More school dropouts since start of Covid-19 pandemic - minister

 

PARLIAMENT | The dropout rates among schoolgoing children at primary and secondary levels in Malaysia have registered a slight increase this year, since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, according to Education Minister Radzi Jidin.

Radzi, in a written response to Tan Kok Wai (Harapan-Cheras, said the dropout rate at the primary level increased from 0.12 percent last year to 0.13 percent this year.

He said the dropout rate for secondary school students also increased from 1.14 percent last year to 1.26 percent during the Covid-19 pandemic this year.

"The Education Ministry will continue to carry out various efforts to mitigate the risks of students dropping out.

"This is to ensure that future generations of children will be able to continue pursuing their education in schools," Radzi added.

According to Education Ministry data updated as of July 31, there are 2,741,837 students enrolled at the primary level and 2,037,433 at the secondary level.

The Covid-19 outbreak and various phases of movement control orders enforced since March have seen thousands of students nationwide being kept out of schools for online classes conducted from home.

However, a recent survey jointly commissioned by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and United Nations Children's Fund (Unicef) - targeting urban poor families in the Klang Valley - found fewer children returning to their classrooms when schools reopened in July.

The survey found that children in nearly a fifth of the 500 families had lost interest in schooling since the movement control order was imposed, with seven percent of upper secondary students opting not to return to classes. - Mkini