The report card system on students' academic achievements will be improved to narrow the difference between urban and rural students, Education Minister Datuk Seri Mahdzir Khalid said.

The move, he said, was aimed at improving the achievement of rural students, which had not been as satisfactory as that of students in urban schools.

"If we are to look at the graph on the academic achievement of rural students, it is still low and the ministry has to improve the report card system from time to time to improve the performance of rural schools.

"We have 134 district education offices (PPD) and they have carried out various incentives like giving prizes to students and schools with good performance," he told a media conference after presenting aid to the less
affordable here.

He said the ministry also wanted to see competition between the genders, which currently showed that the girls were better that the boys.

Mahdzir said the ministry would request the PPDs to submit reports on the performance of schools under their respective jurisdiction in a move to get the schools to resolve theirs.

Meanwhile, in his speech, Mahdzir said it had been the ministry desire to have a single morning session for all schools.

However, due to shortage of classrooms in secondary schools, but too many students, some schools are forced to have morning and afternoon sessions.

The ministry will build more secondary schools from time to time, he added.