KUALA LUMPUR, 17 March 2009: About 4,800 students drop out of or are expelled from public institutions of higher learning every year, the Dewan Rakyat was told today.
Deputy Higher Education Minister Dr Hou Kok Chung said the number was 1.5% of the total annual enrolment since 2005.
However, the percentage was not so alarming as it was at the normal level, he said when replying to a question from Mohd Firdaus Jaafar (PAS-Jerai).
To a supplementary question from Mohd Firdaus, Hou said the ministry did not regard the Universities and University Colleges Act as a factor for students dropping out of or getting expelled from public institutions of higher learning.
Instead, he said, the students usually dropped out of or were expelled because of unsatisfactory academic results, inability to enrol for courses, pursuing studies elsewhere, forging qualifications, and disciplinary issues.
Meanwhile, Deputy Education Minister Datuk Dr Wee Ka Siong said 1,862 students were involved in various crimes last year.
However, he said, the number of students involved in gangsterism for the purpose of extortion and criminal intimidation had declined from 76 in 2007 to only 46 last year.
To combat crime among the students, he said, the ministry had been intensifying its integrated crime prevention campaign at schools via the introduction of the Crime Prevention Club.
So far, 6,447 schools nationwide had set up the club, involving 380,369 members, he said when replying to a question from Lee Chee Leong (BN-Kampar). — Bernama
