Education news in Malaysia
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Penang student enters USM after caring for sick mother and siblings
Muhammad Adam Iskandar Azharunaim, 20, has begun his undergraduate studies at Universiti Sains Malaysia after years of caring for his cancer-stricken mother and three siblings, one of them disabled. His father died of Covid-19 five years ago and his mother died on 24 August. He had earlier turned down a place at UIAM and chose Form Six to stay with his family.
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Penang teacher moved to district office pending probe into pupil abuse claim
Penang's state education department has temporarily reassigned a teacher to the district education office after a complaint of physical violence against a pupil. The district office is investigating the claim, and the department says the pupil's welfare will be protected with psychosocial support. The case involves a pupil at a Chinese primary school in the Southwest district who was found with bruises.
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STPM top student who cared for siblings after mother's death starts at USM
Muhammad Adam Iskandar Azharunaim, 20, who looked after his three siblings after their mother died of brain cancer on 24 August, has begun his studies at Universiti Sains Malaysia in Georgetown. His father died of COVID-19 in 2021, and his 16-year-old brother, who is disabled, is studying culinary skills at SMK Serdang Baru in Kedah.
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USM urges students not to reject offers over financial problems
Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) has urged students not to turn down study offers solely because of financial difficulties. Vice-Chancellor Prof. Datuk Seri Ir. Dr. Abdul Rahman Mohamed said the university will assist B40 and M40 students facing hardship. A total of 5,804 candidates registered for the 2026/2027 academic session, including 2,241 B40 students and 999 international students.
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Rubiah urges village heads to identify school dropouts for TVET
Deputy Minister of Rural and Regional Development Datuk Rubiah Wang asked community and village heads to identify students who have dropped out of school and encourage them to take up TVET. She spoke at a solar street light handover event at Dewan Serbaguna Kampung Tanjung Tuang in Kota Samarahan.
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UPTM wins Smart Campus ESG award at PDEA 2026
Universiti Poly-Tech Malaysia (UPTM) received recognition in the ESG - Unified Smart Campus category at the PIKOM Digital Excellence Awards (PDEA) 2026. It is UPTM's eighth award this year, and the university was recognised alongside DayOne Data Centers, TNB and TM Technology Services.
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Quadruplets from Kelantan enrol in same UTHM degree programme
Four 23-year-old quadruplet brothers from Kota Bharu, Kelantan have registered as new students at Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia (UTHM) for the 2026/2027 academic session. All four chose the same Bachelor of Real Estate Management (Honours) programme. A total of 3,302 new students registered at the Parit Raja main campus and the Pagoh campus in Muar.
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Melaka Mufti Department's astronomy studies added to state TVET syllabus
In Alor Gajah, Melaka, astronomy studies under the Melaka Mufti Department have been included in the state's Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) syllabus, including an introduction to building drones to determine the qibla direction. Melaka Mufti Datuk Abdul Halim Tawil said 80 students joined the programme at the National Falak Carnival 2026, which ended yesterday, and the Al-Khawarizmi Falak Complex now draws higher learning institutions from Indonesia.
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12 schools reach quarter-finals of DRB-HICOM and Harian Metro pantun contest
Twelve schools from Melaka, Johor and Negeri Sembilan have advanced to the quarter-finals of the Southern Zone Proverbs-Themed Pantun Competition organised by DRB-HICOM and Harian Metro. The final will be held at Maktab Abu Bakar, Johor Bahru on 29 September.
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14 Penang students get PTPTN RM1,500 advance to start university
Fourteen students from Pokok Tampang, Taman Sepadu and Kubang Menerong in Penang received RM1,500 PTPTN Loan Advance Payment letters from PTPTN chairman Datuk Seri Norliza Abdul Rahim. Another 20 students received the aid at a separate event in George Town. The advance is meant to cover tuition and initial expenses before they begin studies at public universities and polytechnics.
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Durian Tunggal short of secondary schools despite over 50,000 residents
More than 50,000 residents in the Durian Tunggal state constituency in Melaka depend on a single secondary school, SMK Durian Tunggal. Assemblyman Zahari Khalil said the opening of 37 housing estates has made a new secondary school urgent, with over 1,500 secondary students and five primary schools feeding pupils in each year.
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APM: PISA 2025 shows maths, science weakness among Malaysian students
Akademi Profesor Malaysia said Malaysia's PISA 2025 results show students have reasoning potential but weak mastery of mathematics and science, with the maths score falling to 397 from 409 in 2022. The academy called for curriculum review, diagnostic use of PISA and TIMSS data, and stronger teacher support to close a wide socioeconomic gap.
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Malaysia's TVET hub ambition depends on portable, industry-recognised skills
Malaysia's push to become an ASEAN TVET certification hub will hinge on whether workers' skills are portable and recognised across industries and borders, industry and policy experts say. The Human Resources Ministry says it is aligning training and certification with the energy transition under the National Energy Transition Roadmap and National TVET Policy. OPITO's Ooi Suan Hoe says Malaysia needs competency-based validation against international benchmarks.
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Bintulu carnival showcases 3M remedial teaching from 30 Tatau-Sebauh schools
A 3M FUN-Tastik! Showcase was held at Boulevard Shopping Mall in Bintulu, bringing together 30 schools under the Tatau-Sebauh District Education Office. A Sarawak Education Department official said pupils need different approaches and more time to master reading, writing and arithmetic, and the carnival displayed teachers' remedial teaching materials and best practices.
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UKM and UiTM prepare to welcome new students
Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) and Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) Shah Alam Campus are making preparations for their new student orientation weeks. At UKM, the Minggu Tekad Siswa involves 44 facilitators, while UiTM is running a five-day course for its MDS assistants before Minggu Destini Siswa is held both online and physically.
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Tamil workshop draws 50 students at National Library
A Tamil language workshop, 'Tamil is Beautiful!', was held on Friday (September 11) at the National Library Board premises in Singapore. Organised by Tamil Aruvi Learning Resources, it drew about 50 primary and secondary students. For the first time, students who do not speak Tamil at home and those with non-Tamil parents took part.
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Singapore student teams pitch special-needs tech projects for SUTD fund
Ten teams pitched their projects on Tuesday (Sept 1) for the Create4Good innovation fund run by the Singapore University of Technology and Design. The ideas include transport training for people with special needs, a coding tool and a memory puzzle; winning teams can receive up to $50,000 each.
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Eight preschool teachers receive 2026 Mother Tongue Language Excellence Award
Eight preschool teachers received the Outstanding Preschool Mother Tongue Language Teacher Award 2026 at the 14th Mother Tongue Languages Symposium held at Singapore Expo on 1 August. Mr Muhammad Danish Sham, a teacher at My First Skool in Rivervale Crescent, is among the recipients and uses music, drama and games to make Malay learning more enjoyable. Education Minister Desmond Lee said MOE is running a pilot programme to increase Mother Tongue exposure to one and a half hours a day.
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Temasek student wins Prime Minister's Book Award for championing Malay
Faiz Zahid, 13, a Temasek Junior College student, received the Prime Minister's Book Award at Singapore's Ministry of Education special awards ceremony on 31 August. He began taking an interest in Malay in Primary 5 and deepened it as a Rakan Bahasa in 2024. He hopes to create a platform for young people to practise speaking Malay without fear of being mocked.
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JANM adopts SK Belimbing as MADANI 2026 adopted school
The National Accountant's Department (JANM) has adopted Sekolah Kebangsaan Belimbing in Tanah Merah, Kelantan under the Sekolah Angkat MADANI 2026 programme. JANM provided 22 Android Smart TVs and eight air-conditioners, installed in stages from 13 June. The programme involves cooperation between JANM, the Kelantan State Education Department, the Tanah Merah District Education Office, the school and its parent-teacher association.
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Student group urges higher education minister to meet them over new varsity law
A Universiti Malaya student group has called on Higher Education Minister Zambry Abdul Kadir to meet student organisations and address their demands over the bill replacing the Universities and University Colleges Act. The group said it has drafted a memorandum calling for the new law to be built on democratic, autonomous and student-centred principles, to be submitted to Parliament later.
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Rubiah Wang's son completes TVET studies at Politeknik Kuching Sarawak
Mohamad Azeem Mohamad Salleh, 22, son of Deputy Minister of Rural and Regional Development Datuk Hajah Rubiah Wang, completed a Diploma in Mechanical Engineering (Manufacturing) at Politeknik Kuching Sarawak. The PolyCC Sarawak Zone 2026 convocation was held at DeTAR PUTRA, UNIMAS, Kota Samarahan on Sunday. Rubiah said her son's success shows TVET can be a good educational choice for young people.
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Kuching South mayor Wong Hong Sheng urges youth to study hard and build character
Kuching South mayor Datuk Wong Hong Sheng attended a filial piety and student award ceremony in Kuching, jointly organised by the Kuching Padawan Foochow Association and the Kuching Simpang Tiga community association. He urged young people to study hard, cultivate good character and take an interest in Sarawak's development, noting the state's free higher education scheme from 2026.
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DRB-HICOM-Harian Metro Pantun Contest Expands to Southern Zone, Melaka First Host
The Pantun Contest co-organised by DRB-HICOM and Harian Metro is expanding to the Southern Zone after a pilot in Selangor last year. Melaka is the first state to host, with the quarter-finals and semi-finals at SMK Tinggi Melaka, Banda Hilir, tomorrow. Four Melaka schools are competing for a place in the final in Johor.