Greater pre-school access needed in Malaysia: World Bank

Report finds 24% of kids who begin primary school at age seven lack the necessary skills

- Azril Annuar

KUALA LUMPUR - Thirteen-yearold Brandon Lim plays truant several times a month as he simply does not enjoy going to school. He finds it hard to follow the lessons in class and is often unable to complete homework assignments that he can barely understand.

The teenager has become a worrying statistic in a World Bank report titled Bending Bamboos: Strengthening Foundational Skills, released on April 25, which found that 24 per cent of Malaysian children who begin primary school at the age of seven lack school-readiness skills - meaning they did not attend pre-school, which contributed to their weak reading and comprehension skills.

The report stated that about one in 10 children between the ages of four and six lacks access to preschool education in the country.

The issue is compounded after spending a few more years in school. According to the report, 42 per cent of Malaysian students failed to achieve reading proficiency by the end of Standard 5, or the age of 11. The problem is more acute among children from lowerincome families, with 61 per cent falling below reading proficiency levels by that time.

Thus, the World Bank recommended that Malaysia boost its early childhood learning programme, while acknowledging that the country has made "noteworthy" progress in expanding its preschool education.

The government should consider implementing at least one year of free, compulsory pre-school education for Malaysian children and ensure there are sufficient teachers trained in early childhood education, it said.

The World Bank's recommendation that Malaysia improve access to pre-school education is on point.