← Back to list

Coming Soon: The Compulsory Secondary Education Bill

Jun 19, 2025

A bill to introduce compulsory secondary education will be tabled in Parliament next month. 

The Education Ministry says under the proposed legislative amendments, children will be required to stay in school until the age of 17.  

It's to ensure that all Malaysians have the right to quality education, while also reducing the rate of school dropouts.  

Its minister says after the bill is passed, the government will consider compulsory pre-school.  

-- 

The government MAY review the SST expansion for certain imported goods.  

DPM Datuk Seri Dr Zahid Hamidi says such an adjustment would involve fruits that are NOT produced locally, such as apples and mandarin oranges.  

This, amid criticism that the SST on imported fruits would affect low-income earners.  

The SST expansion, which comes into effect on July 1st, will see a 5-10% tax for non-essential and discretionary goods.  

However, there is NO SST for essential goods. 

-- 

The two recent shootings in KL were likely linked to organized crime.  

KL police said this is based on their initial investigations, adding that for now it's not clear if the suspects were professional hitmen.  

One person died in a shooting at a restaurant in Brickfields last week, while two were shot dead in Cheras several days later.  

-- 

Separately, Perak police will continue to consult various departments and agencies to identify what caused the explosion that was reportedly heard around Ipoh yesterday.  

So far, cops have already confirmed that it wasn't due to rock-blasting or any seismic activities.  

--