Six-Year-Olds in Year One: Teachers Are Not 'Babysitters'

Personally, I disagree with the idea to allow children to enter Year One at the age of six.

In my view, the idea is still not mature enough to be implemented on a wider scale, as it could potentially create new challenges, particularly for primary school teachers.

I understand that admission to Year One at the age of six is voluntary and that parents are not required to send their children to school at such a young age.

However, look closely at the Education ministry's explanation in Parliament in June as reported by Free Malaysia Today. They were only 73,386 applicants for Year One entry at the age of six have been recorded, while the ministry had set a target of around 400,000 pupils. (https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2026/06/24/year-1-registrations-for-6-year-olds-lower-than-expected)

Doesn’t this figure send a clear signal from parents that many of them are still unconvinced about the initiative?

The question is, why?

In my view, enrolling six-year-olds in Year One should not be viewed purely from an academic perspective. There are many other factors that need to be considered, including a child’s ability, maturity and emotional readiness before entering formal schooling.

After all, parents are the ones who know their children best and understand whether they are truly ready for such a transition.

Take safety, for example.

Do six-year-old children really have sufficient awareness and the ability to remain alert to their surroundings?

Consider the most basic scenario: getting to school.

Not every parent has the time or opportunity to send their children to school every day. Many families therefore rely on school buses or vans.

The question is, would parents really be comfortable allowing their six-year-old children to travel to school alone on a bus or van?

Then there is the situation inside the school itself.

Are these children capable of going to the toilet on their own without adult supervision?

These are just basic questions involving safety and self-management.

We have not even touched on children’s behaviour, attention span and ability to cope with classroom learning, all of which may differ significantly from those of older primary school pupils.

What concerns me even more is the possibility that some parents may choose to send their children to Year One at six not because their children are ready, but because of financial considerations.

Not every parent can afford to send their children to private kindergartens, where monthly fees can reach RM400, on top of annual fees of up to RM1,000.

As a cheaper alternative, some may see early entry into primary school as a way to have their children “looked after” by school teachers.

And ultimately, who will bear the burden of this policy?

The teachers.

It is no secret that teachers already carry a heavy workload. Apart from teaching, they are also burdened with administrative and clerical duties, as well as various co-curricular and extracurricular responsibilities.

Now, are we going to add another responsibility to their list, becoming ‘babysitters’ for six-year-olds?

For the record, I understand that some people may argue that parents need to change their mindset and embrace new policies for the sake of the country’s future.

I do agree with that.

However, every new policy must be accompanied by a clear explanation of how it will be implemented, an effective implementation mechanism and adequate facilities and resources.

Otherwise, the idea may not be as good in practice as it appears on paper.

Azzman Mantoya (azzman.tvpertiwi@gmail.com) is a content creator under the Newswav Creator programme, where you get to express yourself, be a citizen journalist, and at the same time monetize your content & reach millions of users on Newswav. Log in to creator.newswav.com and become a Newswav Creator now!

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