Education Ministry finetuning solutions to reduce overcrowding in 86 ‘high-density’ schools across Malaysia

KLANG: There are 86 ‘high-density schools’ across the country that face overcrowding, compromising education quality, says Fadhlina Sidek.

The Education Minister said the ministry is evaluating each school individually to decide on the best solutions necessary to reduce classroom congestion and improve education quality.

She said conditions vary from school to school, each with unique challenges that need their own solutions based on the ministry’s evaluations.

For instance, she said the ministry will decide if floating classes are necessary based on available space. If space is limited, alternative methods will be found to ensure the learning conditions for students are conducive, she noted.

“In the previous parliamentary session, the issue of high-density schools was raised to assess how administrators, along with the District Education Offices and State Education Departments, manage these challenges.

“One measure taken by administrators is the implementation of floating classes, ensuring minimal disruption to students' learning and maintaining normal school operations,” she said after her visit to Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan (SMK) Meru during a programme to tackle school density and access to education in the Klang district on Monday (April 29).

SMK Meru will soon get eight new classrooms to lessen overcrowding there and boost education quality.

Fadhlina said the ‘high-density’ Klang secondary school, which has the highest student population at 4,108 and 240 teachers, is emblematic of increasing overcrowding in schools.

“The ministry is also exploring ways to disperse these students to other schools, aiming to optimise schools around the area to become the preferred choice for both the community and parents,” she added.

She also added that floating classes were introduced to overcome the issue of classroom congestion.

“The suggestions from the District Education Offices and State Education Departments to optimise floating classes are not to use them for transit or relief class purposes, but so they can be fully used as a class to study subjects.

“These classes will be established within the school building, using available spaces such as the workshop, laboratory, and health room.

“The ministry is exploring these interventions to determine if other densely populated schools can adopt the same formula,” she said.