Implementing Zero Reject Policy: The Study of Adaptive Teaching Skills Among Primary School Teachers In Rural Sarawak

Abstract

The Zero Rejection Policy (ZRP) is a proactive measure by Malaysia to ensure the rights and equal access of children to education in the country. Thus, the introduction of ZRP introduced in December 2018 brought a paradigm shift to education in Malaysia, especially special education. The admission of Special Needs Pupils (SEN) in schools without any rejection leads to the implementation of inclusive education in mainstream classrooms. Thus, this study aims to examine the level of adaptive teaching skills among primary school teachers in order to implement Zero Reject Policy. This quantitative study had involved 230 primary school teachers for quantitative research and 13 teachers for qualitative research. The findings of the quantitative study show that teachers have a high level of adaptive teaching skills. However, the qualitative study found that the majority of teachers stated their level of adaptive teaching skills among teachers was only in the intermediate level. While almost half of the teachers have not been able to receive MBK in the classroom because they are still not confident to teach inclusive classes. Therefore, it is recommended that courses and training be implemented for teachers to improve the skills and knowledge of teachers to implement ZRP in schools.