Education ministry in bid to make secondary school compulsory

The Dewan Negara was today told that the education ministry has submitted a draft proposal to the Attorney-General’s Chambers to make secondary education compulsory.

Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek said the move was the ministry’s commitment to ensure zero student dropouts at both the primary and secondary levels.

"At present, the education policy states that under the Education Act 1996, education is only compulsory up to Standard Six. 

"But the ministry is committed and we have raised and publicised (this matter)," she said during the question-and-answer session.

She was replying to a supplementary question from R Nelson who asked when the ministry would make secondary education compulsory to ensure that no students drop out after completing primary school.

Section 29A(2) of the Education Act 1996 states that parents must send their children to primary school for six years, failing which they can be fined a maximum of RM5,000, jailed for up to six months or both. 

Fadhlina said her ministry was working to implement the Comprehensive Special Model School K9 and K11 programme.

She said the K9 programme is to ensure that children do not drop out between Standard 1 and Form 3 while K11 is to ensure that children remain in school from Standard 1 until Form 5.