28-07-2025
Mandate secondary schooling
Ready to roll: Students queueing to enter SMJK Katholik in Petaling Jaya, Selangor, in this file photo.
KUALA LUMPUR: To create nationwide access to education, amendments to the Education Act to make secondary schooling compulsory have been brought to Parliament.
The Education (Amendment) Bill 2025 was presented for first reading in the Dewan Rakyat yesterday by Deputy Education Minister Wong Kah Woh, who said the second and third readings are expected to be completed during the current session.
The Bill, among others, seeks to revise the definition of 'compulsory education' in the 1996 Education Act to include secondary schooling.
It also introduces a new provision – Section 32A – that empowers the Education Minister to designate secondary education as mandatory for all Malaysian children residing in the country.
It states that parents are legally required to enrol their children in both primary and secondary institutions, unless officially exempted.
Under the new Section 32(a)(4), parents who fail to enrol their children in school face a fine of up to RM5,000, six months' jail or both, upon conviction.
The Bill further stipulates penalties for non-compliance with the new provisions and authorises the minister to make additional regulations related to enforcement and exemptions.
Wong said the legislation would also amend provisions related to the registration of children for primary schooling, requiring parents to enrol children by the age of six as of Jan 1 in any given academic year.
If passed, the changes will mark a significant expansion of Malaysia's education mandate.
The Bill notes that implementing the new measures will incur additional government expenditure, with the exact amount yet to be determined.
