IT cannot be denied that Malaysians are constantly fixated on education. It remains a hotly debated topic in coffee shops and boardrooms, back and forth in heated emotional arguments, as many parents see quality education as a pathway for success.
Today the government has expanded the definition of “compulsory education” to include secondary school education as mandatory for all Malaysian children residing in the country.
Parents who fail to do so may face a fine of up to RM5,000, imprisonment up to six months, or both upon conviction.
Should secondary education be made compulsory?
While many welcomed the move, there were an equal number who expressed the view that one should not have to force parents to send their children to school. A radio station that ran a survey asking parents to call in and express their views on compulsory secondary school education was on the receiving end of many irate listeners.
Many said the government should find out why parents chose not to send their children to government secondary schools, if it was due to poverty, transport issues, family problems, the need for children to help out at home or that schools were not delivering and students chose to stay away.
Fouzi Singon, secretary-general of the National Union of the Teaching Profession (NUTP) Malaysia feels the issue of attendance at secondary school continues to take centre stage for the Ministry of Education (MOE).
“They do not want parents to ignore their responsibility to ensure their children attend school. Even if one student is absent for a day in one school, the total number is 10,220 students, based on the number of schools,” he said.
Fouzi believes MOE must pay attention to what happens in primary schools and have a programme to make sure all levels of students can cover literacy and numeracy at the end of each year. He also suggests a debriefing session annually with teachers and parents from year one to year six to work towards literacy and numeracy skills for each child.
He feels primary students will go on to government secondary schools and their parents would encourage them, if they see their children achieve literacy and numeracy skills and therefore feel confident at secondary school level.
Fouzi stressed that if necessary, the government must identify the weaker students as previously the Ujian Pencapaian Sekolah Rendah(UPSR) exams did that. But since it has now been abolished, teachers need to use their own assessments to test the ability of primary school students to be ready for secondary school.
Malaysia stands out as one of those countries which have allowed a diverse ecosystem in education to thrive, with national schools, also known as government schools, where Bahasa Malaysia is the main medium of instruction, Chinese and Tamil vernacular schools, private international schools, as well as a system of Islamic schools.
Challenges facing government secondary school education
Deputy Minister of Education Wong Kah Woh said that at primary level the dropout rate had decreased from 0.10% in 2020 to 0.06% in 2024, while at secondary level the dropout rate has also decreased from 1.33% in 2020 to 0.64% in 2024.
But the bigger issue, which is often overlooked, remains the large number of private international schools, which have mushroomed. It cannot be denied that many parents have taken their children out of government secondary schools and enrolled them in private international schools.
From 2019 to 2024, the number of Malaysian students enrolled in private international schools surged by 34%, as reported by Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek.
Currently there are approximately 2.05 million students enrolled in government and government-aided secondary schools in 2022.
In July 2024, enrollment numbers at Malaysia’s private international schools stood at 111,185, up by 11% over five years.
Malaysian students made up 67.1%(59,726) with Bumiputera student enrolment increased by 50%.
While secondary school education is being made compulsory, the government should explore whether government secondary school education remains top choice.
Are parents switching to other streams such as private education and home-schooling? Also, whether secondary students are choosing early employment due to boredom and outdated curriculums.
Nallini Letchmanan, who recently retired from a secondary school in Petaling Jaya, has been teaching English for 36 years in both primary and secondary schools.
She said that while she agrees secondary school education should be made compulsory, there are many other challenges facing students at government secondary schools.
“The internet has opened up new possibilities, and secondary school students are attracted to new ways to earn money on the internet full-time. Not all would aspire to become lawyers and managers and take on white collar jobs.
“Attitude towards the English language poses a challenge sometimes. Many are not able to grasp it as they come with a poor foundation.
“Teachers have to persevere and find new ways to motivate students, maybe through debates as I did in my school,” said Nallini, who introduced debate in her secondary school, which won many competitions.
Professor Dr Kumaranvelu Ramasamy, Tamil educationist said vernacular Tamil primary schools are feeders to government secondary schools and poverty, poor academic readiness and lack of motivation are the main culprits contributing to poor attendance or an increase in dropout rates at secondary schools.
“Making secondary school education compulsory may help improve enrolment in secondary schools but will it help under performing children reach their academic goals?,” he said.