Impact of Urban Poverty Towards the Existence Factors of Late Bloomers Among Youth in Higher Education Institution

Poverty spread among urban communities has negatively impacted the development of education among youth in Malaysia. The impact of poverty is inherited from generation to generation have been producing to those who are pursuing their studies at tertiary level beyond the normal time line, which is after graduation from formal secondary schooling. This group is known as the late-bloomers youth particularly in pursuing education at the tertiary level. The delayed from the normal time line to pursue higher education are not only limited to the rural people, and even the late-bloomers youth in the urban areas more likely to feel the pressure. The late-bloomers youth are often excluded from the education system as the focus on improving education is often focused on rural groups. Thus, this study was carried out to identify the the impact of urban poverty on the development of education in late-bloomers youth. This study used the phenomenology method to understand the actual experience of the informant and help the reviewer to obtain more precise and detailed of the results. The results of the study found that the inherited urban poverty in terms of employment and socioeconomic factors clearly gave a negative impression on the development of youth education which subsequently contributed to the existence of the late-bloomers youth group at the Higher Education Institution (IPT). Through the employment factor, the late-bloomers youth group seek for the opportunities to increase their working ability through education certification. Meanwhile, through socioeconomic factors find that changes in their socioeconomic status may be improved through education at the level of higher education. In conclusion, it is the responsibility of all parties to create opportunities for the urban poor youth especially in terms of improving education at the tertiary level.