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Education has undergone a significant transformation in recent years, with a shift towards learner-centred approaches that prioritize student development over exam-centred teaching (Blaylock et al., 2016). This shift has also begun in Malaysia since the turn of the millennium, as outlined in the Malaysian Education Plan 2013-2025 (Ministry of Education, Malaysia, 2013). This plan prioritizes learner development and aims to close the gap between urban and rural schools, particularly in English language learning. Furthermore, The World Bank's Malaysia Economic Monitor (2010) has identified the gap between urban and rural schools as a major obstacle to achieving Malaysia's Vision 2020, which aims to become a developed, high-income nation by 2020 (Abdul Rahim & Chun, 2017).
However, the need for education reform is particularly pressing in rural areas, where access to education is limited by factors such as geography. Malaysia's unique geography, which consists of a peninsula and the northern part of the island of Borneo/Kalimantan, poses a significant challenge in this regard. For instance, some schools are situated in areas that are accessible only via limited roads or even rivers, as in the state of Sabah. This undoubtedly hampers the process of revitalizing these schools. Therefore, further research is needed to understand the exact conditions in these schools and to determine the quality of education and services provided (Marwan et al., 2012).
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