The Perak government will evaluate the need to establish Sixth Form Colleges in every district, with any proposal subject to assessment by the State Education Department (JPN) and approval from the Ministry of Education (MOE).
Perak Education, Higher Education, Youth and Sports Committee chairman Khairudin Abu Hanipah said the state currently has only three Sixth Form Colleges, with two located in Kinta district and one in Batang Padang.
He explained that any plan to upgrade an existing secondary school into a dedicated Sixth Form College would require strong justification from the State Education Department before being submitted to the ministry for consideration.
“If there is a need to establish Sixth Form Colleges in every district, we will assess factors such as capacity, suitability of the location and the redistribution of students from schools that currently accommodate Form One to Form Five students,” he said.
According to Khairudin, key considerations include student enrolment numbers, school location and ensuring that any redistribution of students does not place additional burdens on parents.
He was speaking to reporters after the announcement of the STPM 2025 results by the Perak State Education Department on Thursday.
Khairudin noted that most Sixth Form Colleges were originally ordinary secondary schools that had been converted for pre-university education, making careful planning essential before any further expansion takes place.
He added that Sixth Form enrolment rates must also be taken into account to ensure the establishment of new colleges would encourage greater participation in pre-university studies.
Currently, Perak’s three Sixth Form Colleges are Kolej Tingkatan Enam Tapah, Kolej Tingkatan Enam Seri Putera and Kolej Tingkatan Enam Seri Ipoh.
In a related development, Khairudin said the state government is also exploring new initiatives to strengthen support for STPM candidates through the Program Tuisyen Cikgu Saarani.
At present, assistance for STPM students largely focuses on free meal programmes, particularly for candidates who do not reside in school hostels.
He revealed that this year’s free meal assistance programme benefits nearly 27,000 students sitting for SPM, STPM and STAM examinations, involving an allocation of approximately RM3.4 million.
The state is also considering additional forms of support for STPM candidates, as previous educational assistance programmes have primarily focused on SPM students through the provision of learning modules and educational materials.
Earlier, the Perak State Education Department announced that the state’s STPM 2025 performance improved significantly, with the state cumulative grade point average (CGPA) rising to 2.91 compared to 2.85 recorded in the previous year.
Deputy Director of the School Management Sector at the Perak State Education Department, Ahmad Faidzul Mat Yazid, said the increase marked Perak’s best STPM performance since the semester-based system was introduced in 2013.
