Comparative Education 2015

EDUCATION IN MALAYSIA

Population :
30.8 M
Main
Language :
Malay and
English
State Religion :
Muslim
Land area:126,853 sq mi Literacy rate :
94.68% (2013)
(328,549 sq km);

% with
Total area:127,316 sq mi Secondary or
(329,750 sq km)
Higher
Qualifications:

Secondary
education
lasts for 6-7
years,
referred to
as Form 1
to 6 or
Form 1 to
Matriculatio
n college.
Divided into three stages. Medium junior secondary
education lasts 3 years, at the end of which pupils
take the UPSR or junior secondary school test.

National Type
Chinese/Tamil
School pupils
attend an
additional year
at a remove
class before
entering
Malaysian
medium junior
secondary
school.
Two

years of senior secondary education.

At the end of senior secondary school, pupils take the

SPM or Open Certification Examination (Malaysian
Certificate of Education).

Another 2
years of
(preuniversity)
secondary
education at
a Sixth Form
College (2
years) or a
Matriculatio
n College (1)
year.

The STPM and Matriculation Certificate grant

access to a university programme.
The UCE generally grants access to foreign
university programmes.
Polytechnics and community colleges are
supervised by the Ministry of Higher
Education. The entry requirement of these
two types of institutions are the SPM and the
SPMV.

Programmes at universities and university

colleges lead to bachelors degrees,
masters degrees and PhDs, and also the
non-degree Diploma.
Polytechnics and community colleges both
offer technical and professional
programmes leading to a Diploma or a
Certificate

TheMinistry of Education (MOE)or

theKementerian Pendidikan Malaysia) is a
Governmentministryresponsible
forMalaysian educational matters in the
basic education years.
Ministry of Higher Education reponsible for
monitoring and centralizing the higher
education institution or universities and
also the Polythenic Universities through the
Department of Polythechnic Education.

Malaysian Qualifications Register

responsible for keeping a list and
registering schools, universities both
academic and polythenic.
MARA or The Council of Trust for the
Indigenous People. The MARA Business
Institute and the MARA Infotech Academy
offer higher education programmes. Also, it
awards the national Certificate and Diploma
qualifications, taking 2 and 3 years to
complete, respectively.

Students interest and initiative

Difficulty level of English as second language
Qualifications of teachers: Lack of competent
experts
Education Reforms / Educational Management
Internationalization: Lack of exposures and
resources to embrace education without
borders
Research and Development: Lack of high
impact research
Racial quotas

Students

academic freedom
Education for All
Entrance examinations implementation
Standardized tests
Financial Subsidy and Assistance Plan of
the government
National Education

Basic

Reading & Writing Classroom

Intervention Program (KIA2M)
National Policy
Education Development Master Plan
(EDMP) 2006-2010
Education and Vision 2020
Malaysian Education Blueprint (Pioneering)

QUICK

FACTS 2014, Educational Planning and Research

Division MINISTRY OF EDUCATION MALAYSIA, 2014
DEVELOPEMT OF EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM IN MALAYSIA,
Mcelley Lorience Aileen Asim, 2011
The Malaysian education system described and
compared with the Dutch system, EP-Nuffic | 1st edition
November 2008 | version 4, January 2015
Higher Education in Malaysia: Current issues,
Challenges and Hopes, Rafidah Aga Mohd Jaladin et. al.,
2010
Preliminary Report Malaysian Education Blueprint 2013,
Ministry of Education
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