KEPALA BATAS, Aug 5 — The government intends to introduce a new type of school specifically for children of the poorest groups in the country so that they are not left behind in the education system.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said the concept for this new type of school will be akin to a secondary science school or a secondary boarding school.
“So, we will have a school that provides space for children from poor families, especially the poorest, and whose (academic) results are not satisfactory. We will give them the opportunity to study,” he said when speaking at the ‘Temu Anwar Bicara Pendidikan MADANI’ programme at the Penang Matriculation College here today.
He emphasised that everyone should have access to equal educational opportunities so that no group is left out of the democratisation of quality of education.
The Prime Minister said there is currently a gap between urban schools and rural schools, like those in Manik Urai, Kelantan and Kapit, Sarawak.
While admitting that education is one way to escape from the clutches of poverty, Anwar said education was important to increase social mobility which, according to him, was ‘migration’ for the poor.
As such, he intends to bring changes to the education sector to improve the quality of education in the country.
“For this to succeed, we must all fully cooperate… from students to teachers and the students must also be committed to excel in their studies,” he said.
Explaining the importance of education for a country, Anwar said youngsters must master learning and revive the practice of reading, which is waning among students.
In line with that, he said the MADANI Budget has allocated the biggest expenditure for the education sector because he believes a country can be more advanced if its people excel in education.
