The Malaysia Board of Technologists (MBOT) is a professional body that gives professional recognition to technologists and technicians in related technology and technical fields. Based on Act 768, MBOT expands its function vertically and horizontally to look at technology-based professions that cut across disciplines from conceptual design to realised technology and covers technicians (with MQF Level 3 to advanced diploma level) up to technologists (bachelor’s degree level and above). As a whole, these professionals have integrated roles from conceptualisation to reality.
Section 5 (Act 768) stipulates that the MBOT performs the following functions to recognise and register technologists and technicians as professionals based in the technology and technical fields to provide facilities for the promotion of education and training and to hold, or cause to be held, professional development programmes for registered persons to further enhance their knowledge relating to their professions to conduct assessments, or to cause assessments to be conducted, by an institution approved by the Board for the purpose of admission to the profession, to determine and regulate the conduct and ethics of the technologists and technician profession; and generally, to carry out all such acts and do all such things as may appear to the Board necessary to carry out the provisions of this Act.
The designation of qualified technician is an entry-level registration in the MBOT for candidates with a certificate qualification (minimum MQF Level 3 up to advanced diploma MQF Level 5) in the related technology and technical fields recognised by the Board. The fee to apply for recognition as a qualified technician is RM30, which is a lifetime registration fee and no yearly renewal is required. Candidates can register and make payment online through MBOT’s website. A qualified technician who has registered and obtained a practical experience which is determined by the Board (a minimum of three years’ working experience in the related technology fields) and has paid the prescribed fee and complied with all of the criteria determined by the Board may apply to be a certified technician. Our Diploma in Medical Laboratory Technology (DMLT) students can benefit from this MBOT recognition through applying for certification as a qualified technician as our DMLT programme is MQF level 4.
The MBOT has a function to evaluate the quality assurance of the programme in the field of technology and technical under clause 6(2) (g) of Act 768. In order to perform this function, the MBOT has established Technology and Technical Accreditation Council (TTAC) which will be a council that performs programme accreditation for institutions of higher learning (IHL) in Malaysia. The accreditation of programmes under the technology fields recognised by MBOT will be done together with Malaysian Qualification Agency (MQA) under a joint technical committee for the purpose of considering an application for accreditation and making recommendations to grant or refuse the application for accreditation. Likewise, in future this accreditation can be done for our DMLT programme as well.
In March 2022, Ms Jayatheswary, our DMLT lecturer, received conferment and recognition from MBOT as a graduate technologist. She has a bachelor’s degree in Biomedical Sciences (Hons) and has five years of experience working in the medical-laboratory setting. She thus met the qualifications set by MBOT to be recognised as a graduate technologist. This is definitely an added advantage for our institution as it is very rare for an academician to obtain such an award. This recognition also adds dynamic strength to our institution and DMLT programme in terms of her expertise in medical-laboratory technology.
Ms Jayatheswary has been a lecturer at SEGi College Kuala Lumpur (SCKL) for the past ten years. She joined SCKL in April 2012 as a laboratory assistant and lecturer, where she was given the responsibility to set up the teaching laboratory for the programme Diploma in Medical Laboratory Technology (DMLT) from the core. Currently, she is the programme leader and lecturer for the DMLT programme. Her majors are in medical microbiology, histopathology, immunological, molecular biology, and biostatistics. She also supervises DMLT final-year students’ case study reports and poster presentations. SEGi College Kuala Lumpur is proud of her achievement and hope that Ms Jayatheswary will continue to inspire both her students and colleagues.
