The government has launched a 16-month intervention programme called "Anak Kita" to tackle school dropouts.
Running from this month to Dec 31 next year, the programme aims to boost basic skills in reading, counting and writing among primary school pupils through interactive and personalised learning.
The initiative also seeks to increase the passing rate for Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) by providing targeted support in essential subjects such as History, Mathematics and Malay.
It also targets reintegrating drop-out students into the education system and making the learning processmore engaging and enhancing students' interest in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics subjects.
Emphasising a whole-of-nation approach, the programme involves collective efforts from the Finance Ministry and a unit under it, Pantau Madani, the education minister, Yayasan Hasanah, civil society organisations, public universities, corporate companies and international organisations, all aimed at benefiting the children of Malaysia.
With a budget of RM100 million, the programme will assist 83,752 schoolchildren across 3,458 schools nationwide.
Pantau Madani executive director Mohd Khalid Mohamed Latiff said this programme was divided into three pillars.
He said the first pillar would focus on addressing reading, writing and arithmetic (3M) for pupils from Years 2 to not fluent in these areas.
Khalid said this would benefit 53,252 students in Johor, Perak, Selangor, Kelantan, Kedah, Sabah, and Sarawak, involving 1,288 schools.
"We chose these states based on prioritisation and the availability of suitable civil society organisations (CSOs) in those areas to implement effective interventions.
"It is not just about the high dropout rates (in the seven states) but it is also about having impactful interventions by the right CSOs," he said after the programme's launch on Friday.
He said a grant of up to RM5,000 would be available for schools to implement interventions that meet the needs of students and the local community.
He said the second pillar focused on SPM candidates, addressing the issue of 10,160 students registered for the 2023 SPM but did not sit the examination.
"The main reason they did not attend is that they feel they have fallen too far behind in their studies, leading them to think there is no hope of passing. So they believe it is a waste of time to take the exam.
"We want to change this mindset. In this programme, we will identify students who are struggling, particularly in the compulsory subjects for SPM," he said.
This programme will support 10,000 Form 5 students from 1,500 schools for the 2024 SPM and 20,000 Form 4 students from 600 schools for the 2025 SPM.
The third pillar, Khalid said, targeted students who are currently out of school in Selangor, Kedah, Johor, Pahang, Sabah and Sarawak. It involves 500 students from 50 secondary schools and 20 primary schools.
"Many of these students are not attending due to issues such as poverty, where parents cannot afford basic necessities, forcing the children to work instead of going to school.
"We plan to conduct outreach programmes to visit these homes, identify their needs, and provide necessary support, such as school supplies and coaching.
"We will engage parents to encourage them to send their children back to school, addressing the challenges together," he said.
He expressed hope that students involved in this programme would improve their learning outcomes, master literacy and numeracy, and obtain their SPM certificates.
"My hopes for this programme are immense.
"Providing them with hope for a brighter future is our greatest aspiration," he said.
Present at the launch were Finance Minister II Datuk Seri Amir Hamzah Azizan, Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek and her deputy, Wong Kah Woh, Education Ministry secretary-general Datuk Ruji Ubi and Kuala Kubu Baru assemblyman Pang Sock Tao.
Fadhlina, in her speech, said ensuring equitable access to education was a shared responsibility.
"The Anak Kita programme has been developed to directly address dropout issues through tailored interventions, including recovery programmes, personalised learning plans and support from community partners.
"By leveraging technology, this initiative integrates digital tools for virtual guidance, progress tracking and data analytics to ensure students at risk of falling behind are identified early and given targeted support," she said.
Meanwhile, Amir Hamzah, in his speech, said the programme would be carried out using a whole-of-nation and whole-of-government approach to achieve broader and more significant outcomes.
He said the whole-of-nation approach involved all parties, including government agencies, government-linked companies, non-governmental organisations, public universities, community leaders, parents and local communities to encourage children to go to school.
"This year, the country has seen encouraging economic growth. In the second quarter of this year, the gross domestic product growth reached 5.9 per cent, and the value of the ringgit continues to strengthen against the US dollar.
"Foreign investors have high confidence of investing in Malaysia. All these indicators point to a rapid economic recovery happening in our country."
He added that this change would create better job opportunities and businesses for all citizens of the nation