ABSTRACT
In the Eleventh Malaysia Plan 2016–2020, emphasis on inclusive quality education has been retained and envisioned through various measures. These include better quality early childhood care and education (ECCE). Under the National Key Results Areas (NKRA) strategy, the move toward standardizing the assistance to all public preschool centers to ensure quality education has assumed a policy priority. Thus, all public preschools will continue to receive per capita fund assistance and equipment support. The amount of financial allocation varies according to regional needs, which can be higher for Sabah and Sarawak preschools than that of the peninsular. Both public and private preschools are obligated to register under the Ministry of Education (MOE) Malaysia. Commencing the year 2003, all preschools must adhere to the National Preschool Standard Curriculum (NPSC). As a quality measure, MOE evaluates the preschools using the National Preschool Quality Standard (NPQS). NPQS is an online self-assessment evaluation tool for preschool facilities and programs. Additionally, the recent outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in preschools’ closure and disruptions in teaching and learning process. Educators are being compelled to suddenly harness and utilize the available technological tools to create content for remote learnings. This chapter provides a brief background on preschool curriculum, preschool education in Malaysia, human capital and education, issues in preschool education, learning in new norms, and measures to enhance the quality of preschool education.
