Headmasters Understanding And Readiness In Implementing The Zero Reject Policy

Abstract

Malaysia has consistently made continuous efforts towards promoting access to education, in alignment with the World Declaration on Education for All. Fast forward to 2015, The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization pledged to enhance the benchmarks of quality education, ensuring that all children can equally access a high standard of education. Building upon these international declarations and endeavours for improved education for future generations, Malaysia implemented a Zero Reject Policy (ZRP) in January 2019. This policy allows all children, irrespective of their disabilities, to enrol in government and government aided schools. This qualitative study involved six primary school headmasters from Selangor, who were selected through purposive sampling. Two qualitative data collection methods were employed including semi-structured interviews and systematic literature reviews. The collected data were analysed using ATLAS.ti (Version 9) software. The study discovered that the majority of headmasters comprehend the objectives of the Zero Reject Policy in facilitating access to education. Nonetheless, challenges such as inadequate infrastructure have posed significant obstacles for headmasters in effectively implementing the policy. The study concludes that the implementation of the ZRP has presented significant improvements among headmasters from two distinct perspectives: awareness and providing access to education.