KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 20 ― The new school year is now in its third week and there are reports that some urban schools are experiencing a higher level of absenteeism than their counterparts in rural areas.

Education Minister Datuk Seri Mahdzir Khalid had said recently that due to the high cost of living, poor students in urban areas were being forced to work to supplement their families' income, thus contributing to low attendance in some schools.

He said the attendance in secondary and primary schools in Kuala Lumpur was only 87 or 88 per cent, compared with 98 or 99 per cent in rural schools.

This matter warrants the serious attention of the authorities concerned because poverty should not deny poor children of the education that they so badly need to escape from the clutches of poverty.

Education vital

A random survey carried out by Bernama among poor urban families showed that most parents were willing to go the extra mile to ensure that their children received a decent education.

To them, the income their children stood to earn if they skipped school to work was not worth the risk of getting expelled from school and facing an uncertain future.

"However hard our life is, we won't allow our children to work. No parent who knows the importance of education will want their children to work, let alone play truant," said Abdul Halim Ahmad Mokhtar, 50. 

The father-of-five, who does wiring and carpentry work for a living, said truancy was not only against school rules but also had negative effects on the children's future, as well as their families and the schools concerned.  

Absenteeism not linked to financial status

Abdul Halim believed that financial status had nothing to do with problems related to absenteeism or truancy in schools.

"As far as I know, those who play truant regularly are students who mix with bad company or are hard to control or have problems with their parents. In fact, there are some parents who don't take an interest in their children's education.

"As for me, although I don't earn a fixed income and am affected by the rising cost of living, I will work hard to put my children through school and give them the best education possible," he said.

Admitting that it was difficult to meet all the financial needs of his family, Abdul Halim said he usually attended to the priorities first, like paying tuition fees for his children who have important examinations to sit for.

"I really want them to succeed... and not be like me who dropped out of school after Form Three," he said.

His fourth child Noor Mazlisya, 15, a student at Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Taman Dato’ Harun in Petaling Jaya, said her father always stressed that a good education was the passport to a brighter future.

"Even my mother, who is a housewife, always tells us all to study hard. I will study hard and make my parents proud of me," said the determined girl, when met at the Matahari Kids Club (MKC) in Taman Dato' Harun.

MKC was established by Matahari Wholesale Hypermarket in cooperation with the Muslim Aid Malaysia Humanitarian Foundation to provide academic guidance to students after school hours and during weekends, as well as prevent them from loafing and getting involved in undesirable activities. 

Some 50 children from low-income families living in Taman Dato’ Harun, Taman Medan and Puchong are registered with MKC.

Not left behind

Muslim Aid teacher Noor Farlina Mizan, 26, who also helps out at MKC, said children who were not registered with the club were also allowed to spend their spare time there, but were excluded from any special activitities carried out by MKC.

"We teach them and help them to complete their homework so that they are not left behind," she said, adding that most of the club members' parents were either self-employed or working as taxi drivers or security guards earning not more than RM1,500 a month.

The Universiti Malaya graduate, who has been with Muslim Aid for three years, said since they could not afford to send their children for tuition classes, the parents would photostat books borrowed from MKC and would call her regularly to find out how their children were faring in their studies.

MKC is equipped with computers, reference books and stationery and provides a conducive atmosphere for the children to study.  

During school terms, it has a fixed timetable to conduct classes but come holidays, the children can look forward to handicraft-making classes, as well as tailoring and cooking lessons.

No harm in lending a helping hand

Twelve-year-old Nur Dina Afrina Noor Fahmy, a student at Sekolah Kebangsaan Kampung Lindungan, Petaling Jaya, who heads to MKC after school, said she sometimes helped her mother in her catering work but only after school or during the holidays.

Her mother Rosnani Ibrahim, 40, said although she encouraged her children to help her, she would ensure that it did not clash with their schoolwork.

She said her husband had not been working for the past two years as he was ill while she earned about RM70 a day.

"But sometimes I only get to work a few days a month, except during the school holidays and festivals when a lot of functions are held. Fortunately, I'm getting some help from the Selangor Zakat Board," she said, adding that she was also grateful to MKC for providing extra coaching to Nur Dina Afrina, who was weak in her studies.

Meanwhile, commenting on reports that students were skipping school to help their parents earn a living, motivational expert Prof Dr Muhaya Mohamad said while children were duty-bound to help their parents, it should not be done at the expense of their education.

"Where young people are concerned, education is their priority. But then, we often see children helping their parents at their business premises during school holidays. It helps them to pick up business knowledge and learn how to deal with customers.

"But to drop out of school to work for a few Ringgit a day is foolhardy as the child's future becomes bleak," she said. Dr Muhaya said besides keeping tabs on the students' academic performance, the authorities concerned should also identify their needs and, if necessary, provide them with the assistance that they require. ― Bernama