KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 12 — Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek today said over 27,000 primary and secondary students have dropped out of public schools, with the majority of the cases involving Bumiputera students.
In a parliamentary written reply to Batu Gajah MP Sivakumar Varatharaju (DAP), she said that out of 5,153,093 pupils in public schools, 1,496 had dropped out at the primary level — comprising 1,275 Bumiputera students and 221 from other communities.
“At the secondary level, 25,626 pupils had dropped out, with 19,347 of them being Bumiputera and 6,279 non-Bumiputera,” Fadhlina said.
She did not specify the period during which the dropout cases occurred.
Fadhlina said her ministry’s approach to the dropout problem is focused on needs that cuts across ethnicity and locality, deploying what she described as “contextual” intervention.
“This approach is not based on the ethnic or locality factor only, but is instead grounded in the principle of equitable access to education that prioritises students that need help the most, regardless of their background,” the minister said.
One such measure is the Zero Student Drop Out pilot programme, which identifies the causes of students leaving school, she added.
The dropout rate among secondary students has been an ongoing concern.
The government has said that retention programmes have helped reduce the numbers in 2024, although the decline was marginal.
Deputy Education Minister Wong Kah Woh told the Dewan Rakyat in February that the dropout rate last year was 0.06 per cent in primary schools, or 1,595 students.
In secondary schools, it was 0.64 per cent, or 11,412 students.
In 2020, the rates were higher at 0.10 per cent for primary and 1.13 per cent for secondary.
Wong attributed the decrease to key initiatives like the Comprehensive Special Model Schools (K9 and K11), which provide quality and inclusive education, especially for students in rural and remote areas.
There are currently 28 K9 schools and two K11 schools, with plans to add seven more K9 schools.
