This is among proposals agreed upon at today’s Majlis Sosial Negara meeting chaired by deputy prime minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi and attended by women, family and community development minister Nancy Shukri.

A strategy to address the dropout problem was among two discussion papers presented at the meeting. The other concerned the HIV situation in Malaysia.

In a statement read out by Nancy, Zahid said the government recorded 14,506 dropouts from secondary schools last year.

“Regular monitoring of employers hiring schoolgoing workers will also help ensure compliance with the working conditions and hours prescribed (under the law),” he said.

According to the Children and Young Persons (Employment) Act 1966, those aged 15 and below are not allowed to work more than seven hours a day, including during school hours, and not more than six days a week.

Students aged 15 and above, but under 18, are not allowed to work more than eight hours a day, including during school hours.

Other strategies to tackle the dropout issue include increasing awareness of the importance of education up to the SPM level, setting up more vocational training centres and providing counselling support to parents.

On the prevention and control of HIV and AIDS, the meeting deliberated on measures to limit access to websites sharing pornography or social media platforms that encourage risky behaviour.