Fewer New Classrooms Planned For 2027 Year One As Six-Year-Old Entry Remains Voluntary | KiddyNews

The Education Ministry is scaling back its planned construction of new Year One classrooms for the 2027 intake after fewer six-year-olds registered for voluntary early entry.

Deputy Education Minister Wong Kah Woh said the ministry had initially planned to build 2,596 new classrooms at 838 schools using the Industrialised Building System (IBS).

However, with only 73,498 six-year-olds registered as of Sept 30, the ministry is now proceeding with 677 additional classroom projects involving 1,478 classrooms at 605 schools.

In addition, 1,514 existing special rooms are being converted into classrooms through maintenance and upgrading projects.

Seven Remains Main Year One Pathway

For the 2027 intake, 491,649 pupils have registered for Year One, comprising 73,498 six-year-olds and 418,151 seven-year-olds.

Entry into Year One at six will be voluntary from 2027, while seven-year-old entry remains the main pathway during the transition.

Wong said parents were given the choice because they were best placed to assess whether their children were ready for early entry.

He added that registrations among six-year-olds had remained largely stable for about three months, with the ministry not expecting a sharp increase in the remaining period.

The ministry expects enrolment among six-year-olds to rise in subsequent years.

Teachers Prepared for Early Entry

To support the six-year-old intake, 3,150 contract teachers have been approved. Their offers are expected to be issued this month, subject to health screening, with appointments scheduled to begin on Dec 7.

The ministry will continue monitoring registration figures to ensure schools are prepared for the 2027 intake.

Source:

The Star – “Fewer new classrooms for Year One as six-year-olds stay away, Parliament told”

Thoughtfully adapted by KiddyNews. Keeping parents and educators informed with the latest ECCE developments from Malaysia and beyond.