PETALING JAYA: Making secondary education compulsory is the right move but the government must first address shortcomings in the system, say educationists.
They proposed that fundamental issues such as accessibility for those in remote areas and their educational pathway be set out first before the move was implemented.
Parent Action Group for Education Malaysia chairman Datin Noor Azimah Abdul Rahim said the group agrees that secondary education must be made compulsory as it ensures that everyone in the community receives education.
“Compulsory education can ensure a population that is educated,” she said.
However, she said the issue of accessibility for those living in rural areas must also be looked into.
“While it may seem ordinary to most parents and students to attend school daily, it may not be to some, especially those who live in the interiors of the country.
“Where school is inaccessible, there needs to be either improved forms of transport from their homes or the offer of accommodation in the form of hostels. This requires a substantial federal budget,” she said.
On Dec 3, the Cabinet gave its preliminary approval to make secondary education compulsory.
Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek said this will be an extension of the compulsory primary education policy, which has been in effect since 2003, involving significant amendments to the Education Act 1996 (Act 550).
MCA Education Consultative deputy chairperson Felicia Wong Yin Ting said available facilities, household financial background and social situation of the students are considerations that must be addressed.
“In rural areas, a lack of nearby schools or long travel distances can make school attendance difficult.
“Additionally, many families, particularly in the B20 group or single-parent households, face financial difficulties, which often force children to drop out to support their families,” she said.
Educationist Tan Sri Dr T. Marimuthu said while the proposal by the government is commendable, a study must be done to identify why students drop out in the first place.
According to Unesco data, there are 649,526 secondary school age children who dropped out in 2023.
“What happens when they drop out because of economic reasons?” he asked.
He said a number of SPM students also attained fewer than three credits in their exams, making them ineligible to enrol in most diploma programmes.
He urged the ministry to look into the efficiencies of secondary education, and that students to be given standardised national examination at an earlier stage as a diagnostic tool to identify a student’s standing and prepare them for SPM.
“While I support the move, the efficiency of secondary education must be looked into first,” he said.
Melaka Action Group for Parents in Education chairman Mak Chee Kin said that making education compulsory can provide students a way out of poverty.
“It will also be able to reduce child labour.
“If all children are given equal opportunity to education, more will be able to achieve their ambitions and dreams,” he said.
He suggested that the Education Ministry also needs to cater to the needs of students and parents in the education system when considering whether to implement compulsory secondary education.
“If the students want Dual Language Programme classes, will the ministry be able to adapt?” he asked.
He said the same consideration needs to be given to students with varying inclinations, be it in technical areas, arts, music and other streams of education, and urged the school management to be more accommodating towards students’ interests and plans.
Malaysian Association for Education secretary Hamidi Mookkaiyah Abdullah said the move to make secondary education compulsory also need to consider whether the secondary syllabus caters to varying academic abilities.
He said vocational education should be planned to cater for groups who are not academically inclined.
In response, Education director-general Azman Adnan said the ministry held awareness campaigns for parents when they began compulsory primary schooling.
“When we created the policy for compulsory education, we also held awareness drives for parents that it is their responsibility to send their children to school,” he said.
