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Structure
and Organization of the Education System
Pre-school education
Pre-school
education (kindergarten) is provided by several
government agencies, private bodies and voluntary
organizations for children aged 4-6. All pre-school
centres are registered with the Ministry of
Education. Generally, kindergartens charge
fees.
Primary education
Primary
education covers a period of six years (but
it can be completed in five to seven years)
and the admission age is 6. It is divided into
two three-year phases. At the end of primary
school, pupils sit the Primary School Achievement
Test. Education at primary level is free and,
according to the recent Education Amendment
Act of 2002, is also compulsory.
Secondary
education
Secondary
education consists of two cycles. Lower secondary
lasts three years (four years for Chinese and
Tamil pupils, the additional year in order
to help them to acquire sufficient proficiency
in Bahasa Melayu, the main medium of instruction
in secondary schools). On completing the three-year
lower secondary programme, students sit the
Lower Secondary Assessment Examination. Upper
secondary education lasts two years and is
offered in academic, technical-vocational and
religious (Islamic studies) schools. On completing
two years at this level, students in academic
and technical tracks sit the Malaysian Certificate
of Education Examination, while those in vocational
tracks sit the Malaysian Certificate of Education
(Vocational) Examination.
Post-secondary
education prepares students for the Malaysian
Higher School Certificate (Sijil Tinggi Persekolahn
Malaysia) Examination conducted by the Malaysian
Examinations Council, as well as matriculation
examinations conducted by some local universities.
Sixth Form and matriculation courses are offered
for a duration of two years. Matriculation
courses prepare students to meet specific entry
requirements of certain universities, while
the Sixth Form is designed to meet the entry
requirements of all universities.
Institutes of higher education include universities,
colleges and polytechnics. A wide range of programmes
are offered at the certificate, diploma and degree
levels. At the undergraduate level, the duration
of studies is three to four years.
The
official school year is from the beginning
of January to the third week of November (1998).
The minimum number of school days in a year
is 190. |
