Enabling compulsory preschool education
ONE of the aspirations of the Malaysia Education Blueprint (2013-2025) is to make preschool education compulsory, and this was to be achieved by 2020.
The target remains unmet due to challenges such as lack of awareness of the importance of preschool education for the 4+ and 5+, inaccessibility in certain geographic areas and communities and affordability, as cited by the “Comprehensive Review of Preschool Education in Malaysia” report by the World Bank last year.
Preschools have existed in Malaysia since the 1940s with 64% of them operated by multiple government agencies, including the Community Development Department (Kemas) under the Rural and Regional Development Ministry and the Department of National Unity and Integration under the National Unity Ministry.
The rest are either privately owned or funded by non-governmental organisations.
The importance of preschool education has been highlighted by neuroscientific studies that revealed the impact of children’s first five years of experiences on brain development, early childhood education research findings as well as social and economic factors.
Providing quality preschool education is also crucial in meeting Sustainable Development Goal 4, which ensures inclusive and equitable quality education, and readiness for primary education.
But to make preschool education compulsory for all children, our ecosystem must be ready for it. And the key consideration is quality besides quantity.
Do we have the funds, conducive learning environments, qualified and professional teachers and an effective and efficient governance system?
Malaysia’s expenditure on preprimary education was 0.15% of gross domestic product (GDP) in 2017. According to the World Bank 2023 report, this is significantly lower than the 1% of GDP recommended by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).
Malaysia needs a substantial increase in public investment for preschool education, particularly for marginalised communities, as it is an infrastructure component for economic development with long-term benefits for children and their families and society as a whole.
As James Heckman, a Nobel Laureate in Economics and an expert in human development, said, early childhood education is a cost-effective strategy for economic and workforce development.
Federal and state governments can play a more active role in providing adequate resources, facilities and qualified teaching staff in every district to cater to preschool children. This can be achieved by targeting funding for preschools in remote areas or when investment is not possible.
In its efforts to widen access to preschools, the government must also ensure that the expanded coverage does not compromise quality. Having a single coordinating agency to manage the registration, governance and monitoring of preschools could be a feasible solution to this problem.
The proposed agency would serve as a reference point on policy matters and quality assurance processes as well as a service hub that connects stakeholders to the relevant childcare and preschool education services. This can prevent duplication of resources and formulate a more integrated system.
We need a bolder and more drastic approach to tackle issues affecting preschool education before it can be made compulsory for all children in Malaysia.