KUCHING, Dec 29: The Sarawak government has allocated RM15 million for the Free Tuition Programme in 2024, representing an increase from RM10 million allocated this year to enhance the literacy of Sarawakian students, particularly in mathematics, science and reading.
Deputy Minister of Education, Innovation, and Talent Development Datuk Dr Annuar Rapaee emphasised that the programme for the upcoming year will be expanded to include Form Three students to improve the national performance in the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA).
“In the past, this free tuition programme only involved Form Five students, but this time it will include Form Three students. This adjustment is a proactive measure to counter students’ declining proficiency in mathematics, science and reading.
“We are very worried about this trend, but we have to work hard, and the Sarawak government is taking steps to address proficiency challenges among students,” he said during a TVS Dialog interview programme focusing on Sarawak education policy in line with development broadcast last night (Dec 28).
Dr Annuar drew attention to Malaysia’s current position, ranking lower than other Asian countries, such as Vietnam, Cambodia, and Brunei, based on the PISA assessment.
He stressed the urgency for educators to take drastic measures to reverse this trend, stating that failure to do so would result in Malaysia’s PISA results continuing to decline, potentially hindering the competitiveness of future generations at the global level.
On Dec 6, it was reported that Malaysia’s performance in the PISA 2022 had declined in all three literacy measures assessed—mathematics, science and reading. The impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on students’ learning was cited as a contributing factor.
In mathematics, the average score for 15-year-olds dropped to 409 from the previous 440 points, representing a 63-point difference from the OECD average. Science scores also decreased by 22 points to 416, compared to 2018’s 438, with the OECD average at 485. Reading literacy registered a score of 388, reflecting a decline of 27 points from 415 in 2018.
PISA, administered every three years by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), assesses the readiness of 15-year-olds in various countries for integration into modern society. — DayakDaily
