I haven’t written here in a while—my last post was on June 22, and my readership has plummeted from over 4,000 daily views to just around 400. I’m nearly done with my Vistana Heights posts, so it’s time to return to this blog. Below is a Malaymail report from August 12, 2025, about what Education Minister YB Fadhlina Sidek said on school dropouts, with extracts and my commentary.
Extract:
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.
My thoughts:
“Contextual intervention” refers to tailored strategies addressing the unique challenges students face, varying by ethnicity, locality, resources, cultural values, or socioeconomic conditions. This approach avoids a one-size-fits-all solution to reduce dropout rates. But has the Education Ministry identified the specific needs of these students? The minister refers to dropouts, not students who complete 11 years of schooling yet leave illiterate. Are they digging deep enough into the root causes?
Extract:
One such measure is the Zero Student Drop Out pilot programme, which identifies the causes of students leaving school, she added.
My thoughts:
The Zero Student Dropout Program (PSMC) began in 2018, piloted in Perlis, Langkawi, Hulu Langat, Kluang, Kulai, and Pasir Mas, per the Ministry of Education’s 2018 report. It aims to tackle student dropouts in Malaysia’s education system. In a parliamentary reply to Batu Gajah MP Sivakumar Varatharaju (DAP), Fadhlina reported that of 5,153,093 public school students, 1,496 dropped out at the primary level (1,275 Bumiputera, 221 others), and 25,626 at the secondary level (19,347 Bumiputera, 6,279 non-Bumiputera). She didn’t specify the timeframe for these figures. After over five years, why is the dropout rate still so high despite this program? Are they truly investigating the underlying reasons?
Extract:
The government has said that retention programmes have helped reduce the numbers in 2024, although the decline was marginal.
My thoughts:
As Einstein said, insanity is doing the same thing repeatedly and expecting different results. Retention programs with marginal impact suggest a need for fresh approaches. My first student, retained in Primary 1, came to me enrolled in grade 1 at SRS Datuk Simon Fung unable to read a single sentence. By 2021, he earned a double degree from the University of Southern Australia. Most of my students, who arrived illiterate, have graduated university and now work as professionals. Without my intervention, they likely would have dropped out or left school illiterate. I’ve reached out to Fadhlina Sidek via email and social media, offering to share insights from my 15 years of research and a book on why kids disengage from learning. She hasn’t responded.
1 comment:
Meanwhile here are the statistics I checked on:
Recent 2024 data indicates the Bumiputera proportion is 70.4% of the total 34.1 million population, equivalent to approximately 24 million Bumiputera.
Now, let’s compare this with the dropout statistics provided:
Primary Level Dropouts: Of 1,496 dropouts, 1,275 were Bumiputera, which is approx 85.2%.
Secondary Level Dropouts: Of 25,626 dropouts, 19,347 were Bumiputera, which is approx 75.5%.
Comparison:
At the primary level, Bumiputera make up 85.2% of dropouts, significantly higher than their 70.4% share of the population.
At the secondary level, Bumiputera account for 75.5% of dropouts, also exceeding their population proportion of 70.4%, though the gap is smaller.
These figures suggest Bumiputera students are overrepresented in dropout rates compared to their share of the population, particularly at the primary level.
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