Rafizi Proposes Students To Complete High School By 16 So They Can Enter Workforce By 21
Meanwhile, the proposals of Malaysia’s mandatory retirement age being raised to 65 is currently under review.
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Former Minister of Economy Datuk Seri Rafizi Ramli suggested that Malaysia should consider having students complete secondary school by the age of 16 to allow them to start working a job by age 21.
According to a report by Malay Mail, the Pandan member of parliament said this policy shift was necessary as the country transitions into an ageing society, thus needing a younger workforce to contribute to the economy.
“We must rethink the structure. If our children finish school at 16, by the time they complete tertiary education or skills training, they can start working at 21.
“That gives us a more productive population while buying is time to manage ageing-related challenges,” he said during the debate on the 13th Malaysia Plan (RMK13).
Investing early in education
Rafizi highlighted that structural reforms in education are being prioritised under RMK13, specifically through investments in early childhood education.
He said universal preschool from the age of 5 is crucial due to the “garbage in, garbage out” principle, which in the context of educations means that the quality of student learning is directly affected by the quality of the input they recieve.
If children’s development is not optimised between the ages of five and nine, they risk falling behind by Standard Four or Five, according to Rafizi.
He added that countries with strong education systems focus their resources on early years instead of waiting until upper secondary or university.
Universal preschool to ease financial burdens
Rafizi argued that universal preschool — which is essentially publicly funded preschool education — would ease financial burdens of young families, as current costs are often prohibitive.
“This will ease the burden on young families who currently struggle with the high cost of preschool. By ensuring every school in the country can offer preschool, we’ll be saving thousands of families over the coming years.
“This is about building long-term foundations. If we want reforms, education is the place to start — and it must begin early,” he said.
Earlier, Prime Minsiter Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim announced that the government will make preschool education compulsory from the age of 5 to improve educational outcomes.
Malaysia’s retirement age may be raised
As part of RMK13, Anwar recently announced Malaysia’s mandatory retirement age of 60 will be reviewed with the possibility of being raised.
According to a separate Malay Mail report, he said the government aims to increase the participation of older adults and minority groups in the labour market.
“The mandatory retirement age will also be reviewed to align with the transition to an ageing nation,” he said.
Malaysia’s retirement age was last increased in 2012, from 55 to 60. Recent proposals seek to raise this further to 65 years old.
Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said, minister in the Prime Ministers Department (Law and Institutional Reform), previously suggested that such a move would better reflect current realities, such as increased life expectancy and better health outcomes.
In spite of that, the proposal has faced opposition from groups such as the Malaysian Youth Council who have argued that the policy is not suitable for Malaysia’s current labour market dynamics.
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