Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim told Parliament today that the Malaysian government will spend an additional RM800 million to hire 18,000 new teachers this year. This significant investment is part of a major policy shift to standardize the school entry age, enrolling six-year-olds into Year One across the country. The move is aimed at aligning the Malaysian education system with international standards and providing children with an earlier start to formal education.

The Prime Minister emphasized that this allocation is necessary to ensure that the influx of younger students is met with adequate staffing and resources. The recruitment drive will focus on graduates from local teaching institutes and will be fast-tracked to meet the school term deadlines. Anwar also noted that this policy change would help reduce the burden on parents who currently pay for private preschools, making basic education more accessible to all income groups.

While the opposition has raised questions about the sudden nature of the expenditure, the government maintains that the long-term benefits for the nation’s human capital development far outweigh the initial costs. Education experts have lauded the move but warned that classroom infrastructure must also be expanded to prevent overcrowding. This announcement is seen as one of the boldest educational reforms by the current administration.