EDUCATION Minister Fadhlina Sidek stressed that the policy of allowing Year One students to enter school at the age of six is not intended to make children experimental subjects, but rather to be implemented voluntarily, in phases and supported by a comprehensive screening mechanism.
She said that the implementation of the policy was part of the planning under the 13th Malaysia Plan (13MP), which had been tabled and debated in the Dewan Rakyat, in addition to the results of engagement sessions involving various stakeholders.
“Our children are not for laboratory tests or laboratory rats, that is why we emphasise that in this context we want to focus, because it is a policy that we have already discussed and debated in the 13th RMK.
“Secondly, we do not intend for it to be a pilot; that is why we call it phased, we call it voluntary, and that is why we stressed that it should happen with diagnostic support,” she said when answering a supplementary question at the Minister’s Questions session in the Dewan Rakyat, today.
She said the ministry had implemented various engagement sessions, as well as discussions at the grassroots level that focused on early childhood education issues. According to her, the admission of six-year-old students is voluntary and is only offered to truly ready children, based on diagnostic screening set by the ministry.
She said the implementation of the policy was also supported by psychosocial assistance to ensure that the student adaptation process went well, since it involved changes to the formal learning environment.
Fadhlina also explained that the policy was not intended to accelerate academic learning or create competition among mothers and fathers, instead focusing on strengthening basic skills according to the student's developmental level.
According to her, priority is given to ensuring that students master literacy, numeracy and basic learning skills, in addition to safeguarding the welfare and interests of children as the core of the policy.
In the meantime, she acknowledged that parents' concerns regarding the readiness of schools, classrooms and the number of teachers are justified and need to be addressed seriously.
In this regard, she said, the ministry has made a projection of teacher needs with the Education Services Commission (SPP) and taken proactive steps, including accelerating the recruitment of teachers on a Contract of Service (COS) basis.
According to her, the ministry has also carried out initial mapping to identify states and schools that are expected to receive high demand following the implementation of the policy.
She said that the ministry’s development division is also prepared to implement additional classroom construction projects to support the entry of six-year-old students in stages.
At the same time, she assured that the policy will only be implemented after comprehensive preparations are made, covering aspects of infrastructure, human resources and learning support. – January 22, 2026
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