Malaysia's Prime Minister unveils a 10-year National Education Plan 2026-2035, including mandatory preschool starting at age five in 2027, Standard 1 at age six, a new standardized assessment for Standard 4 students in five subjects, mandatory Bahasa Melayu and History in the SPM for all streams, and free education for students with disabilities.
Starting in 2027, preschool education will begin at the age of five, while Standard 1 will begin at the age of six. He explained that the changes are not yet mandatory for parents, to give space for various parties to prepare for the new educational environment, especially educators.
The matter was confirmed by Prime Minister Dato’ Seri Anwar Ibrahim, who unveiled the 10-year plan in the National Education Plan 2026-2035 today in Putrajaya. The education reform aims to build a fairer, more competitive future for children based on strong values.Additionally, he also announced that students in Standard 4 will take a new standardised assessment starting this year, which will be administered by the Malaysian Examination Board . The assessment will include five subjects, namely Mathematics, Bahasa Melayu, English, Science, and History. “Why must we wait until Standard 6? We can give the children two years to improve themselves, before they move forward to Form 1.”Anwar also mentioned that all schools of various educational streams, including international, religious, and Unified Examination Certificate streams, are required to take the Bahasa Melayu and History subjects in the Malaysian Certificate of Examination . The Prime Minister mentioned that through this move, the controversy regarding the language issue will be resolved, so the issue regarding entry requirements to public universities will no longer arise from now on.On the other hand, Anwar added that students with disabilities will receive free education, effective today.Also read: “Stricter discipline, better prospects” – M’sian Entrepreneur Shares Why She Enrols Daughter in SJKC
Education Reform Preschool Age Standardized Assessment SPM Requirements Free Education
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