Noor Azimah Abdul Rahim, chairman of the Parent Action Group for Education (PAGE) said the authorities should not overlook the problem of poverty and other issues causing pupils to drop out of school.
“The ministry should investigate and determine the root causes with the aim of addressing and resolving these issues,” she told FMT.
“Support must be given to parents to ensure they are not left in the lurch to sort out their own challenges.”
Fouzi Singon, secretary-general of the National Union of the Teaching Profession, said the education ministry must step up efforts to raise awareness on the importance of education.
“Awareness in the community about the importance of education for the future is very necessary,” he said. “Community cooperation is needed to report on children who drop out of the school system due to irresponsible parents.”
On Tuesday, education minister Fadhlina Sidek said her ministry had submitted a draft to the Attorney-General’s Chambers on the proposal to make secondary school education compulsory.
Malaysian Employers Federation president Syed Hussain Syed Husman said making secondary school education compulsory could result in the increased availability of skilled workers.
“The education ministry should encourage secondary school students to enrol in skill courses through vocational schools so that our country gets more talented people with the proper skills to meet the labour market’s demands in the long run,” he said.
The move could also lead to a decline in child marriages and child labour, he added.
Chin Chee Seong, the secretary-general of the SME Association of Malaysia had a similar opinion, saying making secondary school education compulsory could produce a highly skilled workforce to support Malaysia’s economic growth and competitiveness.
“This will certainly help with the labour shortage in various local industries, especially when we have many talented people leaving for jobs in other countries,” he said.
Chin urged the education ministry to improve the relevancy of science, technology, engineering and mathematics as well as boost students’ interest in these subjects through activities and programmes.