KUALA LUMPUR: The student dropout rate in the country has shown a downward trend between 2017 and 2023.
Deputy Education Minister Wong Kah Woh told the Dewan Rakyat today that the dropout rate for primary school students decreased from 0.29 per cent in 2017 to only 0.06 per cent in 2023.
Meanwhile, for secondary school students, he said the dropout rate went down from 1.36 per cent to 0.83 per cent during the same period.
"For urban primary schools, the dropout rate is 0.37 per cent, while for rural primary schools, it is 0.10 per cent.
"As for secondary schools, the dropout rate is 3.13 per cent in urban areas and 4.67 per cent in rural areas," he added.
Wong was responding to a question from Roslan Hashim (Perikatan Nasional-Kulim Bandar Baru), who had asked the Education Ministry to state the dropout rate among students.
He had also asked the ministry to explain the strategies undertaken to reduce the education gap including in terms of teaching and learning methods.
Wong said the ministry had provided 18 types of assistance for schools last year to reduce the education gap, consisting of 13 types of special assistance and five general assistance.
"These aids are also distributed to students who are left behind due to poverty.
"The ministry also implements the Comprehensive Special Model School (K9) to ensure that all students can stay in school, especially those in rural and remote areas.
"Additionally, the K9 concept is expanded to Comprehensive School (K11), which is expected to reduce the dropout rate during the transition from Form Three to Form Four," he said.
He added that the ministry had established the Sekolah Bimbingan Jalinan Kasih established in 2013 and was operating in Chow Kit, Kuala Lumpur, to provide access to education for marginalised children in the city.
Wong said all district education offices, in collaboration with the local community, also conducted outreach programmes for dropout students.
"In 2023, this programme has successfully reintegrated 1,269 primary school students and 2,006 secondary school students back into school," he added.
