Sagah says children entering school at age 6 is reasonable step

KOTA SAMARAHAN, Jan 23 2026: Sarawak Education, Innovation and Talent Development Minister Roland Sagah Wee Inn has welcomed the implementation of the National Education Plan 2026–2035 announced by Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim recently.

Caotion: Roland Sagah Wee Inn (centre) speaking to reporters 

 He considered the plan that stipulates that children enter school at the age of six and preschool education begins as early as five years old as a reasonable step in strengthening the foundations of education and enabling early intervention to be implemented more effectively.

He said the policy is under the jurisdiction of the federal government and is made based on the current needs of the country's education system.

"This plan is indeed determined by the federal government, including the policy of entering school at the age of six and preschool at the age of five. Actually, this is not something new," he told reporters after the Certificate Presentation Ceremony of the Semiconductor Mastery Programme organised by SMD Semiconductor at SMD Academy today.

According to him, entering school at the age of six has long been practiced and does not affect children's development, but is even more relevant in the current context when children are exposed to the learning environment early.

“Nowadays, children are sent to play schools from a young age. They learn to socialise, interact and play while learning. So, when they reach the age of four or five, they are familiar with the learning environment,” he explained.

Commenting on the concerns over the readiness of children in rural areas, he said various efforts have been implemented to ensure that access to early education can be enjoyed more comprehensively.

"We have greatly improved facilities including kindergartens in rural areas through KEMAS and also the SeDidik kindergartens under the Sarawak government. Although not all conditions can be met, the majority of the community is actually ready," he said.

On the implementation of academic assessments at the early stages of schooling, including the proposed examinations around Year Four, Sagah said it aims to identify students' weaknesses early and is not punitive.

"This early assessment is important for intervention. It does not mean that students who fail will be expelled from school. But it gives us an indication of the form of assistance and support programs that need to be provided," he said.

He stressed that delaying intervention can have long-term effects on students.

"If we wait until Year Six or Form Three to realise that students cannot read and write, it is already too late. That is why early intervention is better," he said.

He added that the implementation of stricter examinations at certain levels such as Year Six for the purpose of entry into international schools does not affect the existing intervention programme and is in line with the assessment approach at the national level,

 

Sarawak police have completed investigation into the deaths of headmaster, wife, and will soon reveal the motive of their deaths

KUCHING, Jan 23 2026: Sarawak police  have completed their investigation into the deaths of a primary school hemastser and his nurse wife,  and will soon identify the motive of their deaths.

Sarawak Police Commissioner: The weapon said to have been used in the killings did not have foreign DNA
 

Police Commissioner Mohmad Zainal Abdullah said a forensic report on the mobile phone is still needed to help determine the exact motive of the killings.

“The results of the investigation found that the weapon used contained only the DNA of both victims and no foreign DNA was detected,” he told reporters after officiating at the Sarawak Police Commissioner’s Monthly Meeting at the police headquarters this morning.

He said the absence of foreign DNA on a weapon found at the scene, the absence of any signs of break-in or loss of property are among the main factors that led police to almost complete the investigation into the case.

He said police have recorded 30 statements from various witnesses including family members, friends, teachers and neighbours of the victims to assist in the investigation of the case.

He added the police also received chemical reports as well as pathology reports from the doctors who performed the surgery on the two victims.

He said the inspection at the scene also did not reveal any sign of trespass or loss of items belonging to the family, once leading to the preliminary conclusion that the incident concerned only involved the married couple.

Post-mortems  on the two couple were conducted on January 15, 2025 at the Forensic Department, Sarawak General Hospital by a team of pathologists

THe port-mortems revealed that the headmaster Andy Roy had 11 stab wounds on the chest and next while his wife Angiline had a stab wound on the neck.

On  Jan 14, Cikgu Andy anak Junran, headmaster of SK Sbangki, Lubok Antu, and his wife  Angelin Kibin, a nurse at the Sri Aman Hospital, were found dead with serious bodily injuries at their home in Taman Mutiara, Jalan Brayun, in Simanggang.

The police received information from a member of the public regarding the discovery of the couple unconscious at 6.55am.

The autopsy results on 45-year-old Andy found that he had 11 stab wounds while his 44-year-old wife had one stab wounds on the neck.