Schools see return of 4,758 dropouts
Deputy Education Minister Wong Kah Woh said this was aided through the Student Tracking System (SiPKPM) which helps analyse dropout cases.
He said the main factors contributing to student dropouts include lack of interest in school, expulsion, work, family problems and chronic illness.
"This system includes data on all school-aged children from Year 1 to Form 5, including those in private educational institutions and religious education institutions.
"The system helps analyse dropout cases and allows for more accurate data downloads, visualisation of dropout locations through heat maps and identification of the schools involved so that intervention can be carried out to return these students to school.
"In addition, students at risk of dropping out can be given targeted interventions to prevent them from leaving school and to keep them enrolled.
"The effectiveness of the SiPKPM is evident, with 4,758 dropout students returning to school between Feb 10 and today, compared with 2,708 students last year," he said in the Dewan Rakyat.
Wong added that this proves a data-driven and continuous monitoring approach can improve the re-enrolment rate of students into the education system.
He said recently, SiPKPM has been integrated with artificial intelligence applications that can predict the learning and career pathways of at-risk students and dropouts enrolled in Education Ministry schools, up to Form 5.
"These predictions will help retain at-risk and dropout students so that they continue their education until the completion of Form 5."
He was responding to a question from Roslan Hashim (PN-Kulim Bandar Baru) on the effectiveness of the SiPKPM.
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