The Ministry of Education (Kementerian Pendidikan Malaysia, KPM) is the federal ministry responsible for Malaysia's pre-tertiary education system — preschool, primary, secondary and post-secondary schooling. It operates under the Education Act 1996 (Act 550), setting curriculum standards, textbooks, standardised tests and language policy, and running government schools. It does not oversee universities; that is the separate Ministry of Higher Education. Its official portal is moe.gov.my.
- KPM governs pre-tertiary education (preschool, primary, secondary, matriculation), plus curriculum, textbooks, national exams, TVET and language policy — universities sit with the separate Ministry of Higher Education.
- Its principal statute is the Education Act 1996 (Act 550), which received Royal Assent on 15 July 1996 and establishes the national education system.
- The Minister of Education is Fadhlina Sidek (in office since December 2022), supported by Deputy Minister Wong Kah Woh.
- The ministry was formed in 1955 and is headquartered at Block E8, Parcel E (Complex E), 62604 Putrajaya.
- Under Budget 2026, KPM received the largest allocation of any federal ministry — RM66.2 billion, up from RM64.2 billion in 2025.
- The Malaysia Education Blueprint 2013-2025 (PPPM) is the guiding policy, setting five system aspirations, six student aspirations and 11 strategic and operational shifts.
Who this applies to: Parents, students, teachers, journalists and researchers who need to know which ministry governs Malaysia's schools, the law it operates under, and how it differs from the Ministry of Higher Education.
On this page
If it concerns a Malaysian schoolchild — the curriculum they study, the textbook on their desk, the national exam they sit, or the public-school teacher at the front of the class — it sits with the Ministry of Education. Known in Malay as Kementerian Pendidikan Malaysia and almost always shortened to KPM, it is the federal ministry that runs the country’s pre-tertiary education system. What it does not run is the universities — a boundary that trips up a great many people.
What does KPM govern?
KPM is responsible for the national education system and, specifically, for pre-tertiary education: preschool, primary, secondary and post-secondary (matriculation) schooling. Its remit spans compulsory education, technical and vocational education and training (TVET), curriculum standards, textbooks, standardised tests, language policy, and the selective and comprehensive schools that make up the system.
The ministry’s stated vision is Pendidikan Berkualiti, Insan Terdidik, Negara Sejahtera — Quality Education, Educated Individuals, Prosperous Nation — and its mission is to sustain a quality education system that develops individual potential to fulfil national aspirations.
What law does it operate under?
The Education Act 1996 (Act 550) is the principal federal legislation governing Malaysia’s national education system. It received Royal Assent on 15 July 1996.
The Act is not just an abstract charter — it reaches individual families. Under Section 29A, the Minister may prescribe primary education as compulsory, requiring Malaysian-citizen parents to enrol a child who has turned six by 1 January of the school year. A parent who contravenes this commits an offence punishable by a fine not exceeding RM5,000, imprisonment of up to six months, or both.
Guiding policy sits alongside the statute. The Malaysia Education Blueprint 2013-2025 (Pelan Pembangunan Pendidikan Malaysia, PPPM) maps out the transformation of the pre-tertiary system through five system aspirations, six student aspirations and 11 strategic and operational shifts. It was developed over 15 months, from October 2011 to December 2012, with input from UNESCO, the World Bank, the OECD and local universities.
How is KPM different from the Ministry of Higher Education?
This is the single most common point of confusion. KPM handles schools; the separate Ministry of Higher Education handles universities.
The two have changed shape repeatedly. Higher-education functions were split off into a distinct Ministry of Higher Education on 27 March 2004, merged back into a single ministry on 15 May 2013, then split apart once more in 2015. They remain separate today — so a question about a public university or a degree programme is a higher-education matter, not a KPM one.
Who runs it, and how big is it?
The ministry was formed in 1955 and is headquartered at Block E8, Parcel E (Complex E), Federal Government Administrative Centre, 62604 Putrajaya.
| Minister | Fadhlina Sidek (in office since December 2022) |
| Deputy Minister | Wong Kah Woh |
| Formed | 1955 |
| Headquarters | Block E8, Parcel E, Putrajaya |
| Website | moe.gov.my |
KPM is the biggest line item in the federal budget. Under Budget 2026, it received the largest allocation of any federal ministry — RM66.2 billion, up from RM64.2 billion in 2025. That included nearly RM2 billion to upgrade more than 520 dilapidated schools, particularly in Sabah and Sarawak, and to build 38 new schools nationwide.
A network of agencies and bodies sits under the ministry, including the Institute of Language and Literature (Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka), the Malaysian Examinations Council (Majlis Peperiksaan Malaysia), and 14 State Education Departments (Jabatan Pendidikan Negeri).
What’s next
For the ministry’s own rulebook, start with the Education Act 1996 (Act 550). To find a registered school, the public can search educational institutions through the malaysia.gov.my digital-services directory. For anything current — circulars, the school calendar, or the sitting Minister — the authoritative source is the ministry’s official portal at moe.gov.my.
What is the difference between KPM and the Ministry of Higher Education?
KPM (Kementerian Pendidikan Malaysia) governs pre-tertiary schooling — preschool through secondary and matriculation. Universities and tertiary institutions fall under the separate Ministry of Higher Education. The two were merged on 15 May 2013 but split apart again in 2015 and remain separate.
What law does the Ministry of Education operate under?
Its principal statute is the Education Act 1996 (Act 550), the main federal legislation governing the national education system. It received Royal Assent on 15 July 1996. Under Section 29A, the Minister may prescribe primary education as compulsory.
How big is the Ministry of Education's budget?
Under Budget 2026, KPM received RM66.2 billion — the largest allocation of any federal ministry — up from RM64.2 billion in 2025. The allocation includes nearly RM2 billion to upgrade more than 520 dilapidated schools and build 38 new ones.
The following are deliberately unstated or described only qualitatively until confirmed by a subject-matter expert:
- Exact official English wording of KPM's vision and mission — Malay is authoritative and multiple divergent English translations appear online; confirm against the moe.gov.my English profile page before quoting.
- Current total number of KPM employees/staff — sources conflict (549,159 in 2018 vs 587,940 in 2022); confirm the latest figure from KPM Quick Facts.
- Exact appointment date of Deputy Minister Wong Kah Woh (reported as 12 December 2023) — confirm against an official or Parliament source.
- Current total number of government schools and total student/teacher counts — pull exact latest from KPM 'Quick Facts Malaysia Education Statistics' or OpenDOSM.
- Whether the Malaysia Education Blueprint 2013-2025 has a formally launched successor plan (a 2027-onward direction was signalled under Budget 2026) — confirm official name/status before stating.
- Full current list of departments, divisions and agencies under KPM — verify the complete list against the moe.gov.my org chart.
Sources
- Ministry of Education (Malaysia) — Wikipedia
- Minister of Education (Malaysia) — Wikipedia
- MOE — Vision and Mission — Ministry of Education Malaysia
- Education Act 1996 (Act 550), Laws of Malaysia — UNESCO
- Education Act 1996 (Act 550) — Laws of Malaysia Reprint — UNESCO / Government of Malaysia
- Malaysia Education Blueprint 2013-2025 (Executive Summary) — Ministry of Education Malaysia
- Budget 2026: Education Ministry receives largest allocation of RM66.2bil — The Star
- Education ministry gets RM66.2bil allocation in Budget 2026 — Free Malaysia Today
- Search for Educational Institutions of the Ministry of Education — Government of Malaysia (MyGov)
Change history
| Version | Date | Change | By |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01.00 | 14 Aug 2026 | Approved and published. | — |