KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 30 — A total of 373 Orang Asli children have been persuaded to attend school in 15 schools nationwide up to May this year, according to Deputy Education Minister Lim Hui Ying.
The Education Ministry (MOE) has implemented the ‘Jom Belajar’ (Let's Learn), a special programme for Orang Asli students (Prokhas) and ‘Chup Badui Sikulah’ (CBS), to give access to basic education to Orang Asli children who live in rural areas and have never attended school.
"The MOE has always given serious attention to the issue of school dropout among Orang Asli children, which is caused by the poor living standards in the interior, as well as a lack of educational infrastructure and logistics facilities.
“One of the MOE's approaches in dealing with the issue of Orang Asli school dropout is to hold engagement sessions and Ziarah Kasih, together with the Orang Asli community in the villages," she said.
Lim was responding to a query from Gopeng MP Tan Kar Hing on the efforts to resolve the dropout issue of Orang Asli children.
She added that MOE is also working with the Orang Asli Development Department (Jakoa) and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to identify Orang Asli children who should be in the education system but are not attending school.
The ministry has expanded the Comprehensive Special Model School Year 9 (K9) and the Comprehensive Special Model School Year 11 (K11) to address the issue of the attendance of Orang Asli students who live far inland and in remote areas.
Meanwhile, Lim said the MOE always strives to ensure students have devices to support the implementation of teaching and learning (PdP), which uses digital technology while reducing the digital divide.
“Nevertheless, this effort depends on the government's financial capacity, and at the same time, the ministry works with strategic partners from various government and private agencies to accelerate the ownership of devices among students,” she said.
The initiatives under the four cores of the Digital Education Policy (DPD), launched on November 28, focused on providing access to digital devices for every student through various mechanisms.
Lim was responding to a query from Rompin MP Datuk Abdul Khalib Abdullah as to whether the MOE has specific plans to speed up the adaptation of digitalisation in the national education ecosystem.
DPD consists of six cores: producing digital-savvy students, having digitally-competent educators, visionary digital leadership culture, improving infrastructure and infostructure, having digital education content, and committed strategic partners.
— Bernama
