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Rakyat Post
6 days ago
- Business
- Rakyat Post
Rafizi Proposes Students To Complete High School By 16 So They Can Enter Workforce By 21
Subscribe to our FREE Former Minister of Economy Datuk Seri Rafizi Ramli suggested that Malaysia should consider having students complete secondary school by the age of 16 to allow them to start working a job by age 21. According to a 'We must rethink the structure. If our children finish school at 16, by the time they complete tertiary education or skills training, they can start working at 21. 'That gives us a more productive population while buying is time to manage ageing-related challenges,' he said during the debate on the 13th Malaysia Plan (RMK13). Investing early in education Rafizi highlighted that structural reforms in education are being prioritised under RMK13, specifically through investments in early childhood education. He said universal preschool from the age of 5 is crucial due to the 'garbage in, garbage out' principle, which in the context of educations means that the quality of student learning is directly affected by the quality of the input they recieve. If children's development is not optimised between the ages of five and nine, they risk falling behind by Standard Four or Five, according to Rafizi. He added that countries with strong education systems focus their resources on early years instead of waiting until upper secondary or university. Universal preschool to ease financial burdens Rafizi argued that universal preschool — which is essentially publicly funded preschool education — would ease financial burdens of young families, as current costs are often prohibitive. 'This will ease the burden on young families who currently struggle with the high cost of preschool. By ensuring every school in the country can offer preschool, we'll be saving thousands of families over the coming years. 'This is about building long-term foundations. If we want reforms, education is the place to start — and it must begin early,' he said. Earlier, Prime Minsiter Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim announced that the government will make preschool education compulsory from the age of 5 to improve educational outcomes. Malaysia's retirement age may be raised As part of RMK13, Anwar recently announced Malaysia's mandatory retirement age of 60 will be reviewed with the possibility of being raised. According to a separate Malay Mail 'The mandatory retirement age will also be reviewed to align with the transition to an ageing nation,' he said. Malaysia's retirement age was last increased in 2012, from 55 to 60. Recent proposals seek to raise this further to 65 years old. Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said, minister in the Prime Ministers Department (Law and Institutional Reform), previously suggested that such a move would better reflect current realities, such as increased life expectancy and better health outcomes. In spite of that, the proposal has faced opposition from groups such as the Malaysian Youth Council who have argued that the policy is not suitable for Malaysia's current labour market dynamics. Share your thoughts with us via TRP's . Get more stories like this to your inbox by signing up for our newsletter.
New Straits Times
04-08-2025
- Business
- New Straits Times
Rafizi suggests ending schooling at 16 to prepare for ageing nation
KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia should consider having students complete secondary school by the age of 16 to allow them to enter the workforce by 21. Former economy minister Datuk Seri Rafizi Ramli said such a policy shift was necessary as Malaysia transitions into an ageing nation, requiring a younger workforce to contribute earlier to the economy. "We must rethink the structure. If our children finish school at 16, by the time they complete tertiary education or skills training, they can start working at 21. "That gives us a more productive population while buying us time to manage ageing-related challenges," he said during the debate on the 13th Malaysia Plan. Commenting on claims that the 13MP lacks focus on economic and development projects, Rafizi said those areas had already been addressed in 2023 and 2024. He added that structural reforms in education are being prioritised under the 13MP, particularly through investments in early childhood education. He said universal preschool from the age of 5 is crucial due to the "garbage in, garbage out" principle — if children's development is not optimised between the ages of five and nine, they risk falling behind by Standard Four or Five. "If we don't invest early, we'll be dealing with the consequences later. In education, it's garbage in, garbage out — and by the time students reach Standard Four or Five, it may be too late. "That's why, if you look at the 13MP, we didn't even specify figures — how many billions and so on — but the commitment is to provide universal preschool education. "This means that regardless of who forms the government in future, there must be a priority to ensure that within the next five to ten years, schools across the country are able to provide universal preschool services to all," he said. He added that countries with strong education systems focus their resources on early years instead of waiting until upper secondary or university. Rafizi who is Pandan member of parliament also argued that universal preschool would ease financial burdens for young families, as current costs were often prohibitive. "This will ease the burden on young families who currently struggle with the high cost of preschool. By ensuring every school in the country can offer preschool, we'll be saving thousands of families over the coming years. "This is about building long-term foundations. If we want reforms, education is the place to start — and it must begin early," he said. Previously, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim announced that the government will make preschool education compulsory from the age of 5 to enhance educational outcomes.
