A Glance At The Malaysian Education System

42

An Introduction to the Malaysian Education Structure

Under the Malaysian education system, a child begins his / her education with pre-school education at the age of four. When the child reaches the age of six on the first day of anuary of the current school year, he / she will enter the first year of the !-year compulsory primary education. "his is followed by fi#e years of education at the secondary le#el. "he go#ernment pro#ides $$ years of free primary and secondary education. %owe#er , further education is not automatic but sub&ect to the indi#idual's academic performance and financial capability. (chool lea#ers with ()M *ualifications can opt to continue their education at postsecondary schools to obtain a pre-uni#ersity *ualification +such as the sixth form, matriculation programmes, ,-. '/' le#els or other pre-uni#ersity *ualifications0 or further their education at tertiary or higher educational institutions leading to the award of a certificate or diploma. /t higher education le#el, study opportunities include certificate, diploma, and undergraduate as well as postgraduate studies. Undergraduate studies consist of bachelor degree le#els and professional studies while postgraduate studies consist of master degrees and )h1s. ,enerally, higher education at the diploma le#el is for secondary school certificate +()M0 holders from the age of $2 onwards whereas pursuing a bachelor degree re*uires post-secondary *ualifications such as (")M +which is e*ui#alent to the ,-. '/' le#el0 or other e*ui#alent pre-uni#ersity *ualifications. "he Malaysian education structure can be di#ided into pre-tertiary and higher education le#els. "here are two go#erning authorities in the education sector. )re-tertiary education +i.e. from preschool to secondary education and teacher education0 is under the &urisdiction of the Ministry of .ducation Malaysia +M3.0 while higher education is the responsibility of the Ministry of %igher .ducation Malaysia +M3%.0. Organisational Structure of the Ministry of Education M3. comprises three sectors 4

)olicy and .ducational 1e#elopment (ector .ducation 3perations (ector "eacher )rofessional 1e#elopment (ector Organisational Structure of the Ministry of Higher Education M3%. comprises four departments / sectors 4
o o o o o

"he 1epartment of %igher .ducation "he 1epartment of )olytechnics .ducation "he 1epartment of -ommunity -ollege .ducation "he Management (ector "he 1e#elopment (ector

(Note : See Appendix 1 and 2 for the organisation charts of MOE and MOHE.)

National Philosophy of Education

"he national philosophy of education states that 5.ducation in Malaysia is an ongoing effort towards further de#eloping the potential of indi#iduals in a holistic and integrated manner so as to produce indi#iduals who are intellectually, spiritually, emotionally and physically balanced and harmonious, based on a firm belief in and de#otion to ,od5. 6t is designed to produce Malaysian citi7ens who are 8nowledgeable and competent, possess high moral standards, and are responsible and capable of achie#ing a high le#el of personal well-being as well as to contribute to the betterment of the family, society and nation at large.

Le els of Education

"he national education system comprises the following le#els of education4 Le els of Education Pre!school " #indergarten education for children aged $ to % Primary Education from age & to '( )Standard ' to % for si* years+ Secondary Education from age ', to '& )-orm ' to -orm . for fi e years+
o

9ower secondary from age $: to $; +<orm $ to <orm : for three years0 Upper secondary from age $! to $2 +<orm 4 to <orm ; for two years0 with the option to choose either

academic secondary education= or technical/#ocational secondary education= or religious secondary education

Post!secondary Education " Pre!uni ersity from age '/ )for one to t0o years+
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either <orm ! +for one and a half years0 or Matriculation certificate +for one year0

Higher Education
o o o o

-ertificate and diploma education at polytechnics or colleges from age $> onwards .ducation at "eacher "raining 6nstitutes from age $> onwards ?achelor's degree from age $@ or 2A +for three to fi#e years0 )ostgraduate studies Bmaster's degree or )h1 studies, after ac*uiring a bachelor's degreeC +for one to fi#e years0

1ategories of Educational Institutions

6n the Malaysian education structure, there are se#en broad categories of educational institutions +which include both go#ernment or public-funded institutions and pri#ate institutions0 and these are go#erned by two Ministries, namely4 At Pre!tertiary Le el +"he go#erning authority for pre-tertiary schools is the Ministry of .ducation Malaysia.0 -i e categories of institutions
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,o#ernment and pri#ate sector 8indergartens +that follow the Dational )re-school -urriculum0 ,o#ernment schools +that follow the Malaysian Dational -urriculum and Dational .xamination0 ,o#ernment-aided schools +that follow the Malaysian Dational -urriculum and Dational .xamination0 )ri#ate schools +that follow the Malaysian Dational -urriculum and Dational .xamination0

<oreign system schools i.e. international schools and expatriate schools +6nternational schools follow an international curriculum and use .nglish as its medium of instruction while expatriate schools follow the national educational system of other countries using the respecti#e national language of their countries as the medium of instruction.0

(Note 1 : There are two categories of go ern!ent"f#nded pri!ar$ schoo%s& na!e%$ : ' Nationa% schoo%s (the !edi#! of instr#ction is the nationa% %ang#age) ' Nationa%"t$pe schoo%s " (hinese nationa%"t$pe schoo%s (the !edi#! of instr#ction is (hinese) " Ta!i% nationa%"t$pe schoo%s (the !edi#! of instr#ction is Ta!i%) )n a%% schoo%s& the nationa% %ang#age is a co!p#%sor$ s#*+ect and Eng%ish is ta#ght as a second %ang#age.) (Note 2 : There are n#!ero#s foreign s$ste! schoo%s (i.e. internationa% schoo%s and expatriate schoo%s) in Ma%a$sia that #se foreign c#rric#%a and foreign %ang#ages as its !edi#! of instr#ction. These foreign schoo%s are #ni,#e as the$ are not go erned *$ the Ed#cation Act 1--. and do not need to cond#ct the Ma%a$sian nationa% c#rric#%#!. Howe er& these schoo%s re!ain #nder the s#per ision of the Ministr$ of Ed#cation) At Higher Education Le el +"he go#erning authority for higher educational institutions is the Ministry of %igher .ducation0 T0o categories of institutions
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,o#ernment-funded public uni#ersities, polytechnics and colleges )ri#ate higher educational institutions +i.e. institutions not funded by the go#ernment0, which include 4

non-uni#ersity status institutions such as pri#ate colleges uni#ersity status institutions such as pri#ate uni#ersities and uni#ersity colleges foreign uni#ersity branch campuses e.g. Monash Uni#ersity Malaysia and "he Uni#ersity of Dottingham Malaysia -ampus +.nglish is the medium of instruction at most pri#ate higher educational institutions.0

(Note : See Appendix / for the Str#ct#re of 0#*%ic Ed#cation in Ma%a$sia& and Appendix 2 for the Str#ct#re of 0ri ate Ed#cation in Ma%a$sia.)

Education Legislations
"he legal regulatory framewor8s that go#ern the pro#ision of education in Malaysia are 4

o o o o

"he .ducation /ct $@@! "he )ri#ate %igher .ducational 6nstitutions /ct $@@! "he Dational -ouncil on %igher .ducation 6nstitution /ct $@@! "he Malaysian Eualifications /gency /ct 2AA2 +replacing the pre#ious /ct namely, the Dational /ccreditation /ct ?oard $@@! which has been repealed0 "he Uni#ersities and Uni#ersity -olleges +/mendment0 /ct $@@! "he Dational %igher .ducation <und -orporation /ct $@@2 "he M/F/ 6nstitute of "echnology +/mendment0 /ct 2AAA= and "he Dational %igher .ducation <und -orporation +/mendment0 /ct 2AAA )ri#ate %igher .ducational 6nstitutions +/mendment0 /ct 2AA@ /8ta Uni#ersiti dan Gole& Uni#ersiti )indaan 2AA@

o o o o o o

"he .ducation /ct $@@! co#ers pre-tertiary le#els of education under the national education system which comprises pre-school, primary, and secondary education as well as post-secondary education. "he other six acts regulate the pro#ision of higher education in Malaysia.

-unding -or Education

"he education at primary and secondary schools in Malaysia is free at go#ernment schools. (tudents studying at public uni#ersities need to pay tuition fees. %owe#er, the fees are highly subsidised by the go#ernment. (tudents at pri#ate institutions pay full fees. "here are many types of financial aid readily a#ailable for Malaysian students who pursue their higher education in the country. "hese include scholarships and study loans from public and pri#ate sectors. "he go#ernment is the main pro#ider of financial aid such as 4
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"he Ministry of %igher .ducation +(cholarship 1i#ision0 "he Dational %igher .ducation <und +)erbadanan "abung )endidi8an "inggi Dasional +)")"D0, Ministry of %igher .ducation0 "he )ublic (er#ices 1epartment + )/0 (ponsorship )rogramme Harious state foundations ,o#ernment-lin8ed companies

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"he pri#ate sector or non-go#ernment organisations also pro#ide funding in the form of scholarships. <ee wai#er schemes are offered by pri#ate higher educational institutions and many loan schemes are offered by #arious organisations. <or more information on scholarships and financial aid, please clic8 here.

Medium of Instruction
At Primary Le el "he medium of instruction in primary schools #aries according to the categories of schools. "here are two categories of public-funded primary schools, namely 4
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Dational schools Dational-type schools +-hinese/"amil0

"he medium of instruction in national schools is ?ahasa Melayu +the national language0 with .nglish as a compulsory sub&ect while the medium of instruction in national-type primary schools is either -hinese or "amil with both ?ahasa Melayu and .nglish taught as compulsory sub&ects. (ince 2AA:, the medium of instruction for (cience and Mathematics in all primary schools has been .nglish. %owe#er, from 2A$2 onwards, the teaching of Mathematics and (cience +from standard $ onwards0 will re#ert to ?ahasa Melayu in national schools= and -hinese and "amil in #ernacular schools. At Secondary Le el "he medium of instruction in secondary schools is ?ahasa Melayu while .nglish is taught as a second language in all schools. "hese two sub&ects are core sub&ects and compulsory for all students. -hinese, "amil and /rabic +communication0 are offered as additional sub&ects. <oreign languages such as <rench and other indigenous languages are also taught. (ince 2AA:, .nglish has been the medium of instruction for (cience and Mathematics sub&ects and this policy will continue till 2A$! and thereafter the teaching of these two sub&ects will re#ert to ?ahasa Melayu. (Note : The foreign s$ste! schoo%s esta*%ished in Ma%a$sia are #sing their own !edi#! of instr#ction for teaching. )nternationa% schoo%s fo%%ow an internationa% c#rric#%#! and #se Eng%ish as its !edi#! of instr#ction whi%e expatriate schoo%s fo%%ow the nationa% ed#cationa% s$ste! of other co#ntries #sing the respecti e nationa% %ang#age of these co#ntries as the !edi#! of instr#ction.) At Higher Education Le el

.nglish is used as the primary medium of instruction at most pri#ate higher educational institutions. %owe#er, most bachelor degree courses offered at public uni#ersities are taught in the national language, that is, ?ahasa Melayu, while postgraduate studies are usually conducted in .nglish.

Academic 2ualifications

Academic 2ualifications and Pu3lic 1ommon E*aminations at Pre!Tertiary Le el /t the end of the six years of primary schooling, pupils are re*uired to sit for a common public examination called the )rimary (chool /chie#ement "est / U&ian )enilaian (e8olah Fendah +)(/" / U)(F0. /t the end of the third year at the lower secondary le#el, students will be re*uired to sit for a public examination called the )enilaian Menengah Fendah +)MF0 or the 9ower (econdary /ssessment +9(/0. %owe#er, )MF is not a terminal examination but a diagnostic e#aluation. /ll students are automatically promoted to the upper secondary le#el for another two years to complete $$ years of free education. %owe#er, the go#ernment has decided to do away with the )MF as a public examination beginning 2A$!. 6nstead, this examination for <orm "hree students will be changed to a schoolbased assessment. /fter two years of upper secondary education, students sit for the public common examination (i&il )ela&aran Malaysia, ()M +also 8nown as the Malaysian -ertificate of .ducation which is e*ui#alent to the ,(-. '3' le#el0. "he Ministry of .ducation offers two types of free post-secondary programmes or preuni#ersity courses for students with ()M *ualifications 4
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"he (ixth <orm +9ower and Upper <orm for one and a half years0 preparing students for the common public examination, namely, (i&il "inggi )erse8olahan Malaysia +(")M0 which is e*ui#alent to ,-. '/' le#els, or

I Matriculation class +for one year0 conducted by matriculation colleges under the Ministry of .ducation which award successful candidates with the matriculation certificate.

(Note : 1.e.f. 2212& the Ministr$ of Ed#cation wo#%d introd#ce a !od#%ar s$ste! for assessing the Si+i% Tinggi 0erse3o%ahan Ma%a$4sia (ST0M) exa!inations. The s$ste! wo#%d *e *ased on three se!esters (i.e. for a d#ration of 15 $ears) and st#dents wo#%d *e e a%#ated at the end of each one. The assess!ent wo#%d a%so inc%#de co#rsewor3 and schoo%"*ased pro+ects. The content of the ST0M s$%%a*#s wi%% re!ain the sa!e.) Academic 2ualifications at Higher Education Le el "he *ualifications awarded by all higher educational institutions in Malaysia registered under laws related to Malaysian education are go#erned by the Malaysian Eualification <ramewor8 +ME<0. "he Malaysian Eualifications /ct 2AA2 pro#ides for the establishment of the Malaysian Eualifications /gency +ME/0 whose main role is to implement the Malaysian Eualifications <ramewor8 +ME<0. "he framewor8 specifies that a programme is re*uired to achie#e the following minimum credits before an academic *ualification can be awarded, e.g. certificate +!A credits0, diploma +@A credits0, bachelor degree +$2A credits0 and taught master degree +4A credits0. Master degrees and )h1 obtained by research do not ha#e credit #alues. "he #arious le#els of higher education *ualifications based on ME< can be defined as follows 4 Malaysian Higher Education 2ualifications4 Le els and Minimum Num3er of 1redits Education Higher Education Minimum 1redit 5e6uired for the Le els 2ualification A0ard of 2ualification > 1octoral Do gi#en -redit Halue Fesearch master degree Do gi#en -redit #alue <ully or partly 4A taught master degree 2 )ostgraduate 1iploma :A )ostgraduate -ertificate 2A ?achelor degree $2A ! ,raduate 1iploma !A ,raduate certificate :A ; /d#anced 1iploma 4A 4 1iploma @A -ertificate !A $-: (8ills -ertificate /ccording to the s8ill and le#els

Statistics on Education

7seful Primary and Secondary Education Statistics 1ategories of Pu3lic Primary Schools )Standard ' No8 of Student to %+ Schools Enrolment Dational (chools ;,>;: 2,$;2,2!! Dational "ype +-hinese0 $,2@$ ;@2,A:! Dational "ype +"amil0 ;2: $A2,4$2 (pecial Model +G@0 $ 224 Dational (chools +(pecial0 2> $,!42 Total &4%9% (4/.,4./: (So#rce: www.!oe.go .!$) Student Enrolment and Num3er of Pu3lic Secondary Schools as at ,: ;une (:'' Types of Pu3lic Secondary Schools No8 of Schools Student Enrolment Fegular /cademic 1ay (chools $,@$! 2,$:$,>;4 +(e8olah Menengah %arian0 "echnical (chools :4 2A,!2> +(e8olah Menengah "e8ni80 Feligious (chools ;! :@,42: +(e8olah Menengah /gama0 (pecial .ducation (chools 4 !>$ +(e8olah Menengah Ghas0 (ports (chools 2 $2 +(e8olah (u8an-Menengah0 (pecial Model (chools 4 $,A22 +(e8olah Menengah Model Ghas0 <ully-Fesidential (chools +(e8olah Menengah !$ :>,$A2 ?erasrama )enuh0 ,o#ernment-aided Feligious (chools $42 ;2,$>; Total (4('9 (4(/,49%( (So#rce: www.!oe.go .!$) Student Enrolment and Num3er of Schools in the Pri ate Primary Schools and -oreign System Schools 1ategory as at ,: ;une (:'' Student 1ategories of Pri ate Schools No8 of Schools Enrolment )ri#ate )rimary /cademic (chools, following the !A $4,2@: Malaysian national curriculum )ri#ate )rimary 6slamic (chools, following the :; $;,:;2 Malaysian national curriculum 6nternational (chools, for foreign citi7ens +primary and !! 2:,$;@ secondary0 .xpatriate (chools, for foreign citi7ens +primary and $; :,A:4 secondary0 (pecial (chools $A @;;

Total '/% .&4(9/ So#rce: 0ri ate Ed#cation 6i ision& Ministr$ of Ed#cation) J Student Enrolment and Num3er of Schools at Pri ate Secondary Schools as at ,: ;une (:'' Student 1ategories of Pri ate Schools No8 of Schools Enrolment )ri#ate (econdary (chools that adopt the Malaysian !! $;,;:2 national curriculum )ri#ate Feligious (econdary (chools that adopt the $@ ;,2;: Malaysian national curriculum -hinese 6ndependent (econdary (chools !A !!,2$> Total '$. /&4::, (So#rce : 0ri ate Ed#cation 6i ision& Ministr$ of Ed#cation) 7seful Higher Education Statistics Enrolment of Students as at ,' <ec (:'' in Polytechnics and 1ommunity 1olleges )(:':!(:''+ Pu3lic Higher Educational Student Enrolment Institutions Polytechnics /94(9( I -ertificate 4,!$! I 1iploma / /d#anced diploma >4,;$4 / $!2 1ommunity 1olleges (.4'(. I -ertificate !,:$@ I Dational Modular -ertificate $>,>A! +2A$A-2A$$0 Total ''$4$'& (So#rce : www.!ohe.go .!$) Enrolment of Students as at ,' <ec (:'' in Pu3lic 7ni ersities )(:':!(:''+ Pu3lic 7ni ersities Student Enrolment <iploma ':.4&,% )ostgraduate diploma $,@24 ?achelor degree 2@@,$2@ Masters degree ;:,2!2 )h1 22,;@4 Matriculation K <oundation (tudies 22,A!$ )rofessional 2,A$> 3thers +/d#.1ip. and )re-(ession $,422 9e#els0 .:/4(.%= )inclusi e of (.4/.. international Total students+

(So#rce : www.!ohe.go .!$) Student Enrolment in Pri ate Higher Educational Institutions 3y Le el of Study as at ;une (:': Le el of Study Total -ertificate >:,::; 1iploma 2$2,$!4 /d#anced 1iploma $,2>2 )rofessional $,2A2 ?achelor's 22A,2@@ Master's $4,A:> 1octorate :,>A4 .$'4%(9 )inclusi e of %(4&:. international Grand Total students+ (So#rce : www.!ohe.go .!$) Num3er of Higher Educational Institutions in (:'' Sponsored Self!Sponsored Total 22,AA: !2,!>: >@,!>! (So#rce : www.!ohe.go .!$)& (Ma%a$sia Higher Ed#cation Statistics 2211) Num3er of Higher Educational Institutions in (:'' )ublic uni#ersity 2A )olytechnic :A -ommunity college 22 )ri#ate uni#ersity K ;A Uni#ersity college <oreign uni#ersity branch campus ! )ri#ate college /bout 4AA (So#rce: www.!ohe.go .!$)

1onclusion
6n ma8ing higher education more affordable and accessible, the go#ernment aspires to build a resilient and inno#ati#e nation that encourages the creation of a &ust society. 6t is also through education that the go#ernment aims to maintain sustainable economic and en#ironmental de#elopment, de#elop global competiti#eness, build a 8-economy, and strengthen human resource de#elopment. 6n ensuring that Malaysia realises its aim of becoming a centre of educational excellence, the go#ernment has allocated more than 2AL of the national budget for education and training. 6t aspires to enable 4AL of the $2-24 age group to ha#e access to tertiary education= pro#ide primary school education for all children= ensure that !AL of public uni#ersity lecturers possess )h1 *ualifications= and ha#e $;A,AAA international students studying at higher educational institutions by 2A$;.

/t the basic education le#el, the focus is to raise the *uality of the student. Fecei#ing a ma&or boost under the $AM) +2A$$ M 2A$;0, plans to impro#e the *uality of students include increasing the proportion of graduate teachers in primary schools from 2> to !A per cent and enhancing the performance of students in critical sub&ects, particularly the national language, .nglish, (cience and Mathematics. 6n addition, 2A schools ha#e been awarded 'high-performing school' status based on their achie#ement and performance. "he number of high-performing schools in the country will be increased to $AA by the end of 2A$2 and will include primary, secondary, day and residential schools. 6n another mo#e by the go#ernment, a "rust (chool framewor8 will be introduced to enable public-pri#ate partnership in the management of selected go#ernment schools. Under this framewor8, the go#ernment will pro#ide "rust (chools with greater autonomy in decision ma8ing and in return, schools will ha#e greater accountability in impro#ing student outcomes. (chools will ha#e the flexibility to modify the learning curriculum= and autonomy in management of allocated resources, pro#iding incenti#es to teachers in line with their performance and the selection of teachers and support staff. 6n line with the go#ernment's plan to bring #ocational education into the mainstream as outlined in the $AM), the Ministry of .ducation has ta8en steps to re-structure and transform #ocational education in Malaysia. / pilot pro&ect introducing ?asic Hocational .ducation at the lower education le#el +i.e. <orm $, 2 and :0 has been initiated. <ifteen #ocational schools ha#e also been upgraded to Hocational -ollege status and now offer (MG : and 1GM 4 s8ills *ualifications for those who ha#e completed the ?asic Hocational .ducation with (GM $ and (GM 2 *ualifications.0 6n addition, the enrolment of children between the ages of 4 and ; at pre-schools will be increased from !2 per cent in 2A$A to >2 per cent in 2A$2. "his target will be achie#ed through the addition of pre-school classes in go#ernment primary schools and by encouraging the pri#ate sector to establish more preschools.