KUALA LUMPUR: Parent Action Group for Education chairman Datin Noor Azimah Abdul Rahim said she supports compulsory secondary schooling but highlights challenges faced by students in remote areas.
"We agree that secondary education should be made compulsory," she said in a statement.
"However we caution that while it may seem ordinary to most parents and students to attend school daily, it may not be to some especially to those who live in isolated, secluded, inaccessible and interior parts of the country."
For many rural families, especially in Malaysia's Borneo island, road access to schools is limited, and they rely on risky boat rides.
Noor Azimah said data should be made available to understand why, despite compulsory primary education, we haven't reached 100 percent enrolment.
A realistic target must be set, or these goals will remain mere formalities with no real progress, she said.
In a written reply in Dewan Rakyat yesterday (Dec 3), Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek said her ministry is working to expand the scope of compulsory education from primary to secondary levels.
Noor Azimah said: "unless and until the cabinet is willing to invest in these students only can it talk about making secondary school education compulsory."
Noor Azimah also said that where schools are inaccessible, improved transport options from students' homes must be provided.
Alternatively, accommodation in hostels, including maintenance, should be offered within close proximity to schools, which would require a substantial federal budget, she said in a statement.