KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 20 — A new act on early childhood education will be introduced to ensure comprehensive and effective regulation, said Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek.
She said it is among the education reform strategies outlined under the 13th Malaysia Plan (13MP) aimed at strengthening governance in the country’s education system.
“Governance at all levels of learning from preschool, primary, secondary and up to pre-university will be strengthened to enhance the effectiveness of service delivery more comprehensively,” she said during her wind-up on the 13MP for the Education Ministry (MOE) in the Dewan Rakyat today.
She added that MOE will also introduce the Preschool Curriculum 2026, based on the School Curriculum Framework 2027, emphasising character building, self-confidence, love, and resilience through age-appropriate experiential learning.
“In line with this, the national preschool curriculum will be made mandatory for all early childhood education institutions, with emphasis on human dignity values, character formation, critical thinking and life skills,” she said.
“To achieve this, enforcement of the Education Act 1996 will be strengthened,” she said.
Meanwhile, Fadhlina said the MOE remains committed to maintaining the Sijil Tinggi Persekolahan Malaysia (STPM) as an internationally recognised pre-university qualification.
“With about 50,000 to 55,000 enrolments annually, various measures are being and will continue to be implemented to attract SPM graduates, particularly through the Form 6 Education Roadmap 2024-2030,” she said.
The roadmap focuses on five key areas — image branding, infrastructure enhancement, administrative improvements, more flexible teaching and learning, and a curriculum benchmarked against international standards such as A-Levels.
