Latest news with #studentdropout
Free Malaysia Today
07-08-2025
- Politics
- Free Malaysia Today
MPs back plan to make Form 5 education compulsory
Education minister Fadhlina Sidek said students who drop out early face a higher risk of unemployment, poverty, child marriage, and petty crime. (Bernama pic) KUALA LUMPUR : The Dewan Rakyat heard an extensive debate from 33 MPs on an amendment to the law that will make it mandatory for all students to study up to Form 5, rather than stopping at primary school. Most of the MPs raised concerns about the proposed RM5,000 fine and/or six months' jail term for parents who failed to comply with the new law. Opposition members, while supporting the amendment, called for a delay in the enforcement of these penalties, and urged the government to prioritise educating parents instead. Tabling the bill to amend the Education Act, education minister Fadhlina Sidek said the proposed law was necessary because too many students were dropping out after primary school. She noted that while enrolment for primary education reached 99.39% in 2024, upper secondary enrolment stood at just 92.6% – below the UN's minimum target of 95%. Fadhlina said students who drop out early face a higher risk of unemployment, poverty, child marriage, and petty crime. She said enforcement of the new law would be supported by targeted aid programmes, including school meal subsidies, transport assistance, and expanded access to vocational and STEM education. During the debate, Dr Taufiq Johari (PH-Sungai Petani) described the bill as a 'moral declaration' affirming every child's right to complete their education. Taufiq also linked youth apathy to lack of education, recalling a viral interview where many young people were unable to answer basic questions about democracy. He called for punitive measures to be paused and for more targeted support, such as school transport, food aid, and mental health services. Rodiyah Sapiee (GPS-Batang Sadong) supported the bill, calling it a 'structured way' to break the cycle of school dropouts, early marriage, and child labour. Radzi Jidin (PN-Putrajaya) said the bill was long overdue and built on reforms initiated during his tenure as education minister. He called for clarity on exemptions for private religious schools and homeschoolers. 'There are parents who send their children to unregistered institutions like tahfiz schools or practise homeschooling. Will they be automatically exempt, or must they apply?' he asked. Syerleena Abdul Rashid (PH-Bukit Bendera) praised the bill as a bold intervention against child marriage, poverty, and lost potential. She said ending school at age 12 left too many girls vulnerable.
Malay Mail
19-06-2025
- Politics
- Malay Mail
MoE to push for compulsory secondary schooling in July to tackle dropout crisis
LANGKAWI, June 19 — The Ministry of Education (MOE) will table amendments to the Education Act 1996 in Parliament next month to make it compulsory for children to receive education until the age of 17 to overcome the problem of student dropout. Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek said that the enforcement of the law is one of the measures taken to ensure that every child has the right to quality education up to the completion of secondary school. After finalising the compulsory secondary education policy, we will look into the benefits of compulsory preschool education, she told a press conference after the Asean Education Ministers and Higher Education Ministers Roundtable Conference (#EduRoundtables2025) here, today. The next Parliament session is scheduled to start from July 21 to August 28. Under the Compulsory Primary Education Policy, every parent of a citizen residing in Malaysia must ensure that their child receives six years of compulsory primary education. Fadhlina said that the ongoing education reform initiatives include the expansion of preschools, though several challenges remain, particularly in developing the necessary infrastructure, addressing logistics issues, and building the capacity of qualified teachers. She said that competent and trained teachers are important to providing young children with early exposure and a strong educational foundation at the preschool stage, before they begin formal mainstream schooling, a key step in reducing school dropout rates caused by barriers to early access. 'So, before we implement the policy to make preschool compulsory, we must first prepare the ecosystem, infrastructure and teachers,' she said. Earlier, Fadhlina delivered a welcoming address at the roundtable conference, which aims to strengthen regional cooperation in education, followed by a closed meeting of Asean education ministers. The conference began yesterday with a forum themed 'Accelerating Innovative Strategies: Mitigating Out-of-School Children and Youth (OOSCY) Challenges', aimed at strengthening collective efforts through information sharing on groups that do not have access to education and are at risk of dropping out, as well as other issues related to dropout. In addition to the participation of Asean member states, and Timor Leste as an observers, the Asean Education Forum was also joined by representatives from international organisations such as the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (Unesco), the United Nations Children's Fund (Unicef), the South-east Asian Ministers of Education Organisation (SEAMEO) and the Islamic World Organisation for Research, Science and Culture (ICESCO). This year, 2025, marks the fifth time Malaysia is holding the Asean Chairmanship, following previous terms in 1977, 1997, 2005, and 2015. — Bernama
