Primary education
The primary level is divided into lower primary (grades 1-3) and upper primary (grades 4-6). One year of preschool education is considered as a stage of primary education. At the lower primary level, the medium of instruction is the Malay language. Pupils at the upper primary level follow the bilingual system of education. Subjects such as Islamic religious knowledge, arts and crafts, physical education and history are taught in Malay, whereas subjects such as mathematics and science are taught in English.
As mentioned, the SPN 21 (National Education System for the Twenty-first
Century) was introduced in 2009 and is expected to come into full implementation in
2012 covering all levels of the school system. Traditionally, the aims of primary education have been: giving children a firm foundation in the basic skills of writing, reading and arithmetic; and providing opportunities for their personal growth and character development. As preparation for formal education is steadily built, the teaching of jawi writing (Arabic script) was emphasized starting from grade 3. The weekly lesson timetable before the implementation of the SPN21 is shown in the table below: