Nearly one-third of Malaysia’s teacher quarters remain vacant, with 15,312 of 47,855 units unoccupied as the Education Ministry reassesses future construction.
KUALA LUMPUR: Nearly one-third of teacher quarters nationwide remain unoccupied, with deteriorating building conditions, high maintenance costs and declining demand prompting the Education Ministry (MOE) to take a more cautious approach to constructing new accommodation.
Deputy Education Minister Wong Kah Woh said 15,312 of the ministry’s 47,855 teacher quarters remained unoccupied, accounting for about 32% of the total. However, the figure had fallen from 17,524 in November 2024.
“As of Sept 24, 2026, MOE has 47,855 existing teacher quarters nationwide.
“The number of unoccupied quarters has been reduced from 17,524 in November 2024 to 15,312 at present,” he told the Dewan Rakyat today.
Explaining the vacancies, Wong said some quarters were no longer fit for occupation and would require substantial expenditure to restore.
“Some quarters are no longer suitable for occupation and would involve high maintenance or repair costs if we were to restore them.
“There are also quarters located in areas where rental rates for nearby houses are lower than or comparable to those of government quarters, encouraging some teachers to rent accommodation elsewhere,” he said.
Other contributing factors included vandalism, trespassing and changing housing preferences, particularly among teachers with families who sought better facilities and living environments.
Wong said the ministry had put an additional 2,212 units to use since November 2024 through various measures.
These included 1,105 units occupied by MOE personnel, 548 rented to government agencies or private-sector users, 377 repurposed, 58 transferred to relevant agencies, 40 placed under shared-use arrangements and 84 unsafe units disposed of.
He was responding to Kamal Ashaari (PN-Kuala Krau), who raised concerns about teacher quarters in his constituency that were reportedly abandoned and overgrown with vegetation.
In a supplementary question, Kamal asked whether vacant quarters could be made available to other government agencies and whether future construction would take into account the factors contributing to low occupancy.
Wong said the ministry had submitted a Cabinet memorandum outlining measures to address vacant and abandoned teacher quarters, including converting existing facilities for alternative uses.
“We have presented a Cabinet memorandum on the direction for resolving the issue of unoccupied and abandoned teacher quarters.
“Among the approaches taken are changing their functions, sharing them with other government agencies, opening rentals to the public and private sector, and disposing of quarters that are no longer safe,” he said.
Some quarters had been converted into preschool classrooms, prayer rooms and facilities for special education programmes.
Wong said the ministry was also holding discussions with the Home Ministry and other agencies on the potential use of vacant quarters, while remaining open to proposals from private parties.
On future construction, he stressed that new quarters would be built only where there was a genuine need.
“We have adopted a more cautious approach to ensure that quarters are built only in areas where there is a need.
“Even when quarters are included in the construction of new schools, the number will be limited to what is required for those schools,” he said.