GERIK, Sept 4 — The Ministry of Education (MoE) is actively expanding the Comprehensive Special Model School 9 (K9) initiative, with 28 schools already established across the country, according to Deputy Education Minister Wong Kah Woh.

Wong explained that the K9 school model is designed to address the issue of student dropouts, particularly among the Orang Asli community and natives in Sabah and Sarawak, where the distance between their villages and schools is often so great that some students must take a boat for over an hour to reach their school.

“This is the challenge we face when discussing access to education in rural areas. By 2025, we anticipate that more schools will be upgraded to K9 status.

“Regarding which schools will be selected, we will announce the details once the monitoring process is complete and the top management of the MoE has made a final decision,” he said during a working visit to Sekolah Kebangsaan (SK) Resettlement Plan (RPS) Banun, today.

The K9 school initiative is a strategic effort by the MoE to provide continuous educational opportunities, from preschool through Form 3, within the same school.

Meanwhile, Wong noted that, while K9 schools currently utilise existing buildings, new blocks will be required when student numbers exceed capacity.

Citing SK RPS Banun as an example, he mentioned that a few new buildings, including dining, learning, and administration halls, were completed and handed over last year.

“New additional buildings for K9 schools are actively being constructed at SK Menanam and SK Buis in Telupid, Sabah, as well as SK Pulau Redang, in Terengganu,” he added.

During his visit today, Wong announced that the ministry has allocated RM20,000 to SK RPS Banun for minor maintenance.

“This year, each government school in Perak received RM38,000 from the Perak Education Department for minor maintenance. SK RPS Banun is among the beneficiaries.

SK RPS Banun was originally founded by the Department of Orang Asli Affairs (JHEOA) in 1979, and was taken over by the MoE in 1993, before being expanded into a K9 school. — Bernama