Large-scale housing projects must include schools and kindergartens

ALL large-scale housing projects involving 3,500 residential units or more must include essential education facilities such as kindergartens, primary and secondary schools, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said on Wednesday.

Speaking at the groundbreaking ceremony for Residensi Aman Madani in Bandar Tasik Permaisuri, Kuala Lumpur, Anwar emphasised that the inclusion of educational infrastructure would be a prerequisite for project approval, particularly in developments intended for lower-income groups.

“Every major housing concept, especially those involving 3,500 units, must provide school infrastructure,” he said. “Is there a school nearby? Is there a secondary school, a primary school? We want to ensure that large-scale housing projects must include schools.”

He stressed that in locations lacking nearby schools, developers would be required to convert several housing blocks—complete with dedicated lifts—into vertical schools.

“I want to make it clear: if there is no school nearby, developers must allocate several blocks, with lifts, to be turned into vertical schools,” Anwar said.

He urged all relevant stakeholders—including property developers, the Ministry of Housing and Local Government (KPKT), and associated departments—to coordinate and enforce these conditions in line with the MADANI framework and to ensure the success of the 13th Malaysia Plan (RMK13).

Earlier in his address, the Prime Minister also announced that one million affordable housing units will be built between 2026 and 2035 under various initiatives, with the aim of providing comfortable and safe homes to as many Malaysians as possible. - August 6, 2025