Student dropout: MoE holds SBJK engagement sessions with 11 states

THE Ministry of Education (MOE) has conducted engagement sessions with 11 states on the need to expand the Sekolah Bimbingan Jalinan Kasih (SBJK), which is a programme created to provide access to education for children who have dropped out of school.

Deputy Education Minister Wong Kah Woh said it involved Penang, Johor, Pahang, Terengganau, Kedah, Negeri Sembilan, Selangor, Kelantan, Perak, Sabah and Sarawak.

"The findings of the engagement session will be reviewed before a final decision is made by MOE," he said in response to a supplementary question by Roslan Hashim (PN-Kulim Bandar Baharu) who enquired about the effectiveness of SBJK in reducing school dropouts, during the question and answer session in Dewan Rakyat today.

Wong said SBJK was introduced in 2013 in Chow Kit here to provide access to education for street and marginalised children around the capital before being expanded to Sekolah Kebangsaan Sembulan in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah in October.

He said that based on MOE statistics, the dropout rate at the primary school level last year was only 0.06 per cent, down from 0.29 per cent in 2017.

"At the secondary school level, the dropout rate decreased from 1.36 per cent in 2017 to 0.83 per cent in 2023 and if compared between primary schools in the city and rural areas, the rate of students leaving MOE schools in the city is 0.37 per cent, while primary schools in rural areas (0.1 per cent).

"For the secondary level, the dropout rate is 3.13 per cent in the city and 4.67 per cent in the rural area. This rate takes into account all students who attend school in Malaysia," he said.

Wong said various measures have been taken by MOE to continue reducing student dropouts including providing 18 types of schooling assistance in 2023, including 13 types of special assistance and five types of general assistance which are also distributed to students who drop out due to poverty.

"Besides, the dropout outreach programme is also carried out by all District Education Offices (PPD) in collaboration with the local community. Last year, this programme succeeded in persuading a total of 1,269 primary school students and 2,006 school students to return to school," he said. - Bernama, March 27, 2024