PARLIAMENT | Deputy Education Minister Mah Hang Soon revealed that the number of students who dropped out from school was even higher before the Covid-19 pandemic.
There were 34,074 school dropouts in 2018, he said, compared with 11,301 students who dropped out between March and December 2020 as well as the 10,015 between January and July 2021.
“What this means is the number of dropouts in the previous years was higher,” Mah said.
He was responding to Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman (Independent-Muar) in the Dewan Rakyat today, after the latter asked what was being done to address this “national crisis” of students dropping out of school.
It was previously revealed in a written parliamentary reply to Noor Amin Ahmad (Harapan-Kangar) that 21,316 students had left school between March 2020 and July 2021.
March 2020 coincided with the very first movement control order in the country to help contain the spread of Covid-19.
Mah explained that the ministry is continuously making an effort to reduce the number of school dropouts.
Among their methods, he said, is to ensure the schools, district education offices and state education departments trace and engage with students who miss classes.
Students are also provided with coaching and psychosocial support through various means, he said.
Meanwhile, parents will be called to discuss the absence of their children in classes as well as how to resolve the issues.
“We will also provide guidelines on students who are at risk of dropping out. We also have a dashboard to identify them and a manual on the management of prevention and intervention for dropouts,” Mah said.
Former education minister Maszlee Malik had previously expressed his dismay after learning that over 20,000 students had quit school after the start of the pandemic. - Mkini
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