PUTRAJAYA: The consistent decrease in secondary school dropout rates and the increase in enrolment in Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) since 2019 are key achievements of the Malaysia Education Development Plan (PPPM) 2013-2025, which aims to improve access, quality, and efficiency in national education.
Education director-general Azman Adnan (pic) said that the secondary school dropout rate, which stood at 1.14% in 2019, steadily decreased to 0.83% in 2023.
"The Education Ministry is committed to addressing the dropout issue by implementing numerous interventions to help students return to school.
"In 2023, the Outreach Programme for Dropout Students successfully reintegrated 1,269 primary school students and 2,006 secondary school students," he said during a recent special interview.
According to the ministry's statistics, the primary school participation rate in 2023 stood at 99.11%, meaning 0.89% of children still lacked access to primary education.
Azman noted that various initiatives were taken by the ministry to encourage students to pursue skill-based courses offered at vocational colleges, technical secondary schools, and the skills streams in daily secondary schools, resulting in a 99.38% employability rate of TVET students at vocational colleges in 2022.
Based on the 2023 PPPM annual report, enrolment in TVET streams increased from 4.60% in 2019 to 10.51% in 2023.
In terms of preschool level education, one of the initial efforts was the expansion of preschool classes.
As of August 2024, there were 134 preschool classes nationwide, primarily aimed at helping children from B40 families receive basic education.
Regarding the recovery plan to guide students who have dropped out of the national education system, Azman said the ministry will continue to explore opportunities to expand the development of the Comprehensive Special Model Schools 9, or K9, and the K11 Special Model School concept.
"There are currently 28 K9 schools and two K11 schools, and we have launched a pilot K11 programme at SK RPS Betau, Kuala Lipis, Pahang, and at SK Long Bedian, Baram, Sarawak," he said. – Bernama
