By Shikin Louis
KUCHING, Jan 23: Sarawak Minister of Education, Innovation and Talent Development, Dato Sri Roland Sagah Wee Inn, said the recently-announced National Education Plan (RPN) 2026-2035 introduces measures such as starting school at age six and early assessments, which he described as harmless steps to prepare children for formal education.
He highlighted that children today are already exposed to learning environments before entering school, through preschools and play schools.
“Even before you were born, when I was small, we also started school at six. That was during the British time.
“So I think six years old, no harm. No reason why they cannot catch up,” he said when commenting on the matter at a press conference held at La Promenade Mall in Kota Samarahan today. An audio recording of his remarks was later shared to DayakDaily.
He noted that today’s children often attend preschool or play school from age four or five, where they learn social skills and educational games, making them ready for the classroom environment.
On education in rural areas, he pointed to government efforts to provide early exposure to learning through KEMAS kindergartens and the Sarawak government’s SedidiK programme.
On the proposed Primary 4 assessment, Sagah described the assessment under the RPN 2026-2035 as a tool to gauge students’ progress early, saying it would not disadvantage children.
“In a way, it’s good because you can have early intervention. By the time you wait until Primary 6 or Form 3, it may already be too late,” he added.
He also clarified that Sarawak’s ongoing Dual Language Programme Assessment (UP-DLP), an assessment for Primary 6 students, will continue unaffected by the new federal assessments. – DayakDaily
