BUKIT MERTAJAM: The Education Ministry (MOE) is in the midst of finalising the compulsory secondary education policy in an effort to curb the issue of students dropping out of school.

Its Minister Fadhlina Sidek said the issue of dropouts would not occur if children were required to study up to the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) level under the new policy.

She also said that the country was facing enrollment problems for preschool and secondary school levels but not for primary schools.

"We have no problem with primary school enrollment which stood at 99 per cent. We reach the universal target because we have a compulsory primary education policy," she said when appearing as a guest at the Women's Question Time programme here last night, along with PKR vice-president Nurul Izzah Anwar.

Fadhlina said the ministry aims to tackle the preschool enrollment problem by establishing 118 new preschools this year.

She said this was an early intervention measure to prevent student dropouts at the early childhood education level.

"I am pleased to see preschools with two sessions. This shows that our preschool is getting a much better response. That is why it's important to support early education so that we can have a preschool in every primary school," she said.

Fadhlina also said that early intervention was crucial in preventing student dropouts, including among students with special needs, because it helps to identify their needs from the age of four to six.

She also said the quality of education in Malaysia is much better than in other Southeast Asian countries due to the requirement for preschool teachers to hold a diploma in early childhood education.

-- BERNAMA