KUALA LUMPUR: The issue of poverty forcing children to drop out of school to help support their families is a problem the country must address and fix, says deputy education minister Lim Hui Ying.
“This is a social problem that we need to find ways to address,” she told the Dewan Rakyat during the question-and-answer session.
Ismi Mat Taib (PN-Parit) had asked about the link between poverty and school dropouts, and the education ministry’s steps to address it.
Lim said one possible solution was to make it compulsory for all children to remain in school until the end of Form Five.
She said some poor students dropped out of school because they had to work to support their families, adding that the ministry was looking at expanding current support mechanisms for such students.
“The main goal of the comprehensive special model school year 9 (K9) school is to deal with the dropout issue in rural areas, especially for students whose secondary school is far away, the challenging terrain, and poverty,” she said.
She said that the concept has also been expanded into a comprehensive special model school year 11 (K11) to provide access to a more comprehensive education for students from Year One to Form Five.
“The K11 concept is expected to reduce the dropout rate of students transitioning from lower secondary to upper secondary school.
She added that the ministry also provides 18 types of aid for students from low-income families, including federal scholarships, supplementary food programmes, and early schooling assistance.
“Various assistance including textbook loans and the services of counselling are also provided to boost students’ interest,” she said. - FMT
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