EDUCATION IN MALAYSIA

This article we offer a guide to the education system of Malaysia, with insights on the
challenges currently facing the system and the reforms that have been outlined to
improve it. In addition, we touch on mobility trends to and from Malaysia, before offering
a comprehensive overview of the structure and credentials of the education system.
Included in this overview is a file of sample academic documents, advice on what
credentials to request when evaluating Malaysian student applications and how best to
convert Malaysian grades.

Challenges
Enrollments at the primary and lower secondary levels are nearly universal in Malaysia
and recent gains in pre-primary education have been noteworthy, according to a recent
report from the World Bank. However, relatively few students continue on to complete
postsecondary education, with just 37.2 percent of the relevant age group completing
upper secondary (Form 6 or equivalent), and 15.3 percent of 25-29 year olds in 2012
holding a bachelors degree or higher.

Spending on education is considered adequate by the World Bank and does not
appear to be hindering improvements to the system. Expenditure on basic education is
more than double that of other ASEAN countries; however, according to the results of
2012 PISA testing, regionally Malaysian students outperform only their Indonesian
peers and lag behind lower income countries like Vietnam quite substantially. This
despite enrollment levels equal to those of developed economies in the region.

The key constraints to improving the quality of basic education therefore relates to
institutions, the World Bank surmises, specifically pointing to a lack of autonomy and
shortcomings in teacher training and recruitment. By way of example, the World Bank
describes Malaysia as having one of the most centralized education systems in the
world, with over 65 percent of schools reporting that the selection of teachers for hiring
takes place at the national level, compared to just over 5 percent in South Korea. The
story is much the same for budget allocations within schools, student assessment and
choice of textbooks. All this means that schools struggle to respond to local needs as
policy is being dictated from the center.

Education Blueprint
The Government launched the Malaysia Education Blueprint in 2013 to define the
course of education reform over the next decade and to respond to many of the
challenges faced by the system. The Blueprint sets a number of ambitious goals,
including:

Universal access and full enrollment of all children from preschool to upper secondary
school by 2020.
Improvement of student scores on international assessments such as PISA to the top
third of participating countries within 15 years. Reduce by half the current urban-rural,
socio-economic and gender achievement gaps by 2020. To help achieve these goals,
the Blueprint identifies a number of reforms that need to be implemented. These
include:

International Mobility
Malaysia is both a big sender and big receiver of international students, although inward
and outward mobility numbers have been heading in opposite directions in recent years.
In 1995, for example, 20 percent of all Malaysian students at the higher education level
were studying abroad, mainly on government scholarships to the tune of an estimated
US$800 million annually. Prior to the Southeast Asian financial crisis of 1997-98, there
were more than 100,000 Malaysian students abroad, mainly in the UK and the U.S, but
funding for scholarships was cut dramatically after the crisis, and in 2010 there were
fewer than 80,000 Malaysians studying internationally (World Bank, 2013). In the United
States alone, there were less than half the number of Malaysian students in 2010 than
the 13,617 who were here in 1996, and while the numbers have crept up slightly since
2010 they are still less than half the 1996 total.
Today, Malaysia is among the biggest markets for transnational education (TNE)
provision and the biggest overall for UK providers with some 48,225 students studying
towards a UK qualification in Malaysia in 2010, almost four times the number of
Malaysian students in the UK. According to the Malaysian Qualifications Authority, there
were a total of 563 accredited foreign programs (15 percent of all programs in Malaysia)
in 2012. The top three countries providing TNE programs are the UK, Australia and the
United States.

Currently, there are close to 100,000 international students enrolled in Malaysia-based

institutions of higher education, more than double the 2007 total. The top five places of
origin in 2010 were Iran (11,823), China (10,214), Indonesia (9,889), Yemen (5,866) and
Nigeria (5,817). The large number of students from Islamic countries and Africa is due in

large part to cultural and religious similarities and lower fees compared to universities in
Europe and the United States. The appeal of Malaysia as an international study
destination among Muslim students has also picked up significantly since the beginning
of the Arab Spring in 2010.

Among Malaysian students abroad, the top destination countries in 2010 were Australia
(20,943), the United Kingdom (13,796), Egypt (8,611), the United States (6,100), and
Indonesia (5,588), according to information supplied to the Institute of International
Education by the Ministry of Higher Education.

Education System
Language of Instruction
Bahasa Melayu is the primary language of instruction in Malaysian public schools. In
2003, the government introduced a policy of using English as the language of
instruction for science and mathematics; however, this policy was discontinued in 2011.
English is taught as a second language in both primary and secondary schools. In
Chinese and Tamil national-type primary schools, Bahasa Melayu is taught as a second
language and English is taught as a third language.

In public universities, the language of instruction in Bachelor Degree programs is

Bahasa Melayu except for subjects related to science, mathematics and computing and
IT subjects, which are generally taught in English. Most graduate studies are also
conducted in English. In private higher education institutions, English is usually the
language of instruction.

Academic Year
The school year runs from January to November. In higher education, subjects are
usually taught over semesters rather than years. Some universities have a third
semester of 8-12 weeks, allowing students to complete programs in a shorter time.

School Structure
The school system is structured on a 6+3+2+2 model, with six years of compulsory
primary education beginning at age seven, followed by three years of lower secondary
education, two years of upper secondary, and two years of pre-university senior
secondary study.

Primary
Enrollment at the primary level has been nearly universal for decades while secondary
enrollment has also expanded rapidly in recent decades, with the share of the labor
force with a secondary education or higher increasing from 37 percent in 1982 to 58
percent in 2012 (World Bank).

In a 2013 report on the Malay education system, the World Bank reported on access
within the school system, stating that, the education system is fairly equitable,
especially with respect to access to basic education. Relatively small gaps are observed
along ethnic, income, gender or geographic lines with respect to access to pre-primary,
primary and lower secondary education. Nevertheless, students from higher socioeconomic backgrounds form a disproportionate share of those enrolling in postsecondary education.

There are a number of different school types at the primary level, including national
schools, ethnic schools (Chinese & Tamil most commonly), private schools and
international schools.

Primary schools, regardless of institution type, follow the Malaysian National

Curriculum. The curriculum includes study of a first language (Bahasa Melayu, Chinese
or Tamil), English as a second language, Islamic education (compulsory for Muslims),
mathematics, science, civics/moral education, local studies, physical education, health
education, music and visual arts.

At the end of primary school, students take the Ujian Pencapaian Sekolah Rendah
(Primary School Achievement Test) which rates achievement in written and spoken
Malay and English, mathematics, and science concepts. All students automatically
progress to secondary school.

Lower Secondary
The three years of instruction at the lower-secondary level (Forms 1 3) are not
compulsory; however enrollment is close to universal with a 98.8 percent gross
enrollment rate (lower secondary enrollment of any age as a percentage of total lowersecondary age population) and 96.4 percent net enrollment rate (enrollment among
lower-secondary-age children as a percentage of total lower-secondary-age population).

Students attend national secondary schools with instruction in the national language
(Bahasa Melayu). Students from Chinese or Tamil national-type primary schools do a
transitional year before beginning lower secondary schooling. This year is called the
Remove Class and involves intensive language studies to prepare them for studies in
the national language.

Students study a minimum of eight subjects. Core compulsory subjects include Bahasa
Melayu, English, science, history, geography and mathematics. Elective subjects
include Islamic studies, moral education, life skills, European languages and mother
tongue.

At the end of the lower secondary cycle, students take the Penitaian Menengah Rendah
(PMR, Lower Secondary Assessment). Students take tests in seven to nine subjects,
including Bahasa Melayu, English, history, geography, mathematics and science.
Students must pass the examinations to continue on to upper secondary school, and
may be streamed according to their results.

Upper Secondary
Forms 4 and 5 make up the upper secondary level, and students typically attend one of
three types of school:
-

Academic (arts or science stream)

Technical and Vocational (technical, vocational or skills training stream)
Religious

Students are streamed according to choice and results on the lower-secondary leaving
examination. They are required to take four core subjects regardless of streaming:
Bahasa Melayu, English, mathematics, Islamic studies or moral education and history.

Students in the academic science stream must take: chemistry, biology, physics,
additional mathematics and English for science and technology. Those in the arts
stream take integrated science and a range of other non-science subjects as electives.
Students can take no more than 13 total subjects.

In the technical and vocational streams, students generally take courses geared
towards employment and trades at technical secondary schools. Fields offered in the
technical stream include: mechanical engineering, civil engineering, electrical

engineering, agriculture, commerce, food management and fashion studies. In the

vocational stream, students can choose from: electrics, automotive, catering, computer
programming.

Students in the technical and vocational streams can also prepare for the Sijil
Kemahiran Malaysia (SKM Malaysian Skills Certificate). The SKM does not lead to
entry into programs in higher education; however, there is a five-level Skills Qualification
Framework that certifies tradesmen up to the management level (SKM Level 5), which
is considered comparable to degree level.

The Department of Skills Development establishes the criteria for approval of Accredited
Centers offering SKM programs and ensures that Accredited Centers offer, administer
and maintain the quality of Malaysian Skill Certificates for specific jobs covered by the
National Occupational Skills Standards.

At the end of the upper secondary cycle (Form 5), students from all streams take the
Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM Open Certification Examination), which is administered
by the Malaysian Examination Syndicate. The minimum condition for awarding the
certificate is a pass in the national language.

Chinese Secondary Schools

Students from Chinese-language primary schools can also enroll in Chinese secondary
schools, which provide a parallel track to national schools (with an additional year of
upper secondary) through the Malaysian Independent Chinese Secondary School
system. Instruction is offered in Mandarin and follows the national curriculum.

The Junior Middle Examination is taken at the end of junior middle school (year 3). The
United Examination Certificate for Independent Chinese Secondary Schools (UEC) is
taken at the end of senior middle school (year 6).

The UEC can only be used for entry into private tertiary institutions. Students looking to
enter public institutions must take the SPM, held in the Bahasa Melayu language. For
this reason, many students from Chinese-medium schools choose to continue their
studies in China or other overseas higher education institutions.

Senior Secondary
Pre-university
Entry to pre-university studies is based on the results of the SPM. Also known as Sixth
Form, this cycle lasts two years and is divided into Lower Sixth Form and Upper Sixth
Form. It is offered at national secondary schools, technical secondary schools, preuniversity or sixth form colleges, Islamic schools, and some universities.

Students enter one of two streams: humanities or science. They typically take a general
studies course and three other subjects.

Matriculation
The matriculation cycle is just one year in length (two semesters) and designed to
prepare well-qualified upper secondary graduates, as gauged by performance in the
SPM, for entry into top-ranked universities. Students are streamed into Science,
Accountancy and Technical streams.

And compulsory instruction is offered at Matriculation Colleges and MARA Colleges

only. The curriculum is uniform and dictated by the Ministry of Education. Core subjects
include: mathematics, chemistry, physics, biology and computer science (science
stream); mathematics, accounting, business management and economics (accountancy
stream); and mathematics, engineering chemistry, engineering physics and engineering
studies (technical stream).

Additional compulsory subjects for all students include: English, Islamic studies or moral
studies, Malaysian studies, communication skills and information technology.

Examinations delivered by the Ministry are taken at the end of each semester. The final
examination is known as the Matrikulasi (Matriculation), and final results will also
include scores from in-class assessment.

Higher Education
Under the Vision 2020 initiative set by the government, Malaysia seeks to become a
high-income nation by 2020. One of the means of achieving this goal is education and
the development of quality graduates, with a net tertiary enrollment ratio of 40 percent.

In recent years Malaysia has been focusing heavily on developing the research quality
and quantity of its major universities, and the country currently spends 1 percent of GDP
on research and development. Five of the countrys 65 universities and university
colleges have thus far been granted research university status, which means additional
government funding and increased autonomy. The five research universities are:

Universiti Malaya
Universiti Putra Malaysia
Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia
Universiti Sains Malaysia
Universiti Teknologi Malaysia
According to statistics from Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM), the number of PhD
students in Malaysia has increased from about 4,000 in 2002 to almost 40,000 in 2012.
About half of these students are attached to the five research universities.

Diterbitkan pada December 2, 2014. Dimuat turun pada 6 Januari 2016

Dipetik dan diubahsuai dari Education in Malaysia oleh Nick Clark, Editor, World
Education News & Reviews
http://wenr.wes.org/2014/12/education-in-malaysia/