Answer for Oral Question PL169

QUESTION

Yang Berhormat Dr. Awang Haji Mahali bin Haji Momin

YANG BERHORMAT DR. AWANG HAJI MAHALI BIN HAJI MOMIN asked the MINISTER OF EDUCATION to state the extent to which evidence-based intervention has been implemented by the Ministry to address issues relating to the target IBTE course completion rate of only 90%, which potentially results in the loss of 10% of human capital comprising those who do not complete their courses.

ANSWER

Yang Berhormat Menteri Pendidikan

For information, the target IBTE course completion rate of at least 90% is a reasonable target and is in line with the common practices of technical and vocational education institutions at the regional and international levels. This target is the minimum rate to be achieved and is not a maximum limit. Over the past five years, the IBTE course completion rate has ranged from 87% to 91%, while the rate recorded in 2025 was 89%.

The Ministry of Education, through IBTE, has analysed student data to identify factors affecting the completion of studies. In 2025, students who had not completed their studies comprised those who withdrew from their studies, at 4%; repeated modules, at 4%; were dismissed, at 2%; deferred their studies, at 1%; and passed away, at 0.01%.

Further analysis showed that among students who withdrew from their studies, 53% had received job offers before completing their studies, 24% continued their studies at other institutions, 17% withdrew due to personal or family factors and 6% due to health problems. Therefore, students who do not complete their courses should not necessarily be regarded as a loss of human capital, particularly those who have entered the workforce or continued their education through other pathways.

Nevertheless, the Ministry takes seriously the issue of students who do not complete their studies, particularly due to academic, attendance, health and well-being factors. Based on these findings, several targeted interventions have been implemented, including:

• monitoring attendance, academic performance and learning behaviour to identify students at risk at an early stage;
• providing academic guidance, counselling, welfare assistance and career guidance, as well as involving parents or guardians when necessary;
• providing remedial and support programmes for students who need to repeat modules;
• strengthening student-centred teaching, competency-based training and digital learning; and
• expanding industry exposure through apprenticeship programmes, industrial placements and career talks, as well as industry involvement in curriculum development.

The initial effectiveness of these interventions can be seen through the increase in the completion rate among students who repeated modules, from 77.8% in 2024 to 79.9% in 2025. This increase provides an early indication that the academic support implemented has helped more students to continue and complete their studies.

In 2026, IBTE will strengthen this approach through the development of a dashboard to monitor student status in real time and conduct a more detailed analysis of course completion rates. The findings of this analysis will be used to evaluate the effectiveness of existing interventions and formulate more targeted measures.

The Ministry of Education will continue to monitor course completion rates and review the suitability and necessity of the target from time to time, taking into account IBTE’s performance and regional and international benchmarks. These efforts are aimed not only at achieving the minimum target of 90%, but also at continuously increasing the completion rate and ensuring that at-risk students receive appropriate interventions at an early stage.