Professional Documents
Culture Documents
2 Childhood
Education
Systems
LEARNING OUTCOMES
By the end of this topic, you should be able to:
1. Describe the early childhood education system in Malaysia;
2. Distinguish the stages of development of early childhood
education in Malaysia; and
3. Describe the various Education Acts and Policies involved in the
development of early childhood education in the country.
INTRODUCTION
Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) is important for the mental,
emotional, intellectual and social development of a child. It is a fact based on
decades of studies and research on the positive effects of quality early-learning
experiences on childrens lives.
These programmes:
(a) Provide a solid foundation for healthy growth and development, which
expose children to activities in nation building;
(b) Enhance their readiness for primary school education; and
(c) Present numerous initiatives to make early childhood programmes more
accessible especially for less fortunate children and those in rural areas.
ACTIVITY 2.1
What are the types of Early Childhood Care and Education available
in Malaysia? Can you name a few?
(a) Zero to four years old, which comes under the purview of the Ministry of
Women, Family and Community Development (MWFCD). The Ministry
coordinates national programmes on the growth and development of
children, and a register of all childcare centres (taska) in the country
through its Department of Social Welfare.
(b) Pre-school education for children between four and six years old, which
falls under three Ministries, that is, the Ministry of Education, the Ministry
of Rural and Regional Development and the Department of National Unity
and Integration under the Prime Ministers Department.
In 1984, a special unit was established under the funding of the Bernard
Van Leer Foundation to look into advocacy, dissemination of information,
issues on registration, enforcement, monitoring and inspection of childcare
centres. As a result, the Childcare Centre Act 1984 (Act 308) was passed to
provide care and education for children in the preschool years and
maintain the minimum standards of childcare centres in the country.
Over the years, Act 308 has undergone several reviews and has been passed
by Parliament, resulting in the Childcare Centres (Amendment) Act 2007.
Among the changes were the establishment of government-supported
community childcare centres, subsidised workplace childcare centres and
the implementation of the Quality Improvement and Accreditation System
(QIAS).
There are currently more than 8,000 Tabika KEMAS located in rural areas and are
set up based on requests by local authorities. It is the biggest provider of
preschool education in Malaysia.
In 1976, the Department of National Integration and Unity established its own
preschool, that is, the TADIKA PERPADUAN (PERPADUAN preschools),
beginning with 25 classes. Unlike other preschools, PERPADUAN preschools are
not required to be registered under the Education Act 1961 because they are
exempted under the Warta Kerajaan P.U (A) 276 dated September 1977. Table 2.3
gives a brief outline of PERPADUAN preschools.
PERPADUAN preschools must accept children from different races. There are
currently more than 1,400 PERPADUAN preschools established nationwide.
A total of 1,131 preschool classes under MOE were set up as an annex to existing
primary schools, which was later extended nationwide. Currently there are more
than 5,000 such preschools available across the country. The Ministry of
Education became the second largest preschool provider after the Ministry of
Rural and Regional Development (KEMAS preschools). Other providers of
preschool education in Malaysia include the State Religious Department and
Angkatan Belia Islam Malaysia (ABIM). Table 2.4 gives a brief summary of
preschools set up by the MOE.
Table 2.4: Brief Outline of Preschools set up by the Ministry of Education (MOE)
Preschool education for children with special needs falls under the purview of
the Ministry of Education, which is in charge of the programmes conducted in
the special schools and in the integrated primary schools for children; and the
Ministry of Women, Family and Community Development which is responsible
for implementing other special programmes.
Additionally, A National Board of Advisory and Legislation for the People with
Disabilities (Majlis Penasihat dan Perundingan Kebangsaan Bagi OKU) has been
set up to study, develop and coordinate various issues and actions related to
people with disabilities. The Board is chaired by the Minister of Women, Family
and Community Development.
Preschools that are operated by the private sectors have long been seen as an
alternative for quality education for children from four to six years, especially by
parents who can afford the cost of private education for their children. Table 2.5
gives a brief summary of preschools run by the private sector and NGOs.
Table 2.5: Brief Outline of Private Sector and NGOs Run Preschools
ACTIVITY 2.2
Can you describe the role of the different ministries, agencies and
bodies involved in the establishment of preschool centres in Malaysia?
The Act further stipulates that every childcare centre must be registered with the
Department of Social Welfare (Jabatan Kebajikan Masyarakat) whereby a
Certificate of Registration will be issued and renewed annually. The Department
of Social Welfare is responsible for monitoring the operation of the childcare
centres to ensure compliance with Act 308 and other regulations that come
together with it. Table 2.6 summarises the mains points of the guidelines
provided by the Department of Social Welfare in the setting-up of a childcare
centre.
The Childcare Centre Act 1984 has been reviewed and amendments to this Act
approved by the Parliament, resulting in the Care Centres (Amendment) Act
2007. The objective of the amended Act is to help regulate and stimulate the
growth of the childcare industry, which includes:
(a) Extending the validity period for a registered childcare centre from 12
months to 60 months to encourage more unregistered childcare centres to
register themselves;
(b) Reiterate the legal requirement for all childcare providers and minders to
undergo a basic childcare training course before or while they are
employed. Failure to conform can result in the closure of the centres;
(c) The penalty for failure to register a childcare centre was increased from
RM1,000 to RM10,000 or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding two
years or both. For the second offence, the penalty was increased from
RM2,000 to RM20,000 or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding five
years or both.
(d) The Director General is given the power to seal any premises that are not
registered with the Department of Social Welfare.
(e) Officers from the Department of Social Welfare are also given the power to
compound premises that commit any offences stipulated under this Act.
(a) Chapter 1 of Act 550 (National Education System, Part IV) specifies that the
national education system is made up of the following:
(i) Preschool Education;
(ii) Primary Education;
(iii) Secondary Education;
(iv) Post Secondary Education; and
(v) Higher Education.
(i) The Minister shall provide special education in special schools and
may by regulation prescribe:
(ii) The curriculum must comply with the requirements of the National
Curriculum in so far as it is reasonably practicable.
(d) Other provisions detailed under the Education Act 1996 (Act 550) state that:
The Education Act 1996 (Act 550) was later amended in 2002 to provide
compulsory primary education with a stipulation that every parent is obliged to
enroll their child upon attaining the age of six years in primary school and the
child shall remain as a pupil in a primary school for the duration of the
compulsory education for six years. Although education is compulsory by law,
the current policy in Malaysia still requires students to pay a minimal fee upon
enrolment in primary school. Children from poor families are provided with
(c) An inclusive education programme for pupils with special needs and who
are able to attend normal classes together with normal pupils.
Based on this regulation, preschool programmes for special needs children can be
set up either in a special school, in regular schools or in normal classes together
with normal pupils. Due to the different learning requirements among special
needs children, teachers are given allowances to modify teaching or learning
methods or techniques, time and structure of the activities conducted as well as
the subjects and teaching aids in order to achieve the objectives and aims of
special education.
However, not all children are eligible to receive this special education
programme under the Ministry of Education. Physically handicapped children
with the mental ability to learn like normal pupils are placed in mainstream
classes, while those with multiple disabilities or profound physical handicap or
severe mental retardation are assigned under the jurisdiction of the Social
Welfare Department.
Lily Muliana Mustafa & Mohamed Nor Azhari Azman (2013). Preschool
education in Malaysia: Emerging trends and implications for the future.
American Journal Of Economics, 3(6), 347-351.