Home to the famous Petronas Twin Towers and other historical landmarks, Kuala Lumpur is the capital of Malaysia. It is one of the bustling cities in Southeast Asia and a growing financial hub in the region.
Kuala Lumpur is known for its excellent education system with an above average literacy rate. Schools in Kuala Lumpur are categorized into public, private and international. Public schools in Kuala Lumpur adopt Malay as the language of instruction.
The Ministry of Education oversees the education system in Kuala Lumpur. Each state and territory in Malaysia has its education department to oversee the educational matters. There are 4 variants of schools in Malaysia.
1. Sekolah Antarabangsa (International Schools)
2. Chinese Independent High School
3. Chinese type primary and secondary schools
4. Sekolah Kebangsaan (Government or Public Schools)
Children aged 6 or 7 years old begin primary education. Level 1 starts from Year 1 to Year 3. Moreover, Level 2 consists of Year 4 to Year 6. Before students enter secondary education, they need to take the Primary School Achievement Test which covers language and basic skills of students. From Malay comprehension, Malay writing, English comprehension, English writing, Science and Mathematics, students need to pass this test before pushing through secondary schools.
For Chinese schools in Malaysia, students will have an additional Chinese comprehension and writing, as well as Tamil comprehension in writing among Tamil schools in the city.
There are also different types of public primary schools in Kuala Lumpur based on the medium of instruction. Public primary schools can either be Malay-medium National Schools and non-Malay-medium National-type Schools or vernacular schools. Vernacular schools can either be Chinese or Tamil schools. These are called Sekolah Jenis Kebangsaan (Cina) and Sekolah Jenis Kebangsaan (Tamil), respectively. In Kuala Lumpur, it’s important to note that all schools admit students regardless of racial and language background.
| Type of School | Medium of Instruction |
|---|---|
| Malay-medium National Schools (Primary School)
Sekolah Kebangsaan, SK |
Malay/English - Medium of Instruction |
| National-type School (Chinese Vernacular School)
Sekolah Jenis Kebangsaan (Cina) |
Mandarin |
| National-type School (Tamil Vernacular School)
Sekolah Jenis Kebangsaan (Tamil) |
Tamil |
In Kuala Lumpur, school year begins in January. Primary school education lasts for about 6 years. School year in kuala Lumpur begins in January and students will undertake 11 years of free education. Once a student reaches 7 years old, he or she will be eligible for admission into first grade.
Students need to pass major examinations to get into a good high school and university once they finish primary school. These tests are called SMP and STAM. A passing score will gain entrance to Malaysia’s university system.
The education system in Kuala Lumpur is influenced by the British education system. STPM exam can be compared to A-Levels while STAM is an oral and written test.
These are the subjects included in the STPM syllabus: 900 Pengajian Am, 910 Bahasa Malaysia, 911 Bahasa Cina, 912 Bahasa Tamil, 913 Bahasa Arab, 920 Literature In English, 922 Kesusasteraan Melayu, 930 Syariah, 931 Usuluddin, 940 Sejarah, 942 Geografi, 944 Ekonomi, 946 Pengajian Perniagaan, 948 Perakaunan, 950 Mathematics S, 954 Mathematics T, 956 Further Mathematics T, 958 Computing, 960 Physics, 962 Chemistry, 964 Biology, 966 Sains Sukan, and 970 Seni Visual.
Public schools in Kuala Lumpur requires that students adhere to strict dress code. Students need to tie their hair according to rules prescribed by the school. Boys can’t have long hair and girls must wear blue or black ribbon only. Primary school students can’t dye their hair in any other color.
Students from Malay, Chinese, and Indian origins attend schools in Kuala Lumpur which offer the medium of instruction same as their ethnicity. There are separate types of schools for Malays, Indians, and Chinese students.
There are about 5407 9Malay schools, 1284 Chinese primary schools, and 526 Tamil schools. The majority of students are in Malaysian primary schools boasting 2.2 million students, 623000 students in Chinese schools and 90,000 students in Tamil schools.
Despite these types of schools, each school can accept students regardless of their ethnicity. There are Chinese students who attend independent schools. Only 9% of Chinese population attend Chinese schools.
Malaysia plans to set out vision schools that encourage racial mix in the education system of the country. The idea is to have students educated separately but share facilities like sports field, gym, and canteen. There is a high demand for Chinese teachers among Chinese schools, while Malaysia has an excess of teachers.
Schools in Kuala Lumpur follow the American, British, Australian or International Baccalaureate curriculum. Meanwhile, most private schools in Kuala Lumpur are founded by religious groups.
Below are the stages of Education in Kuala Lumpur:
| Level/Grade | Typical age |
|---|---|
| Preschool | |
| Pre-school playgroup | 3–4 |
| Kindergarten | 4–6 |
| Primary school | |
| Year 1 | 7 |
| Year 2 | 8 |
| Year 3 | 9 |
| Year 4 | 10 |
| Year 5 | 11 |
| Year 6 | 12 |
| Secondary school | |
| Form 1 | 13 (or 14) |
| Form 2 | 14 (or 15) |
| Form 3 | 15 (or 16) |
| Form 4 | 16 (or 17) |
| Form 5 | 17 (or 18) |
| Form 6/Pre-University | 18 or above |
| Post-secondary education | |
| Tertiary education (College, Polytechnic or University) | |
Edarabia showcases all private schools in Kuala lumpur through which parents can filter by tuition fees, curriculum, rankings & ratings. There are many public, private and charter schools near you that cater to both expat and local students.
Depending on the level of education; kindergartens (pre-schools), primary, secondary and high schools will all have varying tuition fees. Most K-12 schools offer different curriculums and extra-curricular activities to support the intellectual and physical wellbeing of students. Admissions for the top international schools in Kuala lumpur tend to have waiting lists so it is recommended that parents apply well in advance to secure a spot for their children. Additionally, each school has ratings based on parent reviews and are ranked below accordingly.
For more details, please click here
Twitter