Education Ministry welcomes PM's recommendation to relax Sixth Form rules

SHAH ALAM - Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim's recommendation that Sixth Form students should not be too bound by school rules can be carried out when they are in the first mode which is the Form Six College, said Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek.

She said the Education Ministry (MoE) welcomed Anwar's suggestion, saying it has now moved in that direction but the journey is long.

She said attention is always given in the context of the direction of the Form Six including the strength of the subject, facilities and infrastructure since they are no longer in the school environment.

"We now have three Sixth Form modes. Firstly, Form Six College where Form Six students are the only ones placed there; secondly, Sixth Formers have a separate block and the third mode sees them together with the mainstream (other levels) but we provide a lot of flexibility.

"Currently, many of us are in the third mode, so, we are in the direction of streamlining towards the first mode, which means all Sixth Forms will become Form Six Colleges," she said after officiating the Sekolah Jenis Kebangsaan (Cina) Regent Elmina in Elmina near here today.

In the meantime, she said MoE will continue to focus on solving the issue of student overcrowding in Selangor schools.

"We are aware that Selangor is the most densely populated state for having the most schools, students and teachers. So, we will ensure that there are enough schools in the state.

"Overcrowding can be dispersed by building more schools," she said.

Commenting on the event today, Fadhlina said the school is expected to be completed in March 2025 with student intake starting in 2026.

Last Saturday, Anwar suggested that the Form Six in this country should not be bound by school rules, but instead, be given some flexibility even if they are on the school premises.

In addition, Anwar also suggested that the atmosphere of the form should be changed because it is actually like a post-school matriculation as the school session ends in Form Five. - BERNAMA