Pre-school education system will be improved - Mahdzir

Preschool education system in the country will be improved through a study involving early childhood education experts that will take place in the near future.

Education Minister Datuk Seri Mahdzir Khalid said even though the current curriculum was satisfactory it should be improved further to enable students to excel in both academic and personality.

"Myself, together with the ministry's senior officials, will have discussion with early childhood education experts to conduct review on the education system and curriculum that is currently implemented.

"Apart from preparing the students for year one at primary school, the improvements will also take into account the equality of preschool learning and the facilities between urban and rural areas," he said.

Mahdzir was speaking to reporters after he made a surprise visit to review the learning and teaching process of preschool pupils at Sekolah Kebangsaan Putrajaya Precinct 8 (1) here Thursday.

During the one-hour visit, Mahdzir was accompanied by the school's headmistress Naemah Ismail, Education Ministry secretary-general Datuk Seri Alias Ahmad and Education director-general Tan Sri Dr Khair Mohamad Yusof.

Mahdzir said in order to accommodate the increasing number of students enrolling in preschool, the ministry would also increase the schools' infrastructure across the country.

He said so far there were 6,044 preschools being implemented in government schools involving more than 200,000 children, aged between four and six.

"In fact, starting this year, we will establish preschool classes in 50 Tamil national type schools (SJKT) across the country," he said. -- Bernama