A/HRC/44/40/Add.3 • For areas where logistics is a challenge and static facilities are not available services are provided via mobile teams either by air, boat or land. Education Paragraph 39 Education is crucial to lifting people out of poverty. As of 2017, the median monthly income for a household without formal education was RM 1,100 (US$270), compared to RM 3,400 (US$836) for those with a tertiary education. Malaysia has made impressive progress in increasing school enrolment rates, including universal primary education. However, attrition from the school system is a major challenge, especially for low-income students, and simply expelling students who fail to attend is a blunt and ineffective response. Comments from the Government of Malaysia: • The Ministry of Education of Malaysia (MOE) does not practice a policy of expelling students who fail to attend school. However, in response to students who do not attend school, school authorities would visit homes of students and find ways to bring them back to school (the 'Ziarah Cakna' programme). Engagement with parents and village heads is also among MOE's strategies to overcome this problem and to instil awareness on the importance of education to improve the quality of life. MOE also provide counsellors in schools to assist these students. • Providing access to quality education as well as conducive teaching and learning environment has always been the ministry's utmost priority. With regards to this, Majlis Amanah Rakyat (MARA), an agency under Ministry of Rural Development has long established MARA Junior Science College (MRSM), a secondary school establishment that cater for children from B40 group. The selection process for MRSM is based on the household income and location. • For 2019, the B40 intake was recorded as 65%, which consists of Form 1 and Form 4 students. While the total enrolment has accumulated to 52%. • Children in the rural areas are given greater opportunity to pursue education particularly in Science and Mathematics subjects in MRSM. As of August 2019, there are 54 MRSM offering science based education to the target group that has over 37,000 students are currently enrolled. In addition, students are also able to access International education module such as International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGSCE) programme. Paragraph 40 Poverty still keeps many children out of school despite Ministry of Education programs to support very low-income students. According to UNICEF, school affordability is “consistently identified as a major cause of inadequate pre-school and upper-secondary enrolment rates.” The government subsidizes school fees, but parents may not be able to afford school uniforms, books, and supplies or the missed-opportunity cost of child labor. Low income families repeatedly said that fees or costs associated with education, even as low as RM 1 (US$0.25), were enough to keep their children out of school. These low amounts could readily be covered by government programs. Comments from the Government of Malaysia: • Education in Malaysia is free. There is no fee imposed on Malaysian children going to public school. Students are also provided with free text books and no public examination fees are imposed in primary and secondary schools. Children from low income families are provided with "going to school" aid at the beginning of the school year as well as other aids. For example, priorities are given to students from low income families to stay for free at hostels. In addition, MOE has also established private public partnerships with the private sector, NGOs and other government agencies to provide assistance for the low income families. 18