‘With more precise definitions, we could identify where the gap remains and which schools still require government intervention.’
PETALING JAYA: Malaysia’s narrowing urban-rural SPM performance gap may not fully reflect the reality on the ground as improvements in developed rural districts could be masking persistent struggles faced by schools in remote communities.
UKM Malaysian Inclusive Development and Advancement Institute (Minda) deputy director Dr Anuar Ahmad said combining results from suburban-like rural areas with those from isolated schools under a single “rural” category could make performance appear stronger than it actually was.
“When schools in developed rural areas are combined with schools in remote areas, the overall rural figure would naturally improve.
“But does that mean the most remote schools have also improved? Are they now performing closer to urban schools? That requires a more precise explanation from the Education Ministry,” he told theSun.
He added that the ministry should move away from the current urban-rural classification and introduce three categories – urban, suburban and remote rural areas – to provide a clearer picture of educational disparities.
He also said the breakdown would reveal whether improvements were reaching isolated communities or were mainly driven by schools in districts that had developed significantly and now had facilities comparable to towns.
“With more precise definitions, we could identify where the gap remains and which schools still require government intervention.”
During a Dewan Rakyat session on July 15, Education Deputy Minister Wong Kah Woh said the urban-rural gap, based on the 2024 SPM average grade, had narrowed by 26.23% under the Malaysia Education Blueprint 2013-2025.
The ministry has set a target to further reduce the gap by 50% by 2035 under the new education blueprint.
Anuar acknowledged that the official data indicated progress, which he attributed to efforts to improve dilapidated schools, increase teaching manpower and upgrade learning infrastructure in rural areas.
However, he said the improvement did not necessarily mean all rural schools had advanced at the same pace.
“Some district areas already have sufficient facilities. They even have shopping malls and various other amenities, yet we still categorise them as rural.
“Remote rural schools may still be performing poorly, but when their results are combined with those of suburban schools and presented under the rural category, the overall figures will show an improvement.
“We should welcome the smaller gap, but we also need to know whether the improvement is happening in remote rural schools or mainly in suburban areas that are already well developed.
“Otherwise, the figure may show progress for rural schools as a whole while the most disadvantaged pupils remain left behind.”
Anuar said a more detailed classification was crucial as achievement data should determine where the government directs resources, including teacher deployment, school upgrades, internet connectivity and academic support.
He added that without a clearer breakdown, interventions risked being based on averages that did not accurately reflect the needs of pupils in the most challenging locations.
