Year One Voluntary Enrolment To Support Children’s Development And Potential

By Puti Iylia Maisarah Zol Azman

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 25 (Bernama) -- Voluntary enrolment of Year One pupils at age six (5+) from 2027 is viewed as a comprehensive approach that takes into account students’ development and potential, amid growing exposure to technology.

Describing the policy as centred on individual potential and grounded in developmental psychology, Prof Dr Azlina Mohd Kosnin of Universiti Teknologi Malaysia said chronological age should not be the only factor in assessing a child’s development.

“Every child develops at their own pace, and some show early maturity in certain aspects. From this perspective, the policy provides opportunities for children who attain early maturity while ensuring those who need more time are not left behind,” she told Bernama.

Azlina said the policy was a proactive step to strengthen education competitiveness and develop quality human capital, but stressed that its success depended on the shared responsibility of key stakeholders.

Drawing on the experience of countries such as Singapore, China, Japan, South Korea, Indonesia and Thailand, which have long adopted the approach, the lecturer at the Faculty of Educational Sciences and Technology said age was not the determining factor, but rather the extent to which the education system supported student readiness and provided an effective learning environment.

“This is not an unusual practice. In the United Kingdom, Australia and the United States, children begin formal education at the age of five through transitional programmes like Reception or kindergarten before entering the first year of primary education.

“Meanwhile, countries such as Finland and Sweden begin formal schooling at the age of seven, but provide high-quality compulsory preschool programmes at six that emphasise socio-emotional development and play-based learning,” she added.

National Parent-Teacher Associations Consultative Council (PIBGN) president Datuk Dr Muhammad Ali Hassan said the implementation of the policy was a suitable and dynamic step towards comprehensively overcoming pedagogical gaps in education, especially at the preschool level.

“We can see an educational gap among children aged five to seven, particularly in terms of curriculum and preschool approaches...there are differences in content, infrastructure and teacher training.

“Therefore, adjustments must be made to ensure all children receive adequate education. We do not want any group to be overlooked when entering primary school with insufficient academic, emotional or psychological readiness,” he said.

Amirah Alam, 35, a mother of a five-year-old child, said early exposure to formal learning helps children build strong academic foundations and gain self-confidence at an earlier stage.

“The earlier children are exposed to learning, the better and faster they will adapt to future educational challenges.

“Having moved from Year Three to Year Five myself, I found that it helped strengthen my knowledge, align with my potential, and build strong self-confidence,” she said.

Amirah said, however, that the success of the policy hinges on parents’ commitment to ensuring their children are fully prepared for their studies.

The move is also in line with the National Education Blueprint (RPN) 2026-2035, which emphasises a humanistic value framework, mastery of new technologies, and the strengthening of students’ academic, social and self-confidence skills.

During the launch of the RPN 2026-2035, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim announced that six-year-old children may enrol in Year One starting next year, depending on the readiness of both students and parents.

-- BERNAMA