MELAKA, Dec 11 –The Melaka Education Department (JPN) is monitoring cases of students dropping out of school during the COVID-19 pandemic period.

State Education and Technology Committee chairman Datuk Rais Yasin said this was to ensure the students involved could be assisted so that they could return to school when the new school session began next year.

He said various assistance were provided by the state government to help students and parents affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

“During the COVID-19 outbreak, many parents were affected, they lost their jobs and this indirectly affected the family economy, yet the hardship should not be the reason for their children to stop their studies.

“We are monitoring and reports van be made directly to me, the State Education Department, the distruict education offices or the school,” he told reporters after opening Dataran As Solihin and Majlis Maulid Akbar at Paya Rumput here last night.

Last Monday, Deputy Education Minister Datuk Dr Mah Hang Soon was reported to have said that the number of school dropouts was higher before the COVID-19 pandemic struck.

He said there were 34,074 students who dropped out of school in 2018 compared to 11,301 students who left school between March to December last year and 10,015 who dropped out between January and July 2021.

Earlier, Rais, who is Paya Rumput Assemblyman, said about RM2.5 million was needed to upgrade the As Solihin Mosque in Paya Rumput here.

The mosque management has managed to raise funds amounting to RM700,000 for the purpose, he added.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency