KUALA LUMPUR – Some Indian youths have expressed regret over their decision to drop out of secondary school as they now struggle with underemployment and lack the skills to make a living.
With challenges such as the high cost of living and lack of opportunities, the young Indians – aged between 21 and 24 – also said their situation as members of a minority community had also put them at a disadvantage in the job market.
For some of them, dropping out of secondary school may have been of their own volition, but others simply did not have a choice.
Furthermore, their current jobs and credentials only allow them to earn a menial income that barely reaches the RM1,500 minimum wage rate.
An individual who only wanted to be known as Clearen, 22, and who is from Melaka, said that he only studied until Form 2 of secondary school before he dropped out to seek employment.
“I made that decision since I wasn’t really interested in or good at academics, and so I dropped out of school and began looking for a job,” he said.
However, after leaving school, he learned that working at such a young age was not as rewarding as he initially thought. This led to him quitting his job at a box factory due to the very low income.
Despite the concerns of close family members, Clearen insisted that he was not interested in returning to secondary school.
If I was good at studying, I wouldn’t have dropped out of school. I dropped out because I didn’t understand the lessons,” he told The Vibes.
He said he was currently unemployed and unable to find work as he does not even have a Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) certificate.
In December last year, the then education minister Datuk Mohd Radzi Md Jidin told Parliament that a total of 21,316 students dropped out of school between March 2020 and July 2021.
According to the Tara Foundation – a non-governmental organisation focused on the underprivileged community – an estimated 90% of students from B40 families drop out of school by the time they reach Form 5, and a large portion of this figure includes ethnic Indians.
No interest in school, family problems
Abraham, 24, said he dropped out of school after finishing Form 3 and the PT3 exams due to poor results.
“I stopped studying at the age of 15 due to a lack of interest and being academically weak. I also felt depressed at school because the teachers were always scolding me,” he said.
“Family problems are another reason I quit. I was from a poor family and really needed money, so I dropped out of school to find work.”
Abraham, who currently works as an operator at a factory in Seremban, said he faced challenges in increasing his menial income and improving his work conditions due to a lack of qualifications.
Now I feel really bad for not continuing my education after seeing my friends succeed after getting their degrees.
“I regret not completing the SPM due to my circumstances,” he said.
While some dropouts have regretted their past decisions, others such as 21-year-old Puvanes appear more content.
The Melaka resident said that he had studied till Form 5, but dropped out of school halfway through the year.
He claims he left school after receiving poor treatment from his English teacher.
“My teacher would always criticise me since I am not very good at English, and if I didn’t study well, she would begin scolding me in front of all the other students,” he said.
Over time, I couldn’t stand the teacher who was always scolding me, and I began to hate going to school.”
He said that he initially tried to tell his family about his anxiety over going to school, but they still forced him to attend classes.
“There were also relatives who asked why I didn’t go to school and advised me to attend a vocational school, but I really wasn’t interested in continuing my education,” he said.
He said he started working in a factory when he was 17-years-old, and that this had allowed him to own a car and motorcycle.
“There was also a time when I began to wonder whether I could afford to buy a car and motorbike at this age if I continued to pursue an education.”
“Perhaps if I continued studying, I would still be financially dependent on my family today.” – The Vibes, December 8, 2022
