Education and Globalization in Southeast Asia Issues and Challenges

Increasing Access to and Retention in Primary Education in Malaysia 147

are the children living closer to the mountains likely to be from poor rural
families, but they also have to travel longer distances to get to school. As a
result, many tend to fall behind in their academic performance, which leads
them to drop out (Government of Malaysia 2012; interviews). A similar
scenario is also faced by students in Sabah and Sarawak, where remote
areas still lack clean water and electricity. There are no connecting roads
to these remote places and the only mode of transportation is usually by
boat or ferry. The schools in these remote areas also lack infrastructure
and amenities (Government of Malaysia 2012; interviews). As noted by an
interviewee from the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia:

Again the access is not there, because the ... school and the settlement

are far away and the children travel in very dangerous condition to reach

the schools. So other social problems come out. Although the schools

are there, I don’t think they actually meet the needs of the children. Yes,

there they are set up, they run, but then the extended care and concern

for all children is not there.

FIGURE 6.4

Number of Children Not in Primary Schools, by State, 2000 and 2005

Source: MOE (2008).