edu3106:topic 4.doc

8/13/2019 EDU3106:TOPIC 4.doc

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/edu3106topic-4doc 1/20

This chapter explains the concept of inequality of educational opportunities, the elements of

social class, gender, special needs children and the minority groups which inequality of

educational opportunities occurred. Discussion on the issues of inequality of educational

opportunities with regards to the Orang Asli children, indigenous and people from the interior

areas.

Learning Outcomes

• Explain the concept of inequality of educational opportunities.

• Identify elements that generate unequal educational opportunities.

• Analyze the issues of unequal educational opportunities.

• Analyze the issues of educational opportunities for all students, especially for Orang

Asli students, indigenous and rural population.

1

TOPIC 4 INEQUALITY OF EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITY

Inequalit o! E"ucational O##ortunit

Inequality of EducationalOpportunity oncept

Elements of Inequality inEducational Opportunities

Issues of Inequality inEducational Opportunitiesfor Orang Asli, indigenous

and rural students

8/13/2019 EDU3106:TOPIC 4.doc


4$% Intro"uction

Inequality in educational opportunities has !een discussed in early years and this has

spar"ed off many studies related to effects of schools, influence of socioeconomic status

on the inequality of race and ethnic towards academic achie#ement. oleman $eport

%&'(() actually documented the low performance among minority groups and poorchildren due to the lac" of teaching resources in their schools. The report found many

differences among school not in terms of learning resources in the schools !ut in terms of

the impact of students* family !ac"ground. One of the ways to reduce the gap !etween

the upper class with the rest of the population is to increase the equality of educational

opportunity among people regardless of gender and race. Therefore, the +inistry of

Education +alaysia has !een wor"ing to impro#e the situation in order to close the gap

!etween populations, in order to increase the quality of education.%oriati et.al, -&&)

The ew Economic /olicy %&'0 to &'') aims to strengthen national unity. +any

educational programs were designed to !ridge the gap in educational opportunities

!etween the rich and the poor1 different regions and communities through the

de#elopment of resources and facilities in countries with more equita!le distri!ution of

2

2ocial lass

3ender +inority 3roups

eeds of studentswith 2pecial eeds

8/13/2019 EDU3106:TOPIC 4.doc


wealth. %oriati et.al, -&&) This is one of the way to !alance the educational

opportunities in +alaysia.

This chapter discusses the concept of inequality in educational opportunities and

the elements that create inequality of educational opportunities such as social class,

minority groups, special needs groups and gender.

4$& Inequalit o! E"ucational O##ortunit

4$&$& Conce#t o! inequalit o! E"ucational O##ortunit

The concept of inequality can !e defined as #iews, thoughts and !eliefs that there is a

distinction !etween mem!ers or other ethnic groups from #arious aspects such as

facilities, equipment, career opportunities and so on. Inequality of educational

opportunity referred to a situation where access to education is not e#enly distri!uted to

all residents !ecause of certain factors. In the +alaysian context, educational inequality

may !e due to se#eral factors such as the location of the school, student !ac"ground,

socioeconomic status, academic achie#ement, student interest, the chances of sur#i#al,

socialization and language differences.%oriati et.al, -&&)

4$' Elements o! t(e E"ucational O##ortunit Creation Dis#arit

4$'$& )ocial Class

A social class is a group of people of similar status, commonly sharing compara!le

le#els of power and wealth. In sociology, social classes descri!e one form of social

stratification. In addition, sociologists define social class as the grouping of people !y

occupations. Doctors and lawyers and uni#ersity teachers are gi#en more status than

uns"illed la!ourers. The different positions represent different le#els of power, influence

and money.%4arrow, -&-) On the other hand, +eighan %&'5(, as cited in oriati et.al,

-&-) explains that no matter how it is defined, it still represents the di#ersity of lifestyle

3

8/13/2019 EDU3106:TOPIC 4.doc


or income in a similar race. 2ocial class can !e classified as upper class, middle class

and lower class. apitalist society di#ides social class in two groups that is !ourgeoisie

and proletariat %6arl +arx). 4ourgeoisie is a class that has a source of production,

distri!ution and exchange while the proletariat is the class that does not ha#e the a!o#e

!ut only la!our only.

7ith regard to economic aspects, 8o! is #ery important !ecause it gi#es financial reward,

sta!ility and !enefits such as health care. +any sociologists suggest fi#e social classes

such as +ax 7e!er %7i"ipedia, -&) says there are fi#e social class, the upper class or

the rich and corporate. The second group is the group of upper middle9educated,

professional and a good hold in the organization. The third group is the middle lower

which consists of high school graduates and holders of certificates and diplomas. The

fourth group consists of the wor"ing class or !lue9collar wor"ers who are holders of

+alaysian ertificate of Education and :ower 2econdary Assessment. +ost of them

wor" in factories and restaurants. The final group is the lowest group who possess #ery

low qualification and has ne#er recei#ed any formal education..

4ased on the Economic /lanning ;nit %-&), the low9income people of +alaysia are

those earning !elow $+&< to $+=<, while those with high incomes get $+=<

and a!o#e.%as cited in oriati, et.al, -&&)

4ased on these social class, inequality of educational opportunities exist !ecause the

high9income elite ha#e the financial capacity to en8oy access to a #ariety of educational

options and opportunities a#aila!le, whether within or outside the country. They are

capa!le of meeting all the requirements related to the education of their children. The

students are ta"en care of in terms of health which they get !alanced nutrition and

supplements to upgrade their intelligence and also other facilities that may not !e

deri#ed from the low9income students. 7hile access to education is limited to the lower

classes !ecause they do not ha#e a strong financial !ase to fund their children>s

education a!road or in pri#ate college.

4

8/13/2019 EDU3106:TOPIC 4.doc


In terms of information and communication technology, the digital di#ide occurs !ecause

of their social class who are a!le to pro#ide #arious types of equipment such as

computers, sophisticated software, ipod and iphone so that their children can access

information and material assistance of #irtual learning easily and quic"ly . On the other

hand the lower group are not a!le to en8oy unrestricted access to information as a result

of lac" of a!ility to supply equipment and internet access to their children. It is closely

related to educational opportunity, where access through the Internet can pro#ide a

!orderless world for students from high social class compare to lower class group who

are depri#e of all the facilities.%oriati et.al, -&&)

4$'$' *en"er

In most countries the gender gap still exists significantly. ?or example, almost 5&@

female. In am!odia, access to secondary school were &'@ for women and =@ for

men, while in /apua ew 3uinea, the amount of -&@ female and -0@ male %;3EI,

-0, as cited in oriati et. al, -&&).

7omen are not necessarily disad#antaged in all areas. In countries such as the

/hilippines, +ongolia and +alaysia, the num!er of !oys who go to secondary school are

less than girls. One of the main reasons is that !oys end their formal education and

wor" full9time to supplement family incomes. ?or example, (<@ of girls attend secondary

school compared with <@ of men in these countries %;3EI, -0, as cited in oriati

et. al, -&&).

In countries where women and men experienced educational opportunities,

empowerment is one9sided, where girls are always neglected. 3ender inequalities in the

school can !e #iewed from #arious aspects such as lac" of security among women,

transportation to school, gender !ias in text!oo"s and teaching materials. 4esides,

5

8/13/2019 EDU3106:TOPIC 4.doc


women has always !een portrayed as limited in s"ills and teachers often lin" women to

certain 8o!s in society.

In the teaching profession, gender inequality has long !een a phenomena. This is the

field where num!er of women are more than the men. In school, men and women

teachers often encounter differences in ma"ing decisions in classroom management,

wor" en#ironment, status, training and resources a#aila!le to them. In many countries,

men dominate higher positions in the profession !ut the scenario has since changed.

3ender aspects has !een an issue in the curriculum !uilding. urriculum construction

and re#ision need to raise an understanding on how students and teachers react

towards the learning materials. This is necessary as students differ in their thin"ing and

learning styles. Also, in some countries, female students are not allowed to underta"e

su!8ects such as carpentry, technical or ad#anced mathematics that can impro#e their

career opportunities.

The inequality of educational opportunities among men and women can !e impro#ed !y

changing the pedagogical practices. hanges in teaching and learning process should

ta"e place in an effecti#e manner !y considering sensiti#ity towards gender issues in

the classroom. Although there are efforts to impro#e the quality of education, gender

inequality in the teaching and learning remains a serious pro!lem. Teachers should !e

aware that girls 8ust li"e !oys are a!le to gi#e responses in classroom is an example of

sensiti#ity of teachers on gender aspects and this need to !e inculcated. 2imilarly, the

notion that girls are less s"illed and interested in mathematics and science should !e

reduce and the teacher should ensure that there is impartial to e#eryone %4ista -(,

cited in oriati et al, -&&).

$eflect and Thin"B

4ased on your experience, does inequality of educational opportunities occur in the

6

8/13/2019 EDU3106:TOPIC 4.doc


+alaysian classroom as regards to gender issuesC Discuss with your friends.

4$'$+$ ,inorit *rou#s

+inority group refers to a small group of people of the same race, religion, culture and

so on li#ing in a place that the ma8ority of the inha!itants of different race, religion, etc.

%Kamus Dewan, -0 as cited in oriati et.al, -&&). In +alaysia, +alay is the ma8ority

group while other groups such as hinese, Indian, 6adazan, I!an, 4idayuh, indigenous

people and other ethnic groups are minorities.

A!original considered a minority group in +alaysia as the num!ers did not reach

&&,-= people and they stay in rural and remote areas where they seem to !e

marginalized in most aspects. In addition, they had a distinct feature of the physical,

cultural, economic and !eha#ior that caused them to lag !ehind the mainstream. Efforts

ha#e !een made !y the +inistry of Education to !ridge the gap !etween minority groups

and the ma8ority especially in the inequality of educational opportunities.

Other minority groups such as indigenous groups in 2a!ah and 2arawa" also faced the

issue of inequality of educational opportunities as a result of their location in the interior

parts of 2a!ah and 2arawa". These places are depri#ed of !asic amenities such as

clean water, electricity, communication and transportation, infrastructure, and !asic

supplies to school. These factors contri!ute to high dropout rates, wide student

achie#ement gap as compared with the ma8ority, and the digital gap amongst students

and teachers are too wide.

In addition, minority groups also exist in a particular school in the locality. ?or example,

in national9type hinese 2chool, there may exist a minority group of +alays and Indians.

2imilarly, at the ational type schools, the minority group consists of hinese, Indians

and other ethnic groups. In such circumstances, the school should !e aware and

7

8/13/2019 EDU3106:TOPIC 4.doc


concerned a!out the way of life and culture of a particular race which form the minority

groups are not marginalized in the educational opportunities a#aila!le. They should also

!e gi#en equal opportunity to achie#e their goals. ?urthermore, teachers should !e a!le

to ad8ust and adapt the existing curriculum to suit all students, regardless of race,

religion and culture.

2top and /onderB

Do you thin" that inequality of educational opportunities occur in a class where there is

minority groupC If so, what are the aspects that you, as a teacher can help to !alance

this inequality.

4$'$4 *rou#s -it( )#ecial Nee"s

3roups of children with special needs %intellectually, physically, or emotionally and

socially) are considered special !ecause parents and teachers focus more attention to

them than normal students. Among them are students with autism, down syndrome,dyslexia, learning difficulties, delayed de#elopment of cere!ral palsy, hearing and #isual

impairments, gifted, !eha#ioral disorders and others. This group should !e gi#en special

educational needs.

Inequalities in educational opportunities for this group exist where there is a lac" of

opportunities for them to learn in the &'th century. owe#er, now the disa!led ha#e

access to education at the primary, secondary and uni#ersity le#el. /rimary 2chool %2t.icholas) in /enang and /rincess Eliza!eth 2chool in ohor 4ahru, the two earliest

primary school pro#ides education for children with #isual disa!ilities, respecti#ely in

&'-( and &'' %7ong uey 2iew and 2andiyao 2e!estian, --1 as cited in oriati

et.al, -&&).

8

8/13/2019 EDU3106:TOPIC 4.doc


According to oraini 2alleh %&''<, as cited in oriati et. al, -&&) !efore the year &'(,

the community of students with special needs in our country is pro#ided with education

at the primary le#el only. They do not ha#e the opportunity to continue their studies at

the secondary school le#el in the period !etween the year &'' until &'(-. This is

!ecause in &'(-, the group has !een awarded with the opportunity to continue their

education in secondary schools through the merger plan.

4efore independence, the go#ernment is not directly in#ol#ed in pro#iding educational

facilities for the students with special needs !ecause of this responsi!ility has !een

!orne out !y #oluntary organizations. Inequality of educational opportunity is #ery

significant !ecause the focus is on normal pupil %oriati et. al, -&&)

After independence, the go#ernment ha#e played an acti#e role in the education of

students with special needs, such as pro#iding the !asic needs of exceptional students

as set out in the Education Act &'(&. The matter was referred in the ountry $eport,

-. This is consistent with the Education Act &'(&, which stated that the go#ernment

recognizes the special needs children ha#e the right to attend formal schooling. In the

a!inet ommittee $eport %&'0') also noted many changes made to the de#elopment

of special education in the country. Among other things, all children with special needs

should !e pro#ided with facilities and ser#ices of high quality.

Today, 2pecial Education 2chools %2+2) are a#aila!le for students with special needs

so that they can !e independent and contri!ute to the country. +inistry of Education

2pecial Education unit integrates the mainstream schools with inclusi#e approach in

regular school. This is in line with the international aspiration where education is

pro#ided for all %Education ?or All). In addition, the inequality of educational opportunities

in terms of the gap can !e narrowed as followsB

• 2chool physical facilities and special equipment needs to !e modified

according to the degree and type of disa!ility. Among them are sports

9

8/13/2019 EDU3106:TOPIC 4.doc


equipment, science la!oratory, information and communication technology

and computer la!.

• Expertise of special education teachers, where specially trained teachers to

educate students with special needs in order to address student learningpro!lems.

• ;se appropriate curriculum with special needs students. This is related to

the formation and construction of indi#idual lesson plans for specific

students.

O#erall, the +inistry of Education has !een wor"ing to !ridge the gap of inequality of

educational opportunity for special needs children. ?or example our go#ernment has

implemented 2pecial Education /rogram Integration, Inclusi#e lassroom, and 2pecial

Education 2chool. In addition, early inter#ention programs 6IA-+, special reha!ilitation

program, the program targets at the /$OTI+ =+ %=+ reco#ery program is the support

and strengthening of the special reco#ery) can address the pro!lems faced !y student

studying in the early stages of schooling.

hildren with special needs in the past ha#e !een depri#ed of educational

opportunities. Discuss what are some of the opportunities created !y the

+inistry of Education in helping to reduce the inequality of educational

opportunities.

4$+ Issues on inequality in educational opportunities

.=.&. A!original 2tudents %Orang Asli )

The Orang Asli are the indigenous minority people of /eninsular +alaysia. The name is

a +alay term which transliterates as >original peoples> or >first peoples.> It is a collecti#e

term introduced !y anthropologists and administrators for the &5 su!9ethnic groups

generally classified for official purposes under egrito, 2enoi and /roto9+alay. They

10

8/13/2019 EDU3106:TOPIC 4.doc


8/13/2019 EDU3106:TOPIC 4.doc


and in line with the policy of democratization of education. In addition, the performance

of indigenous students is #ery low and this is one reason the indigenous peoples are the

poorest group in +alaysia. ousehold income sur#ey conducted in the last ten years

found that nearly <&@ of the population is under the po#erty le#el %;IE? +alaysia,

-0).

A teacher from the +ah +eri in 2elangor state, a ma8or cause of a!sence from school,

low school enrollment and high dropout rates due to the attitude of the parents did not

care A!origines %adchatram, -0, as cited in oriati et al,-&&). atural parents are

not aware of the importance of education. 7hen their daughter was & or && years, they

were as"ed to stay home to ta"e care of their !rothers and doing housewor", while !oys

will follow father into the sea to catch fish. There are also indigenous children who do not

attend school for helping families ma"e a li#ing.

Orang Asli children is classified as a group of at9ris" in the context of modernization and

hence face serious pro!lems %+inistry of Education, -(). $ealizing this issue, the

+alaysian go#ernment has launched its policy towards the community which allocated

special help to pro#ide opportunities for equal footing, integration with ad#anced section

of population and should not !e mo#ed from traditional areas. In addition, the indigenous

people of high performance #ery less among themsel#es !ecause no healthy

competiti#e nature in terms of the progress of education in society A!origines. A!original

less de#eloped in all aspects of either socio9economic or economic. They also lag

!ehind in academics and this is associated with their academic !ac"ground is low.

%6amarzaman 6amaruddin F Osman usoh,-5)

According EOA %&''5), interest in learning among A!original people is still at low

le#els, where the dropout rate recorded in &''5 was high, <@ and '.-@ illiteracy rate

%the national rate of (.@). This is coupled with the ati#e adults who not only illiterate

!ut do not ha#e enough "nowledge in !usiness cause they often encounter pro!lems

when dealing in forest products and farming. This led to the A!origines could not get a

good return from forest and agricultural run them. Therefore, their income declining and

12

8/13/2019 EDU3106:TOPIC 4.doc


continue to li#e in poor conditions and po#erty le#els. icholas %-<) reported studies

done !y the EOA and !y independent consultants all re#eal that the dropout rate

among the Orang Asli schoolchildren, at all le#els, is disproportionately high compared

to the national a#erage. According to +ustafa Omar %-), the low academic

qualifications, experience and less s"ill is the cause of Orang Asli youths fail to compete

with other people9to loo" !eyond getting a !etter 8o!.

According to oriati et. al %-&&), the lac" of interest in learning among Orang Asli is

related to the general characteristics of the indigenous people. In general, the Orang Asli

are hum!le, shy, passi#e, and do not li"e !eing forced to do something, sensiti#e, en8oys

freedom of mo#ement, prefer physical acti#ity, do not li"e to wor" indi#idually and prefer

to wor" in groups. In addition, the Orang Asli people were less mentally resilient and

ha#e a short memory. Therefore, they are easily !ored and lose interest in learning.

They also appreciate the importance of education !ecause of lac" of exposure and lac"

of awareness a!out the importance of education is still at a low le#el.

In terms of schooling system, the indigenous people follow the same curriculum as

mainstream. Thus, the lessons taught in the national language and not in their nati#e

language. This ma"es it difficult to understand the lessons taught as they felt that the

curriculum is not rele#ant and is useful to their li#es. ?or the Orang Asli, they place

importance on the e#ents in the #illage and the life style that gi#es ample of freedom to

their children. /arents who are concerned a!out their children>s education gi#e them

freedom without the control of school attendance. Indigenous community does not li"e

and do not li"e to !e !ound !y routines. Therefore, teaching and learning #ery difficult if

students do not adhere to classroom routines. 7ithout effecti#e classroom management,

teaching and learning of indigenous students is #ery difficult to implement !y teachers.

Distance from the school is among the causes of Orang Asli lag !ehind in education.

This is !ecause they li#e in the deep interior, and this situation pose a pro!lem for them

to attend school. /ro!lems such as transportation is not efficient and the lac" of !asic

13

8/13/2019 EDU3106:TOPIC 4.doc


facilities and en#ironmental conditions which are not conduci#e to learning contri!ute to

the dropout factor too.

+any Orang Asli parents are poor and thus they are una!le to pro#ide a good learning

en#ironment and well9!alanced meals for their children. In addition, there are also

parents who are illiterate and could not pro#ide guidance to their children as regards to

their studies. Orang Asli are also not a!le to see the relationship !etween education and

daily life. They also want to help families at home or wor" to help the family to get more

income. As a result, Orang Asli only loo"ed into the socio9economic status on a short9

term !asis.

The inequality of educational opportunities could !e reduced if the curriculum designed

for Orang Asli students !e differentiated from normal students. If the curriculum ta"es

into consideration the characteristics and needs of Orang Asli students, their academic

performance may !e impro#ed and progress can !e achie#ed.

:i!rary $esearchB

$ead on inequality of educational opportunities for the Orang Asli.

Try to explore as many strategies the +inistry of Education has

underta"en to try to !alance up the inequality.

4$+$'$ Indigeneous people

According to Kamus Dewan %-0) indigeneous people refers to as original >nati#es>or

peribumi. Thus we can say that indigenous is a general term used to refer to all human

groups that are considered to !e the original inha!itants of +alaysia.

14

8/13/2019 EDU3106:TOPIC 4.doc


assan +at or %&''5) has defined indigeneous people according to the classification of

indigenous law, where there are two groups of indigenous people in +alaysia. According

to him, the two groups of people who are classified as 4umiputeras from the +alay

/eninsula, +alay, I!an, 4idayuh, 6ayan, 6enyah, 6ela!it, +elanau, /enan and other

nati#es in 2arawa", while the other group comprises +alay, 6adazan, Dusun, 4a8au,

from 2a!ah. The Orang Asli are made up of three ma8or ethnic groups, namely the

egritos, 2enoi and /roto9+alay.

Ethnic groups in 2a!ah consists of the largest group which is the 6adazan9Dusun.

6adazan groups who li#e in the #alley engaged traditionally in rice farming, while the

Dusun ethnic li#e in the mountainous interiors of 2a!ah. The second largest ethnic

group in 2a!ah is originally the descendants of 4a8au seafarers. 2ome of them chose to

lea#e their sea9faring ways to !ecome farmers and cattle9!reeders. The +urut groups

occupy the interiors of 4orneo. They were the last of 2a!ah>s ethnic groups to renounce

headhunting and they are now growers of upland rice and cassa#a, while using a

!lowpipe to hunt and to fish.

In 2arawa", the I!an are the largest ethnic group in 2arawa". I!an group "nown as the

G2ea Daya"sG consists of =@ of the population of 2arawa". The ma8ority of the I!an

longhouses in the ri#er #alley and still retain the customs and cultural characteristics

!ecome a sym!ol of the I!an tradition. The 4idayuh of 2arawa" while li#ing in the

mountains. They were farmers and hunters.

In addition, the ;lu also considered as racial 2arawa" ri#er. They are the indigenous

people of 4orneo>s most artistically decorated with the use of equipment !eads hand9

crafted art. ?urthermore, there are people who are the indigenous /enan li#ing in the

forest near :im!ang, 4intulu, in 4aram. The /enan li#e in semi9nomadic. 4ecause of

the way that a nomadic life as nomads, they are often associated with !ac"wardness

and po#erty in terms of economy and education.

15

8/13/2019 EDU3106:TOPIC 4.doc


4ased on where they li#e, generally indigenous group mostly deep in the interior,

especially in 2a!ah and 2arawa". 4ecause the location of residence rather remote

indigenous communities, some of them are less suscepti!le to the changes in the field of

education. They are still !ound to traditional life and culture less can recei#e rapid

changes sweeping the world of education.

Inequality of educational opportunities exist among indigenous groups in terms of

student achie#ement gap and the digital di#ide due to the location of houses, community

!ac"ground and socioeconomic status. 4asic facilities and poor infrastructure in rural

areas is a "ey factor why indigenous group lag !ehind in terms of education. In addition,

they li#e far away and are isolated from school and poor communication systems are all

factors that lead to high dropout rates.

Although the national education system was introduced to Orang Asli and indigenous

communities since the &'(s, it was found that the num!er of people who succeed in

education is #ery small. A!out (-@ of them dropped out and did not finish school at the

primary le#el. Thus, indigenous student achie#ement is low and the +inistry of

Education %-&) has identified two main causes which is low student moti#ation, and

lac" of interest in school. Harious measures ha#e !een ta"en to reduce the drop out

rate.

De#elopment in the field of indigenous pedagogy should !e strengthened !y gi#ing them

opportunities to !e a!le to 8oin the mainstream of national education. A #ariety of

teaching strategies and techniques are needed to explore and applied to facilitate

students in teaching and learning. Examples of teaching and learning resources should

relate to their daily li#es. This is !ecause indigenous people hold fast to life*s traditions

and are less willing to change and accept changes in the world of education.

2pecific programs ha#e !een designed to !ridge the gap for indigenous education.

Among other things, the implementation of adult classes for parents of students and the

16

8/13/2019 EDU3106:TOPIC 4.doc


indigenous people in 2a!ah and 2arawa", which started in -5 is to reduce the rate of

illiteracy in the community. Awareness of the importance of education is hope to help

them encourage their children to learn and su!sequently close the achie#ement gap of

students.

4$+$+$ Interior Areas

$ural communities, especially in the remote areas face issues on the inequality of

educational opportunities !ecause there are schools that do not ha#e !asic amenities.

?or example, according to the +inistry of Education %-&), -.(@ of primary schools

ha#e no telephone lines, 5(.(@ do not ha#e a fax machine, 0.=@ were una!le to

electricity and -.5@ did not recei#e pu!lic piped water. A relati#ely small percentage of

high school. ?or example, only -.(@ secondary schools still ha#e no electricity, and

<.0@ did not ha#e a pu!lic water supply.

2hortage of trained teachers for primary schools remains an issue in remote and rural

areas. Among them are shortage of teachers in critical areas such as science,

mathematics and English1 lac" of qualified teachers for special education1 lac" of

qualified male teachers hindered the implementation of cocurriucular acti#ities. There

are still a num!er of untrained teachers %32TT) in rural schools.%oriati et. al,-&&)

In secondary schools, rural schools in the interior areas depend solely on the

go#ernment for school supplies. This was due to socio9economic !ac"ground of parents

who are una!le to help the school as compared to ur!an schools where high9income

parents can contri!ute to the welfare of the school.

As primary school, secondary school in the interior also lac" teachers. +ost schools in

the interior gets less experienced teachers and teachers with no training. In addition, the

transfer rate is higher than the school teachers of the ur!an areas. It is also an issue and

17

8/13/2019 EDU3106:TOPIC 4.doc


a challenge to the +inistry of Education to pro#ide adequately trained teachers,

especially in critical su!8ects on target for &@ of teachers in secondary schools

consists of graduate teachers !y -& %+OE, -&).

Education gap !etween location, socioeconomic status and a!ility le#els of students in

the interior areas are issues that need to !e addressed !y the +inistry of Education.

/hysical facilities in terms of infrastructure de#elopment and education is needed to

!ridge the education gap !etween rural schools and ur!an schools. It is necessary to

reduce dropout rates and stimulate higher participation among rural students. In

addition, the +inistry of Education to increase the num!er of teachers the option in order

to ensure that all schools in the interior to pro#ide equal educational opportunities for

students from di#erse !ac"grounds, interests and potential.

One of the issues of inequality of educational opportunities in the interior is the digital

di#ide, namely the existence of differences in terms of access to wireless information

and communications technology %IT) in interior areas and proficiency in IT among

students and teachers. :ac" of infrastructure and !asic facilities such as electricity and

telephone lines will hinder telecommunication networ"s such as the 4estarinet to !e

accessi!le to remote schools.

2chool wih low student population %2e"olah 6urang +urid926+) is also an issue in rural

and remote areas, that is in the year -. There were -.-=< 26+ schools , namely

0-= in 2arawa", =( in 2a!ah and &,&5 units in /eninsular +alaysia %+OE, -&).

+ost of these schools ha#e poor school !uildings and lac" of !asic necessities for

learning. In addition, students who li#e in remote areas ha#e pro!lems with

communication and transport !etween their houses to school and some students do not

attend school or come late to school. This leads to high dropout rates in such schools.

The lac" of moti#ation to learn and lac" of competition due to the small class size has

create a gap in student achie#ement. It is !ecause of the low socioeconomic status and

low9income parents who are not a!le to pro#ide !asic necessities for their children. In

18

8/13/2019 EDU3106:TOPIC 4.doc


addition, the lac" of interest among students to learn !ecause their parents do not

emphasize the importance of education. Therefore, the go#ernment has tried to reduce

the gap !etween rural and ur!an areas through the allocation of resources and facilities

in a fair and equita!le manner.

4$4 )ummar

Inequality of access to education is an issue that has long !een discussed. This issue

has an impact on the school, the achie#ement of socio9economic status and ethnic

disparities in academic achie#ement. Inequality of educational opportunities is

particularly significant in the elements of social class, gender and ethnic groups other

than !y geography, socioeconomic status, and traditional culture.

owe#er, efforts ha#e !een underta"en !y the +inistry of Education to close the

achie#ement gap and inequality digital opportunities through a num!er of initiati#es

outlined in the De#elopment of Education -&9-&. Among them is an increase in the

participation rate of primary school students, enhancing teacher quality, school

impro#ement regardless of the location of infrastructure and impro#ing the quality of

teaching and learning through the integration of information and communication.

The gap !etween ur!an and rural areas can !e reduced in terms of the !asic equipment

and facilities so that the students in rural areas, the indigenous people and ethnic groups

of 2a!ah and 2arawa" will en8oy access, equity and quality of education around the

%+OE, -&). In addition, the smart school effort in stages in line with the era of

Information and ommunication Technology %IT). Educational de#elopment is to

impro#e access, equity and quality education to all students regardless of location, race

and culture to ena!le all students to pursue education at higher le#els.

$eferencesB

ere is the list of readings you can read further

6amarulzaman 6amaruddin F Osman usoh$.-5). Educational /olicy and Opportunities of Orang AsliB A 2tudy on Indigenious

19

8/13/2019 EDU3106:TOPIC 4.doc


/eople in +alaysia.The Journal of Human Resource and AdultLearning Vol. ! "um. #! June $%%&.

icholas, . %-<) 'ntegration and (oderni)ation of the Orang Asli*The impact on culture and identit+ , /aper presented at the Ist

International onference on the Indigenous /eople organized

!y the entre for +alaysian /ri!umi 2tudies,;ni#ersity of +alaya, +inistry of ulture, Arts F eritage, Department of +useums F Antiquities and the Department of Orang Asli Affairs, 9 < uly -<, 6uala :umpur.

icholas, . %-() The 2tate of Orang Asli Education and its/ro!lems. consulyancy report presented at uman $ightsommission of +alaysia %2;A6A+). -& uly -(. 6uala:umpur.

oriati, A,$., 4oon,/.., 2harifah ?a"hriah F Juraidah A.+. %-&&).,uda+a dan pembela-aran. 2hah AlamB Oxford ?a8ar 2dn 4hd.

20

edu3106:topic 4.doc

Documents