The Rural Development Ministry will assist in gazetting the customary Orang Asli land especially in Kelantan, following various issues which have affected the community, said its Deputy Minister R Sivarasa.

He said the gazetting of customary land was a long-standing issue faced by the Orang Asli which should have be resolved by the Kelantan state government.

"I will set a date to meet with the Kelantan state government to start negotiating on gazetting customary land for the Orang Asli future generations," he told reporters after visiting the Kaleg and Cawas blockade at Pos Tohoi in the interiors of Gua Musang yesterday.

Meanwhile in Lipis, Deputy Education Minister Teo Nie Ching said the special education teaching degree programme for the Orang Asli community has trained 390 teachers since its implementation in 2010.

She said of the total, 118 people were in the process of completing their studies at the Institute of Teacher Education (IPG) Tengku Ampuan Afzan Campus adding that the teachers would be placed at primary schools populated by Orang Asli children.

"IPG Tengku Ampuan Afzan is the only institute which has this special intake to provide training aimed at producing more trained teachers from among the Orang Asli communities,” Teo told reporters at the closing of a education and awareness programme for Orang Asli pupils at the IPG Tengku Ampuan Afzan Campus in Gua Musang yesterday.

- Bernama