The Malaysian Insight

FORMER education minister Maszlee Malik has started an outreach programme for pupils who have dropped out of school after falling behind their lessons when the schools were closed because of Covid-19.

The programme called Save the Dropouts, under non-governmental organisation,  Untuk Malaysia, aims to put such pupils back in school while preventing more from dropping out because they are unable to keep up with their studies at home.

Many pupils also fall behind because of lack of access to computers and the internet.

Untuk Malaysia operations director Hafizul Faiz, said the children on the programme would be taught to read, write and count (3M).

The plan is to teach 1,000 pupils from preschool to Standard Six in 10 months, starting now.

“Ten months should be enough time for the dropout students to master the 3M skills and proceed to the next level of schooling,” Hafizul told The Malaysian Insight.

Maszlee launched Untuk Malaysia in November while schools were closed amid the coronavirus epldemic.

Lesson were conducted online but not all the pupils had the means to access them while some were having difficulty learning through the virtual platforms. A Unicef report on the situation had urged urgent intervention.

Hafizul said the dropout outreach programme was in response to the Unicef report.

“Focused intervention was identified as the urgent and immediate measure that must be taken. That was why the Save the Dropouts movement was started,” he said.

Hafizul said it was difficult to obtain accurate data on the number of dropouts in Malaysia but suspected they were a sizeable group.

He said in less than a week after its launch, the programme had received 2,000 applications for participation. Half of them will be selected, with priority given to children in poor families.

“The number is worrying. Even without an epidemic, the issue of dropouts is not new. But it has become a bigger problem because of the epidemic and must be addressed.

“Poverty and pandemic-related factors are why there is a high number of dropouts,” he said.

‘Change makers’

 The community welfare group is counting on its 7,000 volunteer tutors and public donations to make the programme a success,.

 People can also refer the dropouts they know to the programme or sign up as volunteers to help.

Workshops and training sessions for the tutors start this week and classes the week after.

Hafizul said the programme will be implemented across Malaysia and requires at least 500 tutors, known as “change makers”, for the 1,000 students.

More tutors and students could sign up when more funds are obtained, he added.

Tuition sessions are held in-person with compliance with health and safety guideliness, Hafizul said.

“Physical classes are the best way to ensure the success of our programme. It will be hard if we rely on online classes.”

Hafiz hopes to cap attendance at two pupils per session. The tutor and students must also live within 10km of one other so as not to violate movement restrictions in effect. When signing up, volunteer tutors will have to state where they live.

All schools are currently closed except to students sitting for the national SPM and STPM examinations.

The rest are learning at home through various media and platforms, including television programmes. – February 2, 2021.