# Sabah's identity is going into the national syllabus

> From next year, Year One and Form One students across Malaysia start learning Sabah on the page, not just on the map.
- Title: Sabah's identity is going into the national syllabus
- Summary: From next year, Year One and Form One students across Malaysia start learning Sabah on the page, not just on the map. Sabah's cultural identity becomes part…
- Keywords: sabah, education, ma63, curriculum, malaysia, news, world, Sabah's, identity, going, national, syllabus
- Source: Malay Mail — https://malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2026/09/12/new-school-curriculum-to-introduce-sabah-identity-elements-in-year-one-and-form-one-next-year/234887
- Published: 2026-09-12T09:25:27+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: sabah, education, ma63, curriculum, malaysia, news, world
## Sabah enters the syllabus
Elements reflecting Sabah's identity will be built into the new curriculum for Year One and Form One students from the next academic session.

> The Sabah identity elements will be introduced in the new Year One and Form One curriculum from next year
## Decided in Kota Kinabalu
Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek said the move was among the education agreements reached at the Malaysia Agreement 1963 Implementation Action Council meeting held there that morning.
## Sabah's minister is on board
State Education, Science, Technology and Innovation Minister James Ratib gave the proposal his full backing, so this is not Putrajaya acting alone.
## A thread back to MA63
The change sits inside the standing commitments of the 1963 agreement, which keeps education one of the live items between the federal government and Sabah.

> how we can continue to support education in Sabah based on the agreements and terms under MA63
## Binding three regions
Fadhlina framed it as strengthening ties between Sabah, Sarawak and Peninsular Malaysia, which she called a foundation of the country's strength.
## Heritage travels further
Putting it in the national curriculum means students everywhere meet Sabah's cultural heritage, not only the children who grow up with it.
## Teachers nearly in place
Placement of new teachers and the appointment of principals and headteachers across Sabah are in the final stages, the minister said.
## 245 schools rebuilt, 171 to go
Of 416 dilapidated Sabah schools marked for full replacement, 245 are done and 63 are under construction. The rest sit at various stages, watched with the state public works department.
## Key takeaway

Sabah's cultural identity becomes part of the national curriculum for Year One and Form One from the next academic session, one of the education promises tied to MA63.