Idris Ahmad (PN-Bagan Serai) said wealthy parents would be able to prepare their children for the diagnostic screening through private tuition, while poorer families would be left behind.

“There will be a gap between the rich and the poor because the rich can send their children for special tuition to ensure they qualify (for early enrolment),” he said in debating the king’s speech in the Dewan Rakyat.

The PAS vice-president also voiced concern over the emotional toll on children if they fail the screening.

“Imagine how a child would feel if a friend passes but he doesn’t,” he said, calling for the implementation of the policy to be postponed.

“Imagine a policy that has not been properly prepared but is being implemented so quickly. We don’t want our children to become laboratory rats,” he said.

Idris urged the government to address long-standing structural issues in the education system before introducing the new policy. This included the shortage of teachers and the excessive workload they faced.

On Saturday, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim defended the government’s move to allow voluntary early enrolment into primary school, saying it aligned with global education standards and denied it placed extra stress on children.

Anwar said more than 100 countries implemented this, including many Asean countries.