Types of Schools and School

Systems in Malaysia
TEO WOON CHUN
2 PPISMP TESL (SJKC)

Types of
Schools in
Malaysia

National
Primary
School

Nationaltype Primary
School

Primary
School

Secondary
School

International
School

Private
School

Religious
School

Types of
Schools in
Malaysia

Primary
School

National
Secondary
School

Fully
Residential
School

Secondary
School

Arts or Sports
Secondary
School

Chinese
Independent
High School

MRSM

Religious
School

In general, there are four types of

school systems which are:
The
government
school system

The private
school system

The
vernacular
school system

The
international
school system

The government school system

government-funded, parents are only required to pay minimal fees

To ensure each and every Malaysian child will have access to

education at the primary and secondary school levels.

The core curriculum in these educational environments emphasizes

the national language of Bahasa Malaysia and the teaching of all
subjects, except other languages, is done primarily in Bahasa
Malaysia.

Based on PPPM 2013-2025

Reduce the emphasis on examinations and rote-learning

Focus more on continuous assessments and independent learning

Promote active learning and nurture well-rounded individuals.

Whether this will have a positive impact on the totality of the childs
education or not remains to be seen.

The vernacular school system

to cater for specific ethnic and cultural communities in Malaysia,

namely the Chinese and Indians, who wished to have their respective
languages and cultural values promoted in their schools.

It (the Chinese schools in particular) has been significantly enhanced

and developed through community effort and it is common now to see
children from other ethnic communities learning in such
environments.

Primary medium of communication: Mandarin/Tamil language

The Chinese vernacular schools : good quality education

Common concern:
excessive
the

amount of homework that is assigned to students

pressure that the child is placed under due to the school

culture, which places a premium on performance and
academic excellence.

The private school system

Parents are required to pay full fees including application

and registration fees, tuition fees and fees for cocurricular activities.

Follows the Malaysian national school curriculum

More extensive physical infrastructure and facilities

enable greater access to technology, offered additional language

classes as well as a whole range of other academic and nonacademic activities that widen and enhance their educational
experience.

More individualized attention for students

smaller classes

higher levels of interaction between the school and parents of the

students.

The international school system

All use English as the medium of instruction

offer a range of curriculum options such as:

American
UK

Curriculum,

New

South Wales,

Central
New
the

Board of Secondary Education,

Delhi,

International Baccalaureate,

Islamic
the

Curriculum,

curriculum, and

Ontario Curriculum