Education minister Fadhlina Sidek said the proposed bill had been sent to the Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC) for review.

“We already have a mandatory primary school education policy and have achieved a very high enrolment rate of between 98% and 99%,” she told reporters after an education ministry assembly here today.

She said the ministry was committed to ensuring there were no dropouts in secondary schools, especially at the upper secondary level.

It was reported on Dec 4 that the AGC is reviewing a draft bill to extend compulsory education until secondary school to ensure every Malaysian child has access to education, regardless of their background.

The extension of compulsory education to 11 years of schooling is also to ensure that students complete secondary education with a minimum qualification of Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) or an equivalent qualification in technical and vocational fields recognised by the government.