Thirteen Chinese-based non-governmental organisations (NGOs) today called on the Education Ministry to conduct a total review and make some improvements to remove classes which had existed for the past 50 years.
Coming together under a governing body called ‘Committee for Secondary School Dropouts, Plan of Action for Malaysia’, they said the issue of school dropouts among students in remove classes was important, but unfortunately, had not received the much deserving attention from society.
Its chairman, Phua Lee Kerk, said poor command of the Malay language, to the extent of having difficulties in understanding the lessons, was the main problem faced by the students in remove classes as most of them had attended Chinese (national-type) primary schools.
Hence, he suggested that the syllabus in remove classes to be restructured by adding reading and writing programmes for the first three months, allocating two periods for the Malay language subject for reading practice and two more periods for oral tests, while at the same time avoiding the use of high-level Malay language.
“The teachers should also be given special trainings to improve their skills and teaching materials. Skilled-teachers who speak Mandarin and can teach Malay as a second language can also be appointed,” he told reporters in Putrajaya today.
Earlier, the committee handed over a memorandum about the proposed total review and improvement for remove classes to Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin, who is also Education Minister, at the ministry in Putrajaya today.
The memorandum was received by Muhyiddin’s special officer Ismail Mohamad.
“We are calling on the ministry to view the issue of school dropouts seriously and organise a national-level academic conference to identify the weaknesses of remove classes,” he said.
Phua said the workshop on remove classes organised by several NGOs last year, which was attended by educational researchers, teachers, students and former students, had also identified several weaknesses concerning remove classes.
He said the participants had also expressed dissatisfaction over the fact that most schools put attachment teachers to be in charge of remove classes.
– Bernama
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