Kuala Lumpur:The Ministry of Education (MOE) has announced its plans to widen the reach of the K11 Comprehensive School Programme by including 10 more schools next year. This initiative aims to enhance educational accessibility from primary through secondary levels, with a particular focus on rural areas.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, the Deputy Education Minister, Wong Kah Woh, stated that since its inception in 2023, nine schools have already implemented the K11 programme. This allows students to complete their education from Year One to Form Five within the same institution. The programme initially launched at Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan (SMK) Long Bedian in Sarawak and SMK Benta in Pahang.
Wong noted that while some schools are not yet equipped to transition to K9 or K11 schools, the ministry is committed to ensuring that educational access remains available under suitable conditions. He highlighted that the ministry offers 18 types of assistance to students in both urban and rural settings.
During a session in the Dewan Rakyat, Wong responded to a query from Datuk Mohd Kurniawan Naim Moktar (BN-Kinabatangan) regarding the ministry’s strategic action plan to prevent long-term school dropouts among children from multidimensionally hardcore poor households. Wong emphasized the ministry's ongoing efforts to bridge educational gaps through targeted interventions and curriculum improvements.
Under the District Transformation Programme, targeted interventions were introduced in 744 schools in 2025, benefiting 41,817 students across six core subjects. These initiatives aim to address academic disparities influenced by geographical location, socioeconomic status, and gender.
Wong reported that the percentage of rural Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) candidates qualifying for their certificates increased from 92.31 percent in 2024 to 92.9 percent in 2025. Additionally, the gender gap in certificate eligibility rates narrowed from 5.95 percentage points to 5.32 percentage points during the same time frame.
The Deputy Minister affirmed that the targeted interventions and curriculum enhancements demonstrate the MOE’s dedication to fostering educational equity and ensuring all students have access to quality education, irrespective of their socioeconomic background.