Bipartisan Group Moots New Law For Early Childhood Education

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The Parliamentary Select Committee on Women, Children, and Community Development has called for sweeping reforms to Malaysia’s early childhood care and education system.
These include a dedicated law and a single agency to regulate the sector.
Committee chairperson Yeo Bee Yin (Harapan-Puchong) said the group tabled its report in the Dewan Rakyat on Aug 19, following a series of engagements with ministries, departments, universities, NGOs, and a study visit to Singapore.
“The findings are clear - the absence of a comprehensive policy, overlapping agency functions, and insufficient resources have undermined the delivery of integrated and sustainable early childhood education programmes in Malaysia,” Yeo (above, centre) said.
ADSShe said this during a press conference in Parliament, with members of the bipartisan committee.
Among the key issues flagged in the report were:
Policy and governance gaps: No overarching policy, duplication of functions between agencies, lack of a dedicated law, and no fixed allocation.
Licensing and supervision hurdles: Burdensome and inconsistent regulations under local councils, leading to low registration rates among childcare operators and higher safety risks.
Workforce shortages: No clear career pathways, limited professional training, uncompetitive incentives, and a lack of qualified teachers.
Financial pressures: High operating costs and low fees, coupled with inconsistent subsidies and levies.
Urban-rural disparities: Unequal access, quality, and facilities, concerning malnutrition and stunting rates.
Six main proposals
To address these issues, the committee recommended:
1. A new act to regulate and develop early childhood care and education (ages 0–6).
2. A single authority similar to Singapore’s Early Childhood Development Authority (ECDA).
3. A National Council on Early Childhood Care and Education to coordinate cross-ministerial agendas.
ADS4. Mandatory preschool education for at least two years, requiring amendments to education laws.
5. A fixed allocation of 0.5 percent of GDP for the sector, including subsidies, grants for non-profit operators, and incentives for registered centres.
6. Transferring all Unity Kindergartens (JPNIN) to the Education Ministry to optimise resources.
Later, Yeo told Malaysiakini that the recommendations, including for the government to offer a minimum wage subsidy for struggling kindergarten operators, only apply to “eligible” institutions.
“Being registered is one of the conditions to be eligible,” said the former minister.
The bipartisan committee further proposed two additional recommendations: for guidelines on setting up kindergartens and childcare centres to be streamlined, and for uniform qualification standards for all early childhood educators across government and private providers.
Yeo stressed that the reforms are aimed at ensuring the holistic development of every child, so they can become a competitive generation capable of driving the nation forward.
Pasti not registered with MOE
Separately, Kapar MP Dr Halimah Ali, a member of the committee from PAS, said the recommendations do not apply to her party’s network of Pusat Asuhan Tunas Islam (Pasti) kindergartens, which are not registered.
Asked whether Pasti could benefit from the proposed reforms, Halimah said: “Pasti is not registered with the Education Ministry; it is run by our party by volunteers.
“We are assisting the government that is supposed to be in charge of early childhood education.
“We are doing it out of goodwill,” said Halimah, urging the government to stop targeting Pasti and instead focus on resolving issues affecting institutions under their purview.
Government pre-school facilities are provided by three different ministries - the Education Ministry, the Women, Family and Community Development Ministry, and the National Unity Ministry.
During debates of the 13th Malaysia Plan, Setiawangsa MP Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad had urged action against Pasti, whose teachers are classified as “volunteers” and paid less than half the national minimum wage.
He noted that many Malaysians send their children to Pasti kindergartens because of their affordable fees, but close to 10,000 teachers receive only a RM600 allowance and are denied basic social protections.
In his winding-up speech, Human Resource Minister Steven Sim insisted that the RM1,700 minimum wage order also applies to Pasti teachers, and that if violations of the order are detected, employers can be reported to the Labour Department for investigations to be initiated. - Mkini

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