KUALA LUMPUR: The Ministry of Education (MOE) will extend the Sekolah Bimbingan Jalinan Kasih (SBJK) concept to Kota Kinabalu in Sabah next month to help street children and undocumented children access formal education.
Minister Fadhlina Sidek said the opening of the school is part of the ministry's commitment to improve access to education for children from diverse backgrounds.
“The Ministry of Education is continuously working to improve access to education and the community plays an important role in making these efforts a success,“ she said in her speech at the International Day of the Girl Child Festival 2023 here today.
The first SBJK opened in Chow Kit in 2013 and enrols students from pre-school to secondary level, including children with social problems, undocumented children, school dropouts and orphans.
Meanwhile, Fadhlina said the MOE also plans to extend access to schools in hospitals (SDH) set up for children undergoing treatment as well as students accompanying their parents in hospital to ensure they are not left behind in education.
She said that there are currently 17 SDHs across the country.
Referring to the problems of teenagers working as young as 15 and child marriage, Fadhlina said that the compulsory secondary education policy is in its final stages.
Recently, the Dewan Rakyat was told that a lack of interest, work, family problems, marriage and difficulties in attending school due to distance from schools were among reasons identified for dropping out. -Bernama
