Preschool, Primary, Secondary and Tertiary Education in Malaysia

Education System in Malaysia

Education in Malaysia is the responsibility of the federal government. Primary and Secondary education in Malaysia comes under the purview of the Ministry of Education (Kementerian Pelajaran Malaysia). Tertiary education comes under the  Ministry of Higher Education  (Kementerian Pengajian Tinggi). Primary Education and 5 years of secondary education in public schools is free for Malaysians.

Department of Higher Education (in Malay)

Calendars - Schools terms + Public Holidays

Preschool Education   Most parents send their children to private preschools (registered by the Ministry of Education) before the age of six. (though not compulsory). There are state (government) run preschools (by KEMAS) which provide affordable pre-schooling to those lower income in some states. 

Primary education in Malaysia starts at the age of six (child must be over six yrs to be admitted). Primary education is compulsory and lasts six years. All government or public schools  must admit pupils of Malaysian citizens. Parents are required to register their children at a local school before they reach this age to be ensured of a place. The medium of instructions in public schools are Malay or Chinese/Tamil with Malay. English language is compulsory and Science and Maths are taught in English. Assessment/national examination at year 6: UPSR (Primary School Performance Examination) 

Secondary Education    Secondary Government schools are open to all Malaysian citizens. Secondary schooling normally begins at the age of twelve and is 5 yrs (up to Form 5) or 7 years (up to Form 6). The medium of instructions in public schools is the Malay language. English language is compulsory with Science and Maths taught in English. Main assessment of Students nationwide:

Year 3 (Form 3) of Secondary school PMR (Lower Secondary Examination)

Year 5 (Form 5) SPM (Malaysian Certificate of Education)

Year 6 (Form 6) STPM / similar to ‘A’ Levels Exam

Tertiary Education for many students starts at the age of 18.   The Ministry of Higher Education Malaysia overseas admission to public colleges and universities, and management of higher education - or polytechnics, community collages, private collages and private and public universities.

Entrance to university:

The main entrance requirement is the results the CGPA for diploma holders, the matriculation examination or STPM.

     All applicants to public universities are also required to sit for the Malaysian University English Test (MUET), which stared in 1999, administered by the Malaysian Examination Council (Majlis Peperiksaan Malaysia). Grades (called bands band 1, poor to band 6 high) of this exam is just to determine the competency of the student in English and whether they need to take extra English courses. However, entry to public universities is very competitive and a higher grade is required for entry to professional courses, such as medicine and pharmacy.

For STPM and MUET examinations in Malaysia:

Malaysia Examination Council (Majlis Peperiksaan Malaysia)

Links to Information on Education in Malaysia

Libraries in Malaysia

National Library Malaysia   

myKedah library - Kedah

Sultan Bahiyah Library, UUM, Kedah

Malaysia digital library

Libraries in Singapore

Nanyang Technological University 

Other Links

Communications

Other links

News Media in Asia

Books on Malaysia and Singapore

English-Malay Dictionary 

Transportation in Asia

Malaysia 

Singapore 

Asia