PUTRAJAYA, June 16 — The Education Ministry (MOE) aims to raise the universal enrolment rate for secondary schools to over 95 per cent, in line with the Education (Amendment) Act 2025, which will take effect soon.
Deputy Education Minister Wong Kah Woh said primary school enrolment, which rose from about 92 per cent in 2003 to over 99 per cent this year, proved the effectiveness of the compulsory education policy launched 23 years ago.
“Now our desire, our goal, is no longer limited to primary education alone. We want to ensure this, as we have achieved a universal enrolment of 94 per cent at the secondary school level.
“Once the … Education (Amendment) Act 2025 comes into force, we hope to surpass the universal enrolment target of 95 per cent and increase it further in the coming years,” he said at an MOE awards ceremony here today.
Also present were MOE secretary-general Datuk Wan Hashim Wan Rahim and MOE director-general Datuk Mohd Azam Ahmad.
Last July, the Dewan Rakyat passed the Education (Amendment) Bill 2025, which expands the definition of compulsory education to include secondary schooling.
Wong said that the amended act is not punitive, and instead aims to raise awareness among parents and students about the importance of completing Form 5.
He said MOE will ensure Malaysians’ access to education by expanding the Comprehensive Special Model School 9 (K9) and Comprehensive Special Model School 11 (K11) initiatives.
The K9 model refers to nine years of schooling across the primary and lower secondary levels, with pupils spending six years in primary school and three years in lower secondary levels in the same institution. The K11 model offers more comprehensive access to education from primary to secondary levels for 11 years, from Year 1 to Form 5, in the same school.
He added that there are 26 K9 schools and nine K11 schools nationwide.
“Next year, KPM aims to add seven more K11 schools, bringing the total to 16, with targeted locations including Perak, Terengganu, Kelantan, Pahang, and Sabah.
“The schools have been identified and we are making the necessary efforts and preparations. Once everything is finalised, we will provide details about these schools,” Wong said.
