JOHOR BARU: There are over 3,000 schools with fewer than 150 students in the country due to low enrolment and the Education Ministry has pledged not to close them down.
Deputy Minister Wong Kah Woh said that as of November 2025, a total of 3,164 schools have been categorised as Sekolah Kurang Murid (SKM), or schools with low enrolment, as they have fewer than 150 students.
“The ministry has given its commitment not to close any schools with low student numbers, regardless of whether they are national or vernacular schools.
“We understand that these schools have their own legacy, history and strong sentiment within the communities.”
He said this during the ground-breaking ceremony of SJK(C) Central Site at Taman Ekoflora here on Saturday.
Also present at the ceremony was Deputy Communications Minister Teo Nie Ching.
Wong said his ministry had adopted several approaches to address the issue, including relocating affected schools to different areas.
He said the approach would be implemented depending on the situation, and efforts to maintain the schools would also be taken, including combining pupils from different year levels into a single class.
“Even if there are fewer than 50 or 30 pupils, but there is indeed a need in the area, the Education Ministry will ensure continued access to education everywhere,” he added.
Wong said SJK(C) Central Site was among the schools that fall under this category, as it has only five pupils enrolled this year at its original site in Ladang Gomali, Segamat.
He said the construction of the new school would cost about RM20mil and is expected to be completed in the second quarter of 2027, with the capacity to accommodate up to 1,250 pupils.
Meanwhile, Teo lauded the Education Ministry’s approach in addressing the issue of low-enrolment schools, saying it would indirectly benefit more pupils when new schools are built.
“I believe that if more new schools are built in densely populated areas, it will provide better facilities and access to education, including in new residential areas,” she said.
