THE government has decided to postpone a proposal to place the Form Six system under the Ministry of Higher Education (MOHE) after taking into account various aspects, thus maintaining the pre-university program under the Ministry of Education (MOE) for now.
Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, said that although the proposal to transfer Form Six to the MOHE is considered a rational move because of its status as post-secondary education, its implementation requires further study as it involves changes in the administrative and service systems.
“I think the rationale is correct, but the transition takes time because of the system and scheme.
“So for the time being, it was decided that the Form Six pre-university programme will remain under the MOE,” he said when speaking at a monthly assembly with Ministry of Education staff today.
Previously, Anwar, when launching the Malaysia Higher Education Plan (RPTM) 2026-2035, said the MOHE would fully take over the pre-university education system involving Form Six and matriculation starting this year.
He said the takeover officially places both streams as part of the country’s higher education.
Meanwhile, Anwar stressed that the identity of Form Six as a pre-university programme needs to be strengthened so that it is no longer seen as part of regular secondary schooling.
According to him, although Form Six students are still placed in the same school, they need to have separate learning blocks, management, discipline and activities to create a learning atmosphere equivalent to pre-university education.
“I want Form Six not to be made part of schooling. The sentiment is pre-university.
"Even if they are in the same school, they need to have a separate block, be managed as a separate program and be given special recognition," he said.
He said that the assembly ceremony should also be separated for Form One to Form Five students so that Form Six students can truly feel their status as post-school and pre-university students.
According to Anwar, this approach has been practised before and should be returned to improve the image and confidence of students towards the educational path. – July 28, 2026
