He said it is unreasonable to assume Malaysian children are not ready academically until they turn seven.

“More than 100 countries around the world have enrolled their six-year-olds in Year 1. Why are we being late on this?

“Even most Asean countries already have this, except Indonesia, which does it selectively. So we need to expedite it,” he said when launching the Seberang Perai Aspire Centre (SPACE) today.

Anwar said the government is prepared to help children who may not be ready for primary school through special classes.

“We are not forcing anyone,” he said.

Launching the National Education Development Plan 2026-2035 on Jan 20, Anwar announced that preschool education would begin at age five, while Year 1 would begin at age six, starting next year.

Early admission will be voluntary and will require diagnostic screening to determine readiness for formal schooling.

Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, Singapore, Laos, Brunei and the Philippines have primary education beginning at age six. However, preschool at exactly age five is compulsory only in a few, like the Philippines and Vietnam, while others offer it optionally or from earlier ages.

On language education, Anwar reiterated that Bahasa Melayu must be strengthened, but English should also receive greater focus.

“New technology, knowledge (and) discipline requires some level of proficiency in the English language,” he said.