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The current population of Malaysia is about 28.6 million There are approximately 2.9 million children in primary schools; 2.3 million in secondary schools; 480,000 in public universities and colleges; 550,000 in private universities and colleges; 90,000 in polytechnics and 18,000. Overall, the literacy rate for Malaysia is 92.3 per cent.
Like other countries across the globe, Malaysia’s economic climate is uncertain. To prevent the country’s economy from slipping into recession, two stimulus packages amounting to MYR 67 billion were unveiled in 2008 and 2009. Subsequently, Malaysia’s economy has rebounded and recorded an impressive growth rate of 7.2% in 2010.
Various initiatives, such as the National Economic Model (NEM) and the Tenth Malaysia Plan (2011 – 2015) are introduced by the government to make Malaysia an advanced and high income nation by 2020. Several sectors (which will be known as National Key Economic Areas [NKEAs]) have been identified in the Tenth Malaysia Plan as potential areas which yield great potential to generate income for the country, and it is not surprising that education is one of them.
In general, emphasis on education would be on early childhood education and tertiary education. Malaysia is still on track to becoming a regional and international centre of education excellence. Existing strategies in the National Higher Education Strategic Plan and National Education Blueprint are still ongoing and new initiatives were unveiled with the announcement of the Economic Transformation Plan in late 2010.
Bahasa Malaysia is the medium of instruction in most schools in Malaysia. Nevertheless, English is also widely used. The debate on whether science and mathematics will continue to be taught in English was finally resolved, with the final decision to revert the teaching of these subjects to Bahasa Malaysia. To ensure that English will still be used extensively in schools, more hours might be allocated to teach English. English grammar will also be reinforced in the syllabus to strengthen students’ competency in both written and spoken English.
Students who have completed 11 years of studies and who have obtained their SPM results (equivalent to O-levels) will have the option to pursue their tertiary education at either a private or public higher education institution in the country. These students are around 17 to 18 years of age when they sit for their SPM examinations.
Students who want to get into public universities need to take STPM (equivalent to A-levels) or the local matriculation examination (conducted in matriculation colleges under the Ministry of Education) after getting their SPM results. With effect from the academic year 2007 / 2008, students will be assessed on their academic performance in STPM (90 per cent) and involvement in co-curricular activities (10 per cent) prior to being granted entry into any public universities. Students are also required to get at least a Band 1 in the MUET (Malaysian University English Test).
Private colleges and universities are more flexible in their entry requirements, as these institutions do not only accept students with STPM but also students with other pre-university qualifications (e.g. A-level, IB, SAM, AUSMAT, CIMP, UEC, internal foundation programmes). SPM students also have the option to complete their pre-university studies at these institutions. Most private colleges and universities work with overseas universities to offer TNE (trans-national education) programmes as a mean for students to get an overseas Bachelor's degree.
There is a tendency for Malaysians to major in areas which are in demand (e.g. niche areas identified by the Government). In general, popular study areas among Malaysians include science, pharmacy, medicine, dentistry, allied health sciences, engineering, biotechnology, actuarial science, law, accounting and business.
Based on the latest data from the Ministry of Higher Education, it is recorded that there were about 80,000 Malaysians studying abroad, with significant numbers in Australia, the United Kingdom, Egypt and the United States. Most of these students would have at least completed their pre-university studies before going abroad. A certain percentage would have gone through the TNE route.
Malaysia had achieved its target of 80,000 international students in public and private higher education institutions in 2010, with the majority of international students enrolled in private colleges and universities. Currently, Malaysia is ranked eleventh globally as a preferred study destination and Malaysia’s aspiration is to move up to the sixth position by 2020 with a total enrolment of 200,000 international students.
Malaysia wants to be a fully developed nation by 2020 and one of the ways to achieve this is to invest heavily in the development of human capital. At present, it is reported that only 23% of the workforce in Malaysia is equipped with a tertiary education qualification. To be a high income nation, steps need to be taken to increase the percentage of workforce with tertiary education to 37% by 2015.
The Government is also increasing efforts to raise the number of faculty members in public universities with PhD qualifications. At present, only 36% of the faculty members across all public universities are equipped with a PhD qualification. The target for 2015 is to have 18,000 PhD holders in public universities via the MyBrain15 programme.
Nowadays, most organisations in Malaysia are looking for employees with at least a Bachelor's degree. Therefore, Malaysian parents will endeavour to finance their children’s education until they graduate with at least a Bachelor's degree. For those who are affluent, they will send their children abroad, as overseas graduates tend to be viewed more favourably by employers. On the other hand, for those who cannot afford overseas education, they will settle for the next best option, which is to send their children to private colleges and universities to enrol in Bachelor's degree programmes which are delivered via TNE.
With the uncertain economic climate, many have predicted that the education industry will be one of the industries which will be the least affected (and perhaps flourish), as people tend to look for opportunities to upgrade and equip themselves with new skills and knowledge to prepare themselves for better days ahead. Therefore, it is anticipated that there will be an increase in demand for Master's and Doctorate programmes from white collar workers from both the public and private sectors. Usually, employees from the public sector have the opportunity to be sponsored by the Government for their studies.
British Council Malaysia offers a wide range of services to UK institutions, namely:
- providing adviceand information to UK institutions about Malaysia
- managing activities for UK institutions when they are in Malaysia (e.g. interview sessions, presentations, alumni receptions, etc.)
- promoting UK institutions’ activities and events
- brokering partnerships for UK institutions who are interested in TNE
- organising exhibitions in-country to promote UK education
We work closely with the British High Commission office in Malaysia, especially on matters relating to the points-based system and student visas. Besides that, we also work together with education agents and UK regional offices in-country to promote UK education. We also communicate frequently with stakeholders from the public and private sectors to see how the British Council can work productively with them to achieve their goals and objectives.
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