The government has decided to scrap the proposed screening test for six-year-old children entering Year One, removing the diagnostic assessment as a requirement for early school enrolment.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim explained that the decision aims to prevent discrimination and negative psychological effects on young children.
“The initial idea of having an assessment system was good,” he said during Prime Minister’s Question Time in the Dewan Rakyat. “But it could have become discriminatory—allowing some children into Year One while sending others back to preschool, labeling them as less intelligent. That could leave a lasting psychological impact.”
Anwar added that after reviewing the proposal, Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek recommended removing the diagnostic test to simplify the enrolment process, a suggestion he agreed to.
The move comes after the recent launch of the National Education Development Plan 2026–2035, which allows parents to enrol children at six, one year earlier than the previous entry age of seven.
