THE Education Ministry will continue to monitor and provide intervention for pupils who are at risk of dropping out so that they continue to stay in school until they complete Form Five, says Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek.

She said the move was aimed at ensuring the rights of every child through educational equality and that this is achieved no matter where they are.

“The MOE is aware of the the issue of dropouts among students and will continue to find ways to resolve it until we achieve zero dropouts,” she said in her 2023 New Year message posted on her Facebook today.

Describing education as a gateway to a vast galaxy of knowledge, Fadhlina said the search, construction and gathering of knowledge should be made with an exploratory culture that is character-building in nature to the brain and the person.

As such, she said the seven main cores that have become the focus of the ministry in steering the country’s  education system would require a synergy between teachers, pupils, parents and the community which is the key to the success of education in the future.

The cores involved are effective communication, transparency between schools and the ministry. Emphasis on friendliness through the cultivation of good manners, morals and integrity. Multi-dimension B40 poverty dropout in education and literacy issues. Teachers’ welfare, renovation and upgrade of dilapidated schools especially in East Malaysia and improving digital education in schools.

Even though the education system is presently inherited through a series of refinements, Fadhlina said those in education cannot compromise on ensuring that the load on teachers is reduced and the well-being of pupils is achieved. 

“The approach to maintaining existing policies will be adopted and improved with while monitoring the implementation stage,” she said.

She also said a harmonious ecosystem must also be translated within the framework  of a cheerful happy pupil, a happy teacher, an unparalleled school and a prosperous country.

“Pupils, students, teachers and the educators who share this hope must cultivate humanitarian values, and schools can be free from negative elements such as sexual harassment, bullying, extremism, gangsterism and others,” she said.

She also urged teachers to continue to carry out their duties professionally and use that trait as a bridge to bond stakeholders in the education sector. – Bernama, January 1, 2023.