Primary School Dropout Rate Rising in Malaysia?

A growing number of children from marginalised and vulnerable communities are dropping out of primary school in Malaysia, according to United Nations (UN) data. The UN’s Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (Unesco) show a 20% increase in the number of out-of-school primary school students in the country for 2022, at 145,204 persons, compared with 121,231 in 2021. Experts say the rise in the dropout rate was due to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. 

Poverty and financial instability had been exacerbated by the pandemic, leading families to prioritise work over education,” said Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) School of Educational Studies Professor in Curriculum Studies and Education Policy, Prof Dr Hazri Jamil (and as reported in the Star (28 October 2024).

 

The pandemic led to a shift to learning online, which highlighted the digital divide and inequities where students without reliable Internet access or devices struggled to participate in schooling, leading to disengagement. 

Some parents are also not enrolling their children in school due to a lack of awareness about the importance of education or cultural practices that prioritise other activities over schooling.

According to the Khazanah Research Institute, Malaysia saw a total of 41.5 weeks of full school closures between mid-February 2020 to July 1, 2022, which led to several types of losses, including psychological, academic, skill development, and equal education access. “Countries that had longer school closures also saw a greater decrease in their Pisa 2022 score outcomes,” its Households and the Pandemic 2019-2022: The State of Households 2024 (SoH 2024) report.

Malaysia had also seen its Pisa scores drop more intensely compared with other countries in the region, with our students faring the worst in reading in 2022.

 

Malaysia’s rapid population ageing is another factor that affects school enrolment. According to the Statistics Department, primary school enrolment shrunk to 3.02 million in 2022, a drop of 63,420 persons from the previous year. The moderating rate of school enrolment can be attributed to shrinking birth rates. 

The growth in school enrolment in the country started to slow down in 2014 as shown below:

What does it mean? The future is bleak for some kids, social discontent will rise, criminal activities could increase, and the nation’s future is impacted. But we have a woeful MoE that cannot see, hear or speak! 

Reference:

Interactive: Primary school dropout rate rising in Malaysia, Diyana Pfordten and Rebecca Rajaendram, The Star, 28 October 2024