KUALA LUMPUR: The overall student dropout rate in both primary and secondary schools has decreased from 21,748 in 2020 to 13,007 last year.
Deputy Minister of Education Wong Kah Woh reported that of this total, 2,873 students, comprising 883 primary pupils and 1,990 secondary students, successfully returned to school last year.
"In 2020, the primary school dropout rate was 0.10% or 2,437 students, while in 2024, it dropped to 0.06% or 1,595 students.
"Similarly, in secondary schools, the dropout rate was 1.13% in 2020, affecting 19,311 students, but it decreased to 0.64% or 11,412 students in 2024," he stated during the question-and-answer session in Dewan Rakyat on Tuesday (Feb 4).
He was addressing a supplementary question from Datuk Siti Zailah Mohd Yusoff (PN-Rantau Panjang), who inquired about the total number of students who have dropped out at all levels and whether the government plans to expand the Comprehensive Model School 9 (K9) and Comprehensive Model School 11 (K11) to address the issue.
Wong noted that there are currently 28 K9 schools and two K11 schools, located in Betau, Pahang, and Long Bedian, Sarawak.
"This year, the Education Ministry plans to add another seven K9 schools. Their names will be finalised soon," he said.
"At the same time, the ministry is evaluating the feasibility of converting some existing K9 schools into K11 schools as part of our efforts to address the dropout issue," he added. - Bernama
