NST 28-01-2026 - NO EARLY YEAR 1 ENROLMENT TEST

Aug 13, 2026

Government drops plans for a diagnostic screening test for 6-year-olds before early entry into Year One, citing risks of discrimination and psychological harm, with the Prime Minister saying the proposal was reviewed after concerns. Optional early enrolment will still proceed next year, supported by about RM800 million for school preparation, facility expansion, and teacher recruitment, alongside strengthened preschool capacity and planning for classroom and staffing challenges.

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GOVT SCRAPS SCREENING TEST

Optional early enrolment proceeds next year

SEKTOR DOKUMENTASI PENDIDIKANBPPDP,Kementerian Pendidikan MalaysiaAras SB-4,Blok E8,Kompleks E,Pusat Pentadbiran Kerajaan Persekutuan62604 Putrajaya.Te :03-88846425Faks:03-88846284 TARIKH:28 JANUARI 2026(RABU) BERITA HARIAN UTUSAN M'SIA□N.STRAITS TIME THE STAR□□SINAR HARIAN □ SEKTOR DOKUMENTASI PENDIDIKAN BPPDP,Kementerian Pendidikan Malaysia Aras SB-4,Blok E8,Kompleks E, Pusat Pentadbiran Kerająan Persekutuan 62604 Putrajaya. Tel :03-88846425 Faks:03-88846284 TARIKH:28 JANUARI 2026(RABU) BERITA HARIAN N.STRAITS TIMES THE STAR UTUSAN M’SIA # GOVT SCRAPS SCREENING TEST Rejected childrenrisk being labelledas unfit or lessintelligent,says PM ZAF SERAJ AND MOHAMAD AL AS KUALA LUMPUR news@nst.com.my NS(28(·2026中G-3 THE government hasdropped plans to intro-duce a diagnostic screen-ing test for 6-year-oldsprior to early entry into Year Oneas it“could be discriminatory andpsychologically harmful to chil-dren”. However,Prime Minister DatukSeri Anwar Ibrahim said the op-tional early enrolment wouldproceed next year,with someRM800 million allocated to pre-pare schools,expand facilitiesand recruit teachers. "Malaysia cannot afford to lagbehind international educationstandards,"he said during PrimeMinister's Question Time in theDewan Rakyat yesterday. STRAITSTIMES-HEARDTHENEWS? Read with me. Supported by the Malaysian Communicationsand Multimedia Commission He said the screening proposalwas initially well-intentioned butconcerns were raised after fur-ther review. be scrapped,"he said in responseto a question from Syed SaddiqSyed Abdul Rahman(Muda-Muar),who had urged the gov- Anwar said it ernment to re-eval- could result in chil-Malaysiadren being labelledas unfit or less in-cannottelligent if theyafford to lagwere denied entrybehindand sent back topreschool.international"This may have aeducationlasting psychologi-standards.cal impact on achild,"he said,PRIME MINISTER DATUKadding that Educa-SERI ANWAR IBRAHIMtion MinisterFadhlina Sidek had uate the screening proposal. Previously, Fadhlina said both diagnostic screen-ing results and parental choice would determine admission of 6- year-olds into Year One. The screening hasbeen intended to assess children's recommended scrapping the testto simplify enrolment. “Based on the minister's recom-mendation,I agree that it should learning readiness and adapt-ability to formal education. Citing data from the United Na-tions Educational,Scientific and Cultural Organisation,Anwarsaid more than 137 countries—over 71 per cent globally—beginformal schooling at 6. Addressing concerns over sys-tem readiness,he said discus-sions were ongoing with the Fi-nance Ministry to secure an ad-ditional RM800 million this yearto address urgent teacher needs. "If we delay it by another year,our children lose a year.We can-not be left behind.To support thetransition,the 2027 Budget is ex-pected to allocate RM800 mil-lion. "This will be used to fund forthe recruitment of 18,000 teach-ers and expansion of facilitiesacross primary and secondaryschools,vocational colleges,ma-triculation colleges and teachertraining institutes.” Anwar said preschool capacityhad been significantly strength-ened,with 10,514 classroomsacross 6,469 institutions expand-ed nationwide. He said an additional 150preschool classrooms were addedlast year,with a further 350planned for this year,bringingtotal government preschool ca-pacity to 110,889 places. TARIKH:28 JANUARI 2026(RABU) N.STRAITS TIME | Focus now on class capacity,staff shortages | | | | --- | --- | --- | | NS728-1.2026 PG-3 | | | | KUALA LUMPUR:The Education | tween 420,000 and 450,000. | the public that adequate facilities | | Ministry must now focus on ad- | "Typically,between 420,000 | and staffing would be in place, | | dressing classroom capacity and
teacher requirements following | and 450,000 pupils enter Year
One each year. |

FAQs

Why did the government drop the diagnostic screening test for 6-year-olds?

It was scrapped due to concerns it could be discriminatory and psychologically harmful to children.

What happens to optional early enrolment into Year One?

Optional early enrolment will proceed next year, with funding allocated to prepare schools and support implementation.

How will the education system prepare for the early intake?

By focusing on classroom capacity and staffing requirements, including recruiting teachers and expanding facilities, while addressing physical capacity constraints in schools.

Aug 13, 2026

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