Govt studies proposal to make schooling mandatory till SPM

Deputy Education Minister Teo Nie Ching.

KULAI (Bernama): The government is currently reviewing the Education Act to make it mandatory for students to complete schooling from Year One till Form Five.

Deputy Education Minister Teo Nie Ching said parents who failed to send their children to school could face a fine of up to RM5,000 or six months imprisonment.

She said at present, the Education Act only required pupils to complete schooling until Year Six.

"Currently, more than 98% of children are schooling (in primary schools) but our target is 100%," she told reporters after the launch of the national-level 'Ziarah Cakna' programme at the Kulai District Education Office here Sunday (Jan 27).

Teo said the programme was a continuation of the 'No Child Left Behind' initiative which began in July 2018, aimed at identifying the problems faced by families which resulted in their children not attending school.

"Perhaps this way (by having the Ziarah Cakna programme) we can meet the parents and understand their problems.

"Parents who do not enroll their children to school at age seven can have action taken against them by the government, but I think this way, the teachers and local leaders can visit parents at home and understand the problems they face and draw up an action plan for them," said Teo.

She added that her ministry could also help these parents obtain assistance from the right channels if they had financial difficulties in sending their children to school.

However, Teo said there were also irresponsible parents who did not think about the future of their children. - Bernama