THE school dropout rate between March 2020 and July 2021 could be higher than the 21,316 stated by the government, education groups have said.

Parent Action Group for Education (PAGE) honorary secretary Tunku Munawirah Putra told The Malaysian Insight that before Covid-19 there were approximately 60,000 children dropping out of school (or 1.2% of the student population), suggesting the latest statistics have been grossly under-reported.

Last month, the Education Ministry told Parliament that a total of 21,316 students did not complete their education and dropped out of school from March 2020 to July 2021.

It said 11,301 students left school between March and December 2020, while the other 10,015 quit between January and July 2021.

Deputy Education Minister Dr Mah Hang Soon said the number of school dropouts was higher before the Covid-19 pandemic struck, pointing out that in 2018, 34,074 students left school.

“The issue of dropout numbers that show so-called improvement from previous years despite the pandemic is due to the 100-day report card of this new government,” Munawairah said.

Globally, only about 35% out of 539 million students from pre-primary to secondary levels have gone back to school in 2021, compared to 16% in 2020, according to Unesco.

In 2020, the Family On Edge survey – jointly commissioned by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef) – found that in many of Klang Valley’s poor communities the number of students returning to the classroom dropped at an alarming rate as a result of the Covid-19 outbreak.

Among the findings of the study was that some of the children had become demotivated or lost interest in continuing school, while some families had difficulty paying tuition and transport fees, or giving their children pocket money.

This, Munawirah said, was a socioeconomic disaster as research has shown that children finishing high school would earn 50-100% more than those who did not complete their primary education.

She also said that school dropouts were more dependent on welfare and were more likely to be involved in crime.

“This would be a big loss to the economy where they could have potentially contributed with their income instead,” she said.

“Every child who drops out of mainstream schooling should be a major concern to all adults,” she said.

Munawirah said during the pandemic many students were unable to learn for a variety of reasons and therefore it was easier to drop out of school rather than try to catch up.

Malaysia entered into its first movement control order on March 18, 2020, and went through various phases and versions of restrictions, which included school closures and a move to online classes.

‘Silent issue’

Pravin Balakrishnan, a secondary school teacher who runs Edufication, said even before the pandemic, school dropout numbers was a “silent issue” that schools faced.

However, it has been exacerbated due to the pandemic.

“The pandemic has given options and has fuelled the decision for students to leave education because they see little value in what it offers.

“This, I would say, has led to an increase in school dropouts to a certain extent,” he said.

Pravin said the majority of dropouts are from high school, because they are much more independent.

Meanwhile, he acknowledged the rate had dropped since the onset of the pandemic but it is still alarming – but not surprising.

“On a personal level, I don’t find this surprising. You can ask other teachers too, and I think you’ll find a similar response,” he said.

“This is not a problem stemming from the pandemic, this is a problem stemming from how education is organised and viewed. The pandemic just unveiled it,” he said.

Pravin said in the past seven years of his teaching career, there have been instances where students stopped coming to schools.

However, they are still registered as going to school and therefore don’t show up in official figures.

“Now, these students have gone to work full time, so they see it as pointless to return to school and have decided to drop out officially,” he said.

Meanwhile, Mei Yee Chew from Teach for Malaysia said during the pandemic, many underprivileged students skipped school to work to help their struggling families.

She said working has given them the instant gratification of earning money, a feeling missing from getting an education.

“They feel good that they are earning money and helping out their families, so returning to school does not become a priority for them,” she said, adding that the lack of motivation to study has also contributed to the number.

Mei warned that socially, in the long-term, if more students continue to skip school for work, then the number of educated people could dwindle along with the mindset of the importance of receiving a good education.

Mei also said that the country would see fewer finishing school or completing their SPM in the future, if the issue is not mitigated.

A check of the statistics on the Education Ministry’s website shows that there are more than 5 million students in Malaysia, covering preschool, primary and secondary schools at public schools and the Institute of Teacher Education’s preschool programme. – January 7, 2022.