KOTA KINABALU: Efforts to strengthen early childhood education and make enrolment compulsory for six-year-olds in future must take into account the challenges faced by communities in rural Sabah, says Persatuan Tadika Sabah (PTS) chairman Sonia Chin.
She noted that parents will be able to enrol their children in Primary One at age six instead of seven from 2027. Although the policy is not yet mandatory, she said any future implementation should be flexible and sensitive to children’s developmental readiness, parental understanding, and Sabah’s geographical and social context.
She said many families in Sabah’s interior districts face unique challenges, including long travel distances to the nearest primary school, transportation safety concerns, financial burdens, and language transitions. These factors could make compulsory attendance at age six difficult.
“Early education should always place the child at the centre of policy decisions.
“Children develop at different paces, and policies must be flexible enough to respect these differences while supporting parents to make informed choices,” Chin said.
She said private kindergartens, many of which are established by churches and non-governmental organisations, currently serve families living far from primary schools.
“These institutions provide accessible early learning opportunities and help bridge gaps in communities where formal schooling is harder to reach,” she explained.
Chin said parents need clearer, more accessible information about the revised Primary One syllabus to avoid mismatches between academic demands and children’s readiness.
The association also urged the Government to review legislation and licensing frameworks to provide kindergartens with greater flexibility in age grouping and programme design.
“Private kindergartens must be given room to adjust their services so that families continue to have meaningful choices during this transition period,” Chin added.
She said the private early childhood education sector's role was to raise awareness and prepare children holistically for formal schooling.
The association hopes the Government will continue to recognise this contribution and work collaboratively with private operators to ensure continuity and quality across the ecosystem.
PTS welcomes and supports the Early Childhood Education Reform, as the Government’s initiative to strengthen early childhood education is important for age-appropriate curriculum reforms that build literacy and numeracy skills.
