MELAKA, March 21 — The Ministry of Education (MoE) has assured that students of the Integrity Schools and Henry Gurney Schools in the country will not be left out of access to the best education just because they are in such schools.

Its minister, Fadhlina Sidek said this assurance includes receiving all forms of facilities and learning methods according to the level of education and type of examinations the student will sit for.

"This assurance means that all students in the eight Integrity Schools and three Henry Gurney Schools in the country will not be marginalised as they will receive the same education as students in other schools.” she told the media after officiating the 14th Hijrah Kasih Programme at the Henry Gurney School in Telok Mas here today.

"We give this assurance because they enter these schools at a young age that is they are still in school and education remains a priority.”

She said among the guarantees of access to education that the students will get is that they will sit for the Literacy and Numeracy Screening; follow a special programme to improve literacy and numeracy; and be placed in one of the five clusters which is academy, Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET), religion, arts and culture as well as sports.

Additionally, the students will also be guaranteed opportunities to further their studies at the higher education level.

In the meantime, she said priority in education in the Integrity Schools and Henry Gurney Schools. was proven when 86 candidates sat for the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia examination in 2022, with five candidates obtaining 5As and above, while candidates in all the schools received a 100 per cent pass rate.

Meanwhile, she acknowledged the existence of constraints in terms of the number of teachers in the schools concerned, but said the ministry has taken note of this and will increase the number of teachers from time to time.

"The process (increasing the number of teachers) is ongoing throughout the year. So far we have 83 teachers in the 11 schools, and we are committed to raising the dignity of these students through education regardless of background or status,” she added. — Bernama