SARIKEI, Oct 2 — Schools with a low enrolment of pupils need to hold various interesting plans or programmes to help increase the numbers, says Deputy Education Minister Lim Hui Ying.
This includes having pre-school classes to ensure a larger number of pupils enter Year One in the respective schools.
“The issue of low enrolment can be overcome by having pre-school. With having many pupils enrol in pre-school, it can guarantee higher enrolment in Year One. We need to have many programmes and plans in school so that parents or guardians will be interested in sending their children to school,” she said to the press after visiting SJK(C) Bulat today.
Lim hopes all schools and principals will take this responsibility seriously, and it is up to the schools to decide for themselves on the ‘packages’ to attract students.
Under the Education Act 1996, the Ministry of Education (MoE) welcomes primary schools to have pre-schooling for children between the ages of four and five.
“As long as the schools can accommodate students in the classrooms, they can start pre-school classes. So as long as there are students who register, the MoE must send a preschool teacher or an assistant to the schools that will start the preschool class,” she said.
If this issue cannot be overcome, then the schools in question need to consider merging with nearby schools or moving to other areas that have a large population.
Before this, Lim had visited SJK (C) Tong Hua and SMK Tong Hua in Bintangor.
The deputy minister, who will end her week’s visit to Sarawak tomorrow, said the visit aimed to monitor the progress of maintenance works in government schools and government assistance.
— Bernama
