In revealing this, Education Minister Mahdzir Khalid said only 86 per cent of students who completed their education until Form 3 continued on to upper secondary schools.

“It is only in Form 4 and Form 5 that we are facing some problems, with some rich students deciding to study abroad,” he told reporters after launching the Education 2030 symposium at Istana Hotel today.

A few dropped out of school totally.

Mahdzir did not elaborate on the reasons the rich kids were opting to further their studies overseas.

The minister was however happy that 98 per cent of children of school-going age enrolled in primary schools, higher than the 94.4 per cent enrolment recorded in 2013.

Mahdzir said the increase was due to more pupils from low-income families coming to school.

In the past, he noted, many parents from the low-income group did not send their children to school.

Others, like those living along the Sarawak-Kalimantan border, found it challenging to attend classes.

“We still have some small groups of sometimes 10 households who live in very interior areas. It takes them two to three days to go to school.”

The ministry was taking measures to solve the problem by building hostels for such children to stay and study.

There are currently 93 primary and secondary schools and 58 hostels for Orang Asli and Orang Asal children in the peninsula and East Malaysia.