SCHOOLS will undergo 1,514 upgrading projects to convert special rooms into classrooms for the 2027 Year One intake, after the Education Ministry scaled back its building programme when only 73,498 six-year-olds signed up for early admission.
Deputy Education Minister Wong Kah Woh said the ministry had originally planned 2,596 new classrooms at 838 schools using the industrialised building system (IBS) modular method.
“However, taking into account the registration of six-year-olds, which stands at only 73,498 pupils, the ministry is currently carrying out 677 additional classroom projects at 605 schools,” he said during Question Time.
He said the projects involved 1,478 classrooms.
Wong said 1,514 maintenance and upgrading projects were also under way to convert special rooms into classrooms and that the new and converted classrooms together would be able to accommodate the pupils registered for 2027.
Registrations as of Sept 30 also showed 418,151 seven-year-olds, bringing the total Year One intake for 2027 to 491,649.
In June, the ministry reported 73,386 six-year-olds and 405,033 seven-year-olds for Year One admission for 2027.
Wong said 3,150 contract teachers approved for the six-year-old intake would receive their offers this month, subject to health screening, with appointments taking effect on Dec 7.
He said the number of teachers required was planned based on enrolment projections and the actual needs of the schools.
He was replying to Datuk Seri Aminuddin Harun (PH-Port Dickson), who cited Statistics Department estimates of 439,744 six-year-olds and 471,504 seven-year-olds for 2027.
Aminuddin asked whether the ministry would step up efforts to encourage more six-year-olds to register and for assurance that schools would not face a shortage of teachers if registrations surged at the last minute.
Wong said registrations had been largely flat for about three months.
“We do not expect a sharp increase in these two months,” he said.
He said the ministry would continue to monitor registrations and preparedness in every school, district and state, as the data was dynamic.
