Compiled by LIEW JIA XIAN and C. ARUNO

       THE United Chinese School Teachers’ Association of Malaysia (Jiao Zong) has urged the government to release detailed statistics on the number of school dropouts, Sin Chew Daily reported.

       Jiao Zong president Cheah Lek Aee said the Education Ministry recently revealed that there were 21,316 students who dropped out of school during the Covid-19 pandemic from March 2020 - July 2021.

       However, he said, the ministry did not provide the breakdown for primary and secondary schools, or even the types of schools involved.

       Cheah urged the government to provide more information so that schools could address the problem.

       He said according to Section 29A of the Education Act, parents are responsible for ensuring that their children complete Year Six of their primary education or may face a fine of up to RM5,000, imprisonment of up to six months or both.

       He said the increase in the number of school dropouts was detrimental to the country’s development and that the issue must be nipped in the bud.

       “Under such circumstances, we hope the Education Ministry can provide a clarification on the matter to ease everyone’s worries,” he said.

       Cheah said children dropping out of schools could be due to various reasons, including disinterest, not being able to follow the syllabus, financial difficulties or even families not prioritising education.

       > The daily also reported that despite living under a cloud of scandal, Taiwanese pop star Show Lo has officially made his comeback by performing during a New Year’s Eve concert.

       The 42-year-old, who had not performed in public for nearly two years, said he was touched that there were still fans waiting for his comeback.

       “When I saw the audience watching the performance in tears, I realised that there were still people who were waiting for my return.

       “My nervousness disappeared immediately and I felt so touched. Although I had tears in my eyes, I wanted to give my best. I didn’t want to disappoint everyone,” he said.

       During the 20-minute show in Hualien, Lo sang his new single Trap Game and some older tunes.

       The artiste, who was visibly tired after his performance, was seen running below the stage to take selfies with fans.

       He was also caught on film trying to console his 94-year-old grandmother who attended the concert and was moved to tears.

       In April 2020, Lo’s ex-girlfriend Grace Chow had accused him of sleeping with other female artistes under his wing, causing him to lose nearly T$600mil (RM87mil) in axed celebrity endorsement deals, as well as his hosting job at a variety show.

       However, while it might have gone well for Lo, the same can’t be said for Mandopop king Wang Leehom who looks unlikely to make a comeback in China following his own cheating scandal.

       The Chinese daily reported Ma Xiaoguang, the spokesman for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, as saying that artistes are required to be “morally and artistically sound”.

       “We can’t take what is being speculated online as the official stance (of the Chinese government).

       “However, we wish for all artistes and actors who are coming into mainland China to be both morally and artistically sound,” Ma said in response to queries about Wang.

       Wang’s ex-wife Lee Jinglei’s allegations against him include having a “friends with benefits” relationship.

       Although he later apologised, there have been several op-eds in state media in China condemning his behaviour.

       The above articles are compiled from the vernacular newspapers (Bahasa Malaysia, Chinese and Tamil dailies). As such, stories are grouped according to the respective language/medium. Where a paragraph begins with a >, it denotes a separate news item.