Nurul Nasihah's father says she will wear the scarf

The Malaysian authorities said the girls could apply through regular channels and would be considered on merit.

Singapore says the headscarf ban is intended to promote racial and religious harmony, but there has been sharp criticism from the city-state's Muslim minority.

The girls' parents say the ban is an insult to their religion.

For devout Malay Muslims, the headscarf, or tudung, is obligatory once girls reach puberty but some parents choose for their daughters to wear them earlier.

One of the parents at the centre of the row, Mohamad Nasser, has said he is considering sending his daughter Nurul Nasihah to study in Malaysia.

Malaysian education

The education department in Malaysia's southern state of Johor, said it would consider applications from any of the girls.

Many Malay Muslims wear a scarf from a young age

"They have to go through the normal procedure such as obtaining a student pass from the Immigration Department and so on," said a spokesman.

"We take in students on merit. Those who qualify will be admitted to our schools."

Many Singaporeans currently study in Malaysia, the spokesman said.

There are religious schools in Singapore that allow headscarves, but there is fierce competition for places.

Singapore's top Islamic authority says parents should send their daughters to school and obey a ban on wearing headscarves.

The Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (Muis) has said that education is more important than wearing the headscarf.