Malaysia’s Community Development Department (Kemas) plans to launch 132 autism-focused preschools across the country in January 2027, aiming to enhance early intervention services for nearly 2,000 families and foster inclusive education for children with special needs.
Malaysia’s Community Development Department, known as Kemas, will open 132 preschools for children with autism across the country in January 2027, in a move that officials say could help nearly 2,000 families. According to Bernama, admission screening will begin next month and will be carried out with the Ministry of Health, reflecting an attempt to widen access to early childhood support while keeping assessment tied to medical guidance.
Kemas director-general Mohd Hanafiah Man said the programme is being designed around smaller groups and a higher staff ratio than in ordinary preschool settings. He said each class will take no more than 15 children and will be staffed by three teachers, with one teacher responsible for five to seven pupils, in line with the standards the department has set for the classes. The admission process will also require a Persons with Disabilities card issued by the Social Welfare Department, a condition Hanafiah said was intended to align the scheme with the Education Ministry’s approach to support for special-needs children.
The expansion builds on Kemas’s wider push into special education for young children, including the Tabika Tunas Istimewa initiative, which has already been positioned as an autism-focused preschool model for five- and six-year-olds. Reporting from The Sun and other Malaysian outlets has pointed to teacher training and staged roll-outs as part of that effort, while Bernama has separately reported that Kemas programmes in Sabah are also due to widen in 2027. Taken together, the developments suggest a broader government effort to strengthen early intervention and make special-needs preschool places more widely available, although demand still appears to outstrip capacity.
Disclaimer: This content is for informational purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical judgment, advice, diagnosis, or treatment.
