Look for poor Malay students who are dropouts
Published: Jul 16, 2005 6:26 AM | Updated: Jan 29, 2008 10:21 AM
The Umno machinery has been directed to go down to the grassroots to identify Malay students who have become dropouts and are unable to further their studies due to poverty.
The Umno machinery has been directed to go down to the grassroots to identify Malay students who have become dropouts and are unable to further their studies due to poverty.
Deputy Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak said party members should make house-to-house visits to ascertain the actual number of Malay students who have left school midway owing to poverty or they were said to be "dropouts" because they had enrolled in other schools not listed with the Education Ministry.
"Some of them have entered other schools like state government-run religious schools and Sekolah Agama Rakyat which are not listed in the mainstream education system.
"However, there are also those who have really dropped out from schools," Bernama quoted him as saying after opening a seminar on Malay Agenda in Kuala Lumpur today.
Najib, who is also Umno deputy president, said every individual had a minimum period of 11 years to attend compulsory education before they chose to work or go for tertiary education.
He said the data on Malay student dropouts had not been updated so far and hoped that the Umno machinery would shoulder the responsibility as education was the main agenda in efforts to boost the Malays' progress.
Comprehensive approach
"It must also be looked into why children of some families do not go to school, whether it is because of poverty or other reasons," he said.
Najib said the aim to achieve success and boost competitiveness would not be complete if it was not backed by cultural transformation, particularly among the Malays.
To realise this, he said, a comprehensive approach must be adopted and the people should not merely hope for allocations and handouts, thinking that it was the government's responsibility.
"The Malays must accept the reality that the world has changed, they can no longer seek refuge behind provisions in the constitution but must change themselves and the Malays as a whole," the deputy premier added.
Deputy Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak said party members should make house-to-house visits to ascertain the actual number of Malay students who have left school midway owing to poverty or they were said to be "dropouts" because they had enrolled in other schools not listed with the Education Ministry.
"Some of them have entered other schools like state government-run religious schools and Sekolah Agama Rakyat which are not listed in the mainstream education system.
"However, there are also those who have really dropped out from schools," Bernama quoted him as saying after opening a seminar on Malay Agenda in Kuala Lumpur today.
Najib, who is also Umno deputy president, said every individual had a minimum period of 11 years to attend compulsory education before they chose to work or go for tertiary education.
He said the data on Malay student dropouts had not been updated so far and hoped that the Umno machinery would shoulder the responsibility as education was the main agenda in efforts to boost the Malays' progress. Comprehensive approach
"It must also be looked into why children of some families do not go to school, whether it is because of poverty or other reasons," he said.
Najib said the aim to achieve success and boost competitiveness would not be complete if it was not backed by cultural transformation, particularly among the Malays.
To realise this, he said, a comprehensive approach must be adopted and the people should not merely hope for allocations and handouts, thinking that it was the government's responsibility.
"The Malays must accept the reality that the world has changed, they can no longer seek refuge behind provisions in the constitution but must change themselves and the Malays as a whole," the deputy premier added.
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