MOE COMMITTED TO ENSURING ORANG ASLI CHILDREN HAVE ACCESS TO EDUCATION

GUA MUSANG, April 21 (Bernama) -- The Ministry of Education is committed to ensuring that every Orang Asli child has access to education, thus eliminating dropout issues.

Its director-general Azman Adnan said school dropout issues could be effectively addressed and minimised through the Special Class Project (ProKhas).

He said the project aims to provide equal opportunities for Orang Asli children to access education along with students in mainstream schools.

bootstrap slideshow

Currently, there are two ProKhas projects in progress, one in Kelantan and another in Perak, he said.

"We have one in Kuala Koh involving 44 pupils and another in Aring 5 involving 30 pupils. The ProKhas initiative was introduced to provide educational support for children residing far from schools," he told reporters after attending the MADANI Education Tour Programme at the Batek Orang Asli settlement in Kampung Kuala Koh, Pos Lebir, here today.

Azman said that instead of children going to school, teachers would go to their areas to provide education.

bootstrap slideshow

Moreover, he noted that the children would be relocated to boarding schools as part of the ProKhas programme, which runs three days a week.

"We have the K9 School for Year One to Form Three and the K11 School for Year One to Form Five, all within the same school.

"So far, we have successfully reduced the dropout rate among Orang Asli children. As such, we are dedicated to ensuring the continuity of this initiative because it offers a practical solution to ensure their regular attendance in school," he said.

He added that ongoing efforts to secure proper education for this group are in line with the ministry's goal of providing fair learning opportunities for Orang Asli children, narrowing the gap between them and those in mainstream schools.

-- BERNAMA