Over 20,000 students dropped out of school from March 2020 to July 2021, says Education Ministry

PETALING JAYA: A total of 21,316 students dropped out of school during the Covid-19 pandemic from March last year to July this year, says the Education Ministry.

Those who left the education system before they completed their schooling made up 0.22% of the total number of students, the ministry said in a written Parliamentary reply.

It defined dropouts from the education system as situations whereby a student is in school but exited the system before completing schooling or the period of education.

"Based on data for March to December last year, 11,301 or 0.24% of students stopped schooling.

“For the period January to July this year, a total of 10,015 students or 0.21% of students were recorded as having stopped schooling.

“The total number of students who stopped schooling for the period from March last year to July this year is 21,316 or 0.22% of students,” the ministry said in the reply to Noor Amin Ahmad (PH-Kangar).

Noor Amin had earlier asked the ministry to state the number of students who stopped schooling before completing their studies for the period from March last year to date.