Why So Many Dropouts !

Mission 2030 is a project to stop the excessive school dropouts from the Malaysian Indian B40 community. In the process, this project will automatically transform the B40 community into a M40 community and change a whole generation.

HERE ARE A FEW GLARING TOUCH POINTS.

THERE ARE 80,743 INDIAN STUDENTS IN TAMIL SCHOOLS (Jan 2020)
THERE ARE APPROX. 80,000 INDIAN STUDENTS IN GOVERNMENT SCHOOLS.
THEREFORE, THERE ARE A TOTAL OF APPROX. 160,000 INDIAN STUDENTS IN PRIMARY SCHOOL WHERE 26,000 STUDENTS ARE IN EACH STANDARD.
OF THE 26,000, LET US ASSUME THAT 40% ARE FROM B40 FAMILIES AND THE BALANCE 60% ARE FROM M40 AND T20 FAMILIES.
IF 40% STUDENTS ARE FROM B40 FAMILIES THEN WE HAVE APPROX. 10,000 CHILDREN FROM B40 FAMILIES GOING TO PRIMARY ONE EVERY YEAR.
IT IS ESTIMATED THAT 90% OF STUDENTS FROM B40 FAMILIES DROPOUT OF SCHOOL BY THE TIME THEY REACH FORM 5 (SPM).
STUDENTS FROM STANDARD 6 WHO DO NOT PASS BAHASA MALAYSIA & ENGLISH ARE SENT TO KELAS PERALIHAN (REMOVE CLASS) WHERE THEY LOSE ONE YEAR OF THEIR LIVE LEARNING BM & ENGLISH.
THEREFORE IF WE CAN COACH AND PROVIDE TUITION TO APPROX. 10,000 CHILDREN FROM B40 FAMILIES STARTING FROM STANDARD 1, WE WILL ELIMINATE 90% DROPOUTS AND THEY WILL GO INTO DIPLOMA & DEGREE EDUCATION.
IT IS OBSERVED THAT STUDENTS IN TAMIL SCHOOLS GENERALLY DO BETTER THAN INDIAN STUDENTS IN SRK SCHOOLS. THIS IS BASICALLY ATTRIBUTED TO THE CARE GIVEN TO THEM BY THE TAMIL SCHOOL TEACHERS.
AND THE ROOT CAUSE OF THIS PROBLEM IS THE LACK OF GOOD QUALITY LOWER PRIMARY LEVEL EDUCATION.
DO YOU REALISE THAT WE HAVE BEEN KNOWINGLY OR UNKNOWINGLY PRODUCING A PIPELINE OF DROPOUTS OVER THE LAST FEW DECADES

Currently, most attention is given to children preparing for board exams or when they progress to the secondary level. Much of our “attacks” to try and arrest the dropout rates happen when teens are already at the crossroads. In truth, it is the learning and the social experience they have from birth that influences their attitudes about education, society and their own lives.

Almost 90% of dropouts are from the B40 families.

When a Tamil school student fails Bahasa Malaysia or English, they end up in Remove Classes when they enter secondary school. This results in slower growth as they lose one year of their life. Feeling left out without proper guidance and support pushes them to quit. The sense of discipline and focus is minimal and therefore, hard to build as they were not nurtured that way since young.

What more when most of their parents have had minimal education and are engaged in low paying jobs. The lack of involvement between a parent and child leads to higher dropout rates. If a parent does not encourage their child to stay in school, show interest in classes and teachers, communicate with teachers, or pay attention to homework assignments, the child may not see any reason to follow through with the coursework.

An engaged parent notices the red flags, such as failing marks or a student who is not attending class regularly. Parents who are too busy with work or their own struggles are less likely to notice these problems. This means that important intervention opportunities are missed and the student continues to draw a path that leads to dropping out.

The B40 social environment plays a huge factor as well. Negative environment is tied to multiple outcomes for students and has been shown to exacerbate harmful behaviour and diminish achievement. They get trapped in the cycle of poverty, criminal acts, gangsterism et cetera. The B40 Malaysian Indian community has kept on producing students with poor academic results since independence.

It’s time to reimagine education!

As the title of the project ‘Mission 2030: Zero Dropouts’ suggests, this is a 10-year journey we are embarking on to ensure that by 2030 there should be no dropouts from secondary school (after SPM) amongst our B40 kids.The foundation or the seeds for a sound sustainable long-term education has to be planted at the lower primary level – in standards 1, 2 and 3.This project is also to adjust to the “new normal” and make available online studies for poor primary school children who cannot afford online learning gadgets like computers and tabs. As the Covid-19 pandemic strikes harder, the challenges for the B40 community get even more difficult.To make matters worse, even education during the pandemic is becoming a luxury item with B40 children unable to attend online classes as they cannot afford electronic gadgets like laptops, computers or tabs. This has caused a digital divide that is depriving education to the hardcore poor.

OUR FOCUS is on the B40 families. Ensuring that all their kids going into Primary 1 get proper coaching/tuition after school hours. We are creating a solid education pipeline with no leakages (drop out signals) that includes:

1) Database of B40 Students
Specific locations around the Klang Valley area will be open for registration of the initial 200 students to be a part of this pilot program. The students will need to show documentation proving that they are from the B40 community.

2) Technology & Internet Access
To break the digital divide issue, each registered student will receive a 10-inch electronic tablet equipped with an internet data plan sim card to allow digital access for the students during the online classes.

3) Physical Education at Seva Gurukulams
We currently operate 5 Seva Gurukulams at Desa Mentari, Johor Baru, Puchong, Sg. Choh and Bukit Raja, Klang with an outreach of approx. 600 students.

4) Expansion of Seva Gurukulams
The Seva Gurukulams provides conducive learning environment for children with face-to-face coaching and tuition. It helps to mold children into better adults as they grow up. The Seva Gurukulams will continue to expand at an average of 4 Gurukulams every year.

5) Experienced Volunteer Teachers
A group of volunteer teachers will be selected to run the academic modules via virtual sessions. Teaching methods will be monitored by our team to ensure a sustainable and professional approach in building a conducive educational foundation.

6) Academic Courses
A collection of 5 subjects will be taught to the children on a class schedule. These 5 subjects are inclusive of English, Bahasa Malaysia, Mathematics, Science and Personal Development/Religious studies.

7) Term Assessments and Personal Development Programs
To help build consistency in the educational growth of the child. The personal development programs will help strengthen their minds and build confidence to face negative threats and influences in the community.

7) 24/7 Support & Care System
A team will be sent out on a regular basis to service electronic devices that are given to students to ensure there are no issues that disrupt their educational journey. Students will be able to reach out to teachers or the team in case of any assistance needed.

TARA FOUNDATION

TARA FOUNDATION

Why So Many Dropouts !