KUALA LUMPUR, July 30 — The Ministry of Education (MOE) has developed planning guidelines for the development of “vertical schools,” Deputy Education Minister Wong Kah Woh told the Dewan Rakyat today.

He said the guidelines, which have been approved at the ministry level, outline key principles for designing multi-storey schools to ensure they are safe, accessible, and conducive to learning.

“The answer is yes — we now have a guideline. The MOE has finalised the planning guidelines for vertical school development,” Wong said during Question Time, responding to a supplementary question from Sungai Besar MP Datuk Muslimin Yahaya.

Wong detailed that the guidelines cover core design principles such as naturalness, individualism, attractiveness, safe and organised accessibility, student safety and supervision, acoustical control, and the provision of sports facilities.

“These guidelines have been approved by the ministry and will be presented to the Cabinet for consideration through a memorandum in the near future,” he added.

The move to develop vertical schools aims to tackle overcrowding in high-density urban areas.

In March, MOE announced plans to launch a pilot project for such multi-storey schools in Putrajaya, Penang, and Kuala Lumpur this year.