Malaysia’s Education Ministry has set a goal to achieve at least a 95% secondary school enrolment rate after passing amendments to the Education Act that make secondary education compulsory up to Form Five. The Education (Amendment) Bill 2025 was passed by Dewan Rakyat in July 2025 and applies to both public and private schools registered under the Education Act 1996 [1, 2].
Currently, Malaysia’s secondary school enrolment rate stands at about 94% in 2026. Deputy Education Minister Wong Kah Woh said, "Now our desire, our goal, is no longer limited to primary education alone. We want to ensure this, as we have currently achieved a universal enrolment of 94 per cent at the secondary school level. Once the amendments to the Education (Amendment) Act 2025 come into force, we hope to surpass the universal enrolment target of 95 per cent and increase it further in the coming years" [2].
The compulsory education enforcement aims to raise awareness among parents and students about the importance of completing Form Five and sitting for the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia examination. It is not meant to be punitive [1, 2].
This target builds on Malaysia’s success in primary education, which has achieved over 99% universal enrolment in 2026 after 23 years of compulsory primary schooling starting in 2003, when initial enrolment was about 92% [1, 2].
The Ministry is also expanding its Comprehensive Special Model School programs to improve educational access nationwide. There are currently 26 K9 schools and nine K11 schools, with plans to add seven more K11 schools next year. The new K11 schools will be located in Perak, Terengganu, Kelantan, Pahang, and Sabah [2].
The Education Ministry’s next step includes rolling out these new K11 schools in 2027 to further strengthen educational access and help reach the secondary enrolment targets [2].
