Latest news with #compulsoryeducation
Malay Mail
31-07-2025
- Politics
- Malay Mail
Dewan Rakyat passes Bill requiring all Malaysian children to complete secondary education
KUALA LUMPUR, July 31 — The national education system has entered a new chapter after the Education (Amendment) Bill 2025, aimed at making secondary education compulsory, was passed by the Dewan Rakyat last night. Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek, when winding up the debate on the bill, described the amendment to the Education Act 1996 (Act 550) as a historic and crucial moment in human capital development through the national education system. 'Education is the birthright of every child, meaning every child is born with the right to receive education,' she said. Earlier, during the debate session, both government and opposition Members of Parliament expressed support for the amendment, describing it as an important reform of the national education system. Cha Kee Chin (PH-Rasah) said the initiative represented a meaningful education reform in efforts to elevate the quality of education and human capital development in the country. He also congratulated the Madani Government for the bold initiative and felt that the move should have been implemented earlier to ensure every child received proper education. 'It will enable human capital development to be elevated to a higher level than before, so that we are on par with other countries. Imagine if we only have six years of compulsory education — how can we become a developed country?' he said. Datuk Dr Ku Abd Rahman Ku Ismail (PN-Kubang Pasu) said making secondary education compulsory could break the cycle of poverty and strengthen critical thinking, while enhancing students' employability and communication skills to participate in the economy and society. Ahmad Johnie Zawawi (GPS-Igan) said the move was timely to build a knowledgeable and competitive generation with the values of human dignity or 'karamah insaniah' as enshrined in the National Education Philosophy. He said the amendment demonstrated the government's commitment to guaranteeing every child's right to education up to at least the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) level or an equivalent recognised Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) qualification. Meanwhile, Teresa Kok (PH-Seputeh) said the ministry should look into the real causes of school dropouts, such as low income, since the indirect costs of education continued to burden poor parents. The Bill, among others, proposes the insertion of a new Section 32A, which provides that every parent whose child is a Malaysian citizen and resides in Malaysia must ensure the child is enrolled in a secondary education institution and remains in school throughout the secondary education period. — Bernama
Malay Mail
28-07-2025
- Politics
- Malay Mail
No more dropping out: Govt tables Bill to make secondary school compulsory
KUALA LUMPUR, July 28 — The Education (Amendment) Bill 2025, which seeks to make secondary education compulsory, was tabled for first reading in the Dewan Rakyat today. Deputy Education Minister Wong Kah Woh, when tabling the Bill, said the second reading is expected to take place during the current parliamentary sitting. The Bill seeks to amend Section 2 of the Education Act 1996 (Act 550) to substitute the definition of 'compulsory education' to include secondary education. It also proposes a new Section 32A, which provides that every parent whose child is a Malaysian citizen and resides in Malaysia must ensure the child is enrolled in a secondary education institution and remains in school throughout the secondary education period. Failure to comply with this requirement may result in a fine of up to RM5,000 or imprisonment for up to six months, or both, upon conviction. The Bill also states that the proposed amendments will involve additional government expenditure, the amount of which has yet to be determined. — Bernama
Malay Mail
19-06-2025
- Politics
- Malay Mail
MoE to push for compulsory secondary schooling in July to tackle dropout crisis
LANGKAWI, June 19 — The Ministry of Education (MOE) will table amendments to the Education Act 1996 in Parliament next month to make it compulsory for children to receive education until the age of 17 to overcome the problem of student dropout. Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek said that the enforcement of the law is one of the measures taken to ensure that every child has the right to quality education up to the completion of secondary school. After finalising the compulsory secondary education policy, we will look into the benefits of compulsory preschool education, she told a press conference after the Asean Education Ministers and Higher Education Ministers Roundtable Conference (#EduRoundtables2025) here, today. The next Parliament session is scheduled to start from July 21 to August 28. Under the Compulsory Primary Education Policy, every parent of a citizen residing in Malaysia must ensure that their child receives six years of compulsory primary education. Fadhlina said that the ongoing education reform initiatives include the expansion of preschools, though several challenges remain, particularly in developing the necessary infrastructure, addressing logistics issues, and building the capacity of qualified teachers. She said that competent and trained teachers are important to providing young children with early exposure and a strong educational foundation at the preschool stage, before they begin formal mainstream schooling, a key step in reducing school dropout rates caused by barriers to early access. 'So, before we implement the policy to make preschool compulsory, we must first prepare the ecosystem, infrastructure and teachers,' she said. Earlier, Fadhlina delivered a welcoming address at the roundtable conference, which aims to strengthen regional cooperation in education, followed by a closed meeting of Asean education ministers. The conference began yesterday with a forum themed 'Accelerating Innovative Strategies: Mitigating Out-of-School Children and Youth (OOSCY) Challenges', aimed at strengthening collective efforts through information sharing on groups that do not have access to education and are at risk of dropping out, as well as other issues related to dropout. In addition to the participation of Asean member states, and Timor Leste as an observers, the Asean Education Forum was also joined by representatives from international organisations such as the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (Unesco), the United Nations Children's Fund (Unicef), the South-east Asian Ministers of Education Organisation (SEAMEO) and the Islamic World Organisation for Research, Science and Culture (ICESCO). This year, 2025, marks the fifth time Malaysia is holding the Asean Chairmanship, following previous terms in 1977, 1997, 2005, and 2015. — Bernama
