The Ministry of Education (MOE) has agreed to allow private kindergartens to enrol children aged three and above.
Speaking in Parliament on Thursday (5 February), Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek noted that previously, only children aged four or five and above were allowed to enrol.
She added that the decision is meant to prepare for the “Year One at Age Six” policy next year, which includes a one-year preschool.
“There are currently more than 110,000 places nationwide in preschool classes, which is sufficient to accommodate a new intake of younger students.”
MOE is ready to implement the new policy
Fadhlina was responding to Muar Member of Parliament (MP) Syed Saddiq, who asked whether MOE has a clear timeline for implementing the one-year preschool under the new policy.
She added that the ministry will make full use of existing infrastructure to prepare for the implementation of the policy, including deciding whether schools should operate morning and afternoon sessions to accommodate more pupils based on student numbers.
Previously, Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid stated that the Cabinet had decided that the MOE would centrally coordinate preschool education, and that five-year-old children must attend preschool in national schools or other schools under the ministry.
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Fadhlina said the ministry has already anticipated which schools will become “focus schools” with higher enrolment of six-year-old students once the policy is officially implemented, and will be prepared to handle all possibilities.
“If there is a need or if conditions allow, some special-purpose rooms within schools will also be repurposed as classrooms to accommodate more students,” she said.
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