigger lecture halls, usually meant for Kursus Pendidikan Pemandu (KPP), and the “pemantauan” exercise thus began.

After the Deputy Director’s short speech, a few high ranking officers took over the floor. A lady officer emphasized upon the filling up of Borang 4. It was discovered, that our institute, had all along, filled this form incorrectly and not according to departments’ requirements. In future, the lady officer insisted, this anomaly had to be rectified.

With this “pemantauan” exercise, the Department’s visit to our institute, had also intended to gauge or determine the standard of our institute’s instructors. With this in mind, instructors were thus divided into various teams for cars, lorry and motorcycle tests, which the department’s testers would conduct.

Instructors were given the opportunity to do a few rounds of practices before the real tests began. Like students, instructors were only humans. Without a doubt, some instructors failed to go up the slopes as required, much to the glee of other compatriots around.

While the tests continued, another set of department’s officials, or V.E. or better known as “vehicle experts”, then carried out their expert knowledge upon our 100 vehicles, such as cars, lorries and motorcycles, used for learning or for testing candidates.

Pertaining to cars, all of which use the Kancil 660 c.c, the institute has infact more than 100 or so such cars. These cars were all lined up in rows of 5 or 6 cars at the back of our institute. V.E.s took some 2 hours or so to test all the vehicles, both old and new driving around the entire institute’s premises, going up slopes and down it as brakes and gears were tested rigidly.

Finally, these vehicles were driven into garages, where another group tested the vehicles air-con system, the horn and lights system, steering free play, engine conditions, company’s logo signage, the display of L signs, which are all vitally necessary for a driving school vehicle.

I will accord a few articles in the future to deal with what our vehicles were pulled up for or faulted for. This is important as in future “pemantauan”, instructors as well as the institute’s establishment, will known what to expect from the department’s future observations.

However, to be frank, it is not possible to highlight all the weakness and faults of each and every vehicle. But rest assured, the major faults will surely be highlighted for the benefit of most of our instructors.

The “pemantauan” exercise finally ended with the gathering of everyone once again in the lecture room. The officer in charge gave us a report of the day’s findings and testing of all our vehicles. After entertaining a few questions from participants, the exercise finally ended and all the participants and officers from the department were afterwards entertained to a good hearty lunch prepared by the institute.

In my opinion, the “pemantauan” exercise was well organized and what is more important, is that it was beneficial to all parties concerned. Surprisingly, it was well attended by driving instructors of the institute as a whole.

By | 2012-05-24T23:37:34+08:00 April 18th, 2011|Driving Schools|2 Comments

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2 Comments

  1. Yap March 19, 2012 at 2:20 pm - Reply

    Hello sir , i have my P license expire 1 month already . Im sorry that i only realise after my friend say that he would like to convert his license to CDL .

    I am going to convert my P license to CDL tomorrow , will i get any punish and how was the punishment , or my license will be suspended ?

    • Cikgu Yap March 20, 2012 at 4:08 pm - Reply

      Your P is null and void. Try appealing, failing which you have to do retest Bahagian II and III. Contact JPJ Putrajaya.

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