Merger of under-enrolled schools requires parents' approval: Mahdzir

KUCHING: The decision to merge under-enrolled schools has to be made with the consent of the parents of the students involved, said Education Minister Datuk Seri Mahdzir Khalid.
He said the Education Department in Sarawak and the State Education, Science and Technology Research Ministry had conducted a clinic to identify such schools in the state.
"Holding the clinic is the first step, the second step, as informed by Datuk Seri Michael Manyin Jawong (Minister of Education, Science and Technology Research Sarawak) is to have roadshows, meetings with the Parents and Teachers Associations (PTAs), non-governmental organisations (NGOs), Community leaders and so on, to get their views.
"The option for the students is to remain at their old school or for their school to be merged, but the regulations require approval from the parents," he told a press conference after closing the Second International Conference on Special Education 2017 at the Borneo Convention Centre Kuching, here today.
Also present were Manyin, Education director-general Tan Sri Khair Mohamad Yusof and Sarawak Education Department director Rakayah Madon.
Earlier, Manyin said the results of the recent two-day clinic conducted by the Sarawak Education Department and the State Education, Science and Technology Research Ministry revealed that there were 651 schools with less than 150 students, and 1,004 schools with less than 300 students in Sarawak.
A school ideally needed to have 300 to 400 students, he said, adding that due to the presence of under-enrolled schools, the State Education, Science and Technology Research Ministry would hold a series of tours to convince parents on the need to merge the schools for the benefit of their children's education.
Meanwhile, commenting on the conference, Mahdzir said working papers from various countries were presented during which participants shared the challenges and issues faced in providing education to students with special needs.
"In Malaysia, we have 78,310 special needs students who are involved in several programmes such as Integrated Special Education Programme, Inclusive Education Programme and Vocational Special Education.
"Looking at the number of students with special needs, we may need to increase the number of educational institutions for them, " he said. — Bernama