Malaysia to move away from exam-centric education system

KUALA LUMPUR, June 18 — There will be a shift towards continuous assessment of students instead of assessment purely on centralised exams in two years' time.

The proposal to introduce other methods of assessment has been on trial for two years, it was revealed today, and is aimed at addressing what parliamentarians called the "A syndrome" where people are obsessed simply with scoring as many As as possible for exams.

This trend has resulted in difficulty on the government's part to justify the awarding of public scholarships as it claims it has to balance academic and non-academic qualifications.

The new system, called the National Education Assessment System (SPPK), will see five assessments being introduced; school, central, psychometric, physical activity and co-curriculum, as well as central exams.

Deputy Education Minister Datuk Wee Ka Siong told Parliament today that a pilot project has already been rolled out in 50 last year and 500 schools this year respectively, although it had no set date to roll out the system.

He said this in reply to a question by Salahuddin Ayub (PAS-Kubang Kerian) who said that the current reliance on central exams has created an "A syndrome" where teachers and parents focus solely on racking up distinctions.

Wee, acknowledging that the trend has become a community-wide obsession, said that the new policy would allow "schools to evaluate students independently" based on certain guidelines set out by the ministry.

By 2011, the Sijil Tinggi Persekolahan Malaysia (STPM), the national pre-university course, will shift towards a "modular" system from the current "terminal" one.

"This means that each semester you will be tested only on what you learnt that semester," Wee told reporters later.

However, he said that a final exam would still be conducted and this would make up 70 to 80 per cent of the final marks with the exams module taking up the rest.

Later on, the ministry is proposing that the primary school-leaving Ujian Pencapaian Sekolah Rendah exam allow for 70 per cent grading outside a central exam.

The lower secondary evaluation Penilaian Menengah Rendah would be split evenly, while the crucial school-leaving Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia would have 70 per cent weightage for a final central exam.

Wee explained that the ascending scale of importance for central exams was due to a need for a streamlined assessment prior to government allocations for public university places and scholarships.

Such a system would also make non-exam evaluation crucial at an early age, build soft skills earlier and set up the right foundations for students to have what Wee called "educability, trainability, employability and marketability."

Never ending JPA scholarship 'controversies'

The latest JPA scholarship results have been announced and not surprisingly, it has been met with howls of protests among the usual quarters, starting with the MCA.

Here are a few links to some newspaper reports that document these protests as well as the JPA's response to these protests. You can access them here, here and here.

Protests and appeals should not be surprising given the limited number of scholarships and the higher number of 'deserving' candidates. But the JPA is not helpless in trying to quell some of these protests.

What the JPA needs to do is the following:

(i) Clarify the objectives of the JPA scholarship

- Is it to give an opportunity for academically excellent Malaysian students to study abroad?
- Is it to create a pool of talented workers who would come back to serve the country in the civil service?
- Is it to reward students from academically disadvantaged backgrounds e.g. from rural areas, from lower class families, from Sabah and Sarawak etc... an opportunity to study abroad?
- Does awarding the local versus the foreign JPA scholarship fulfill different objectives e.g. are those who are academically more gifted awarded the foreign JPA scholarship?
- How important is the racial 'quota' in determining who ultimately gets this scholarship?

Right now, my impression is that the JPA is trying to be all things to all people and trying to fulfill too many fast changing objectives with the awarding of these scholarships.

(ii) Make the criterion for obtaining these scholarships transparent to the public

- Hopefully what this will do is to quell some of the protests. At least if the public knows what these criterion are e.g. to reward students from rural areas, they will understand even if they might not agree with these criteria.

I always feel that more information and transparency is better.

(iii) Have some sort of tracking mechanism to see if these objectives have been met

- For example, JPA could easily track the statistics of different scholarship recipients e.g. % of scholars obtaining places to study in the top universities in the UK or US, graduation rates of scholars with different academic abilities based on their SPM results, % of scholars who return to Malaysia after graduation, % of scholars who return to Malaysia and work for the civil service, etc...
- Using these statistics, the JPA as well as their political masters can decide on whether their objectives have been fulfilled and if not, how the criteria for selection needs to be changed to fulfill these objectives

Right now, most JPA scholars who go abroad either don't come back to Malaysia or if they do, end up working in the private sector which is what they would have done anyways, without the JPA scholarship. Hence, it is a waste of taxpayers money.

My sense is that for this year's JPA scholarship, many more students who did not achieve academically stellar SPM results and who were from rural areas were awarded a disproportionate share of the scholarships while many students who were more academically superior but who are from the urban areas were rejected.

We've blogged about the JPA scholarships many, many times in this blog. I will summarize some of the recommendations which have been put forth here:

(i) Award these scholarships only after these students have applied to and obtained places in foreign universities
(ii) Give priority to those students who have obtained places in some of the top schools in foreign universities based on a pre-approved list of universities
(iii) Bond these students so that they have to return to Malaysia to serve in the civil service

If I were advising the Malaysian government on this matter, I would recommend the following steps:

(i) Refer to the JPA foreign scholarships as the JPA scholarships. Call the local scholarships something else since most of the attention is paid to the places for foreign universities.
(ii) Restrict the number of JPA foreign scholarships so that you can be more selective about who you pick to received these scholarships.
(iii) Create an administrative layer within the civil service that is specifically in charge of 'taking in' these JPA scholars as civil servants so that their skills and expertise can be utilized for the public good
(iv) Allow other GLCs to recruit these JPA scholars but with the caveat that these GLCs have to pay back a certain value of the scholarships (but with a discount) so that the taxpayers' money is accounted for

I would make it absolutely clear that the JPA foreign scholarships will be awarded to the best and the brightest who are willing to come back to serve their country. This way, the JPA scholarships will have a focus instead of trying to be all things to all people.

And hopefully, end some of these always occurring 'controversies' about who is or is not deserving of a JPA foreign scholarship.

Malaysia, Education & Tuition

This guide is written to help those who are not familiar with Malaysia understand better the articles posted on this website. Many of the articles assume, on the part of the readers, a comfortable level of knowledge in educational and societal norms of this country. For these and also other country-specific references found elsewhere on this site, an introduction will be helpful for foreigners. If you are a Malaysian, you might want to skip this guide and go straight on to the collection of education & tuition articles or go to our main site. Whenever possible, equivalent popular terms will be provided in the Malay Language (Bahasa Melayu, Bahasa Malaysia) in italicized font.

Malaysia
To begin with, Malaysia is a constitutional monarchy consisting of 13 states (negeri) and 3 federal territories (wilayah persekutuan). The country is geographically separated into two regions, West Malaysia (Malaysia Barat) and East Malaysia (Malaysia Timur), by the South China Sea (Laut China Selatan). East Malaysia forms part of the Borneo island and consists of 2 states, Sabah and Sarawak, and the Federal Territory of Labuan (Wilayah Persekutuan Labuan). West Malaysia, which is also known as Peninsular Malaysia (Semenanjung Malaysia) hosts the remaining 11 states, the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur (Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur), and the Federal Territory of Putrajaya (Wilayah Persekutuan Putrajaya). The capital (ibu negara) of Malaysia is the City of Kuala Lumpur (Bandaraya Kuala Lumpur) - usually abbreviated as KL; while Putrajaya is referred to as the country's administrative capital. On the other hand, Labuan is a free port and also an offshore financial center. Following lists all the states and their respective state capitals:

State (Negeri) - State Capital (Ibu Negeri)
Johor (Johor) - Johor Bahru, or JB (Johor Baru) Kedah (Kedah) - Alor Star (Alor Setar) Kelantan (Kelantan) - Kota Bharu (Kota Bharu) Melaka (Melaka) - City of Malacca (Bandaraya Melaka) Negeri Sembilan (Negeri Sembilan) - Seremban (Seremban) Pahang (Pahang) - Kuantan (Kuantan) Perak (Perak) - Ipoh (Ipoh)	Perlis (Perlis) - Kangar (Kangar) Pulau Pinang (Pulau Pinang) - George Town (Georgetown) Sabah (Sabah) - Kota Kinabalu, or KK (Kota Kinabalu) Sarawak (Sarawak) - Kuching (Kuching) Selangor (Selangor) - Shah Alam (Shah Alam) Terengganu (Terengganu) - Kuala Terengganu (Kuala Terengganu)

The Malaysian people is a multi ethnic society made up of three major races; the Malays and the Indigenous Peoples (Melayu & Bumiputera, or Bumiputra); the Chinese (Cina); and the Indians (India). By and large, the west coast (pantai barat) of Peninsular Malaysia is dominantly populated by the Malays, while the east coast (pantai timur) reflect a more heterogenous mixture of ethnicity. The most extensive co-minglings occur in urban areas like the Klang Valley (Lembah Kelang, or Lembah Klang); specifically in places such as Kuala Lumpur (KL), Petaling Jaya (PJ), Subang Jaya (SJ), Cheras, Bangsar, Brickfields, Ampang, Damansara, Shah Alam, Sri Hartamas, Selayang, Kepong, Kelana Jaya, Gombak, Rawang, USJ, Sri Petaling, Puchong, Sunway etc. The national language (bahasa kebangsaan) is the Malay Language (Bahasa Melayu, or Bahasa Malaysia, or BM), although English (Bahasa Inggeris, or BI) is spoken extensively as a second language. Among the various ethnic groups, their mother tongues (bahasa ibunda) are also used, such as Mandarin (Bahasa Mandarin, or Bahasa Cina), Cantonese (Bahasa Kantonis), Tamil (Bahasa Tamil), Punjabi (Bahasa Punjabi) & etc. The national currency is the Malaysian Ringgit (Ringgit Malaysia, or RM).


Kindergarten
Kindergarten or pre-schooling is compulsory for 6-year old children in Malaysia. Pre-school (pra-sekolah, prasekolah) institutions of this country are often known as Tadika (Taman didikan kanak-kanak), Tabika (Taman bimbingan kanak-kanak), Taska (Taman asuhan kanak-kanak), Nursery, Kindergarten etc. They all follow the National Pre-school Curriculum (Kurikulum Prasekolah Kebangsaan). Subjects taught under this curriculum include:

National Preschool Curiculum (Kurikulum Prasekolah Kebangsaan)
Malay Language (Bahasa Melayu) English Language (Bahasa Inggeris) Chinese Language (Bahasa Cina); or Tamil Language (Bahasa Tamil) Science (Sains) Mathematics (Matematik)	Islamic Education (Pendidikan Islam); or Moral Education (Pendidikan Moral) Socio-emotional Education (Pendidikan Sosioemosi) Physical Education (Pendidikan Jasmani) Arts, Music & Creative Movement (Pendidikan Seni, Muzik & Pergerakan Kreatif)

Primary School
At age 7, children begin their formal education (pendidikan) in primary schools (sekolah rendah). Primary schooling lasts 6 years altogether. Pupils advance from Tahun 1 (Darjah 1, Primary 1, Standard 1, Year 1) through Tahun 2 (Darjah 2, Primary 2, Standard 2, Year 2), Tahun 3 (Darjah 3, Primary 3, Standard 3, Year 3), Tahun 4 (Darjah 4, Primary 4, Standard 4, Year 4), Tahun 5 (Darjah 5, Primary 5, Standard 5, Year 5) & Tahun 6 (Darjah 6, Primary 6, Standard 6, Year 6). Primary schools can usually be recognised by the prefixes in their names, such as SK - Sekolah Kebangsaan; SJK - Sekolah Jenis Kebangsaan; SJK(C) - Sekolah Jenis Kebangsaan Cina; SJK(T) - Sekolah Jenis Kebangsaan Tamil; SRJK - Sekolah Rendah Jenis Kebangsaan; SRJK(C) - Sekolah Rendah Jenis Kebangsaan Cina; SRJK(T) - Sekolah Rendah Jenis Kebangsaan Tamil; and SA - Sekolah Agama. The multitudes of variations is due to the fact that schools use different ethnic languages as their medium of instruction. However, they all subscribe to the same national curriculum known as KBSR (Kurikulum Baru Sekolah Rendah / Kurikulum Bersepadu Sekolah Rendah), or New Curriculum for Primary School / Integrated Curriculum for Primary School. Using this scheme, primary schooling is separated into Level I (Tahap I) and Level II (Tahap II). Year 1, Year 2 and Year 3 are grouped as Level I; while Year 4, Year 5 and Year 6 are grouped as Level II. The academic subjects (matapelajaran, mata pelajaran) taught under KBSR are listed below:

Subjects in Level I - Years 1, 2 & 3 (Subjek dalam Tahap I - Tahun 1, 2 & 3)
Malay Language (Bahasa Melayu) English Language (Bahasa Inggeris) Chinese Language (Bahasa Cina) Tamil Language (Bahasa Tamil) Science (Sains) Mathematics (Matematik)	Music Education (Pendidikan Muzik) Visual Arts Education (Pendidikan Seni Visual) Physical Education (Pendidikan Jasmani) Health Education (Pendidikan Kesihatan) Moral Education (Pendidikan Moral) Islamic Education (Pendidikan Islam)

Subjects in Level II - Years 4, 5 & 6 (Subjek dalam Tahap II - Tahun 4, 5 & 6)
Malay Language (Bahasa Melayu) English Language (Bahasa Inggeris) Chinese Language (Bahasa Cina) Tamil Language (Bahasa Tamil) Science (Sains) Mathematics (Matematik) Local Studies (Kajian Tempatan)	Integrated Living Skills (Kemahiran Hidup Bersepadu) Music Education (Pendidikan Muzik) Visual Arts Education (Pendidikan Seni Visual) Physical Education (Pendidikan Jasmani) Health Education (Pendidikan Kesihatan) Moral Education (Pendidikan Moral) Islamic Education (Pendidikan Islam)

Secondary School
After primary schooling, pupils will move on to secondary schooling. However, those from ethnic primary schools who wish to enter national schools will undergo a year in a remove class / remove form (kelas peralihan / tingkatan peralihan). Secondary schooling takes 5 years altogether. Students advance from Form1 (Tingkatan 1) through Form 2 (Tingkatan 2), Form 3 (Tingkatan 3), Form 4 (Tingkatan 4) & Form 5 (Tingkatan 5). Similar to primary schools, secondary schools can usually be recognised by the prefixes in their names, such as SMK - Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan; SMJK - Sekolah Menengah Jenis Kebangsaan; SMJK(C) - Sekolah Menengah Jenis Kebangsaan Cina; SMJK(T) - Sekolah Menengah Jenis Kebangsaan Tamil; SMB - Sekolah Menengah Bantuan; and SMA - Sekolah Menengah Agama. However, they all subscribe to the same national curriculum known as KBSM (Kurikulum Baru Sekolah Menengah / Kurikulum Bersepadu Sekolah Menengah), or New Curriculum for Secondary School / Integrated Curriculum for Secondary School. Using this scheme, secondary schooling is separated into Lower Secondary School (Sekolah Menengah Rendah - SMR) and Upper Secondary School (Sekolah Menengah Atas - SMA). Form 1, Form 2 and Form 3 are grouped as SMR; while Form 4 and Form 5 are grouped as SMA. The academic subjects (mata pelajaran) taught under KBSM are listed below:

Subjects in Lower Secondary School - Forms 1, 2 & 3 (Subjek dalam Sekolah Menengah Rendah - Tingkatan 1, 2 & 3)
Malay Language (Bahasa Melayu) English Language (Bahasa Inggeris) Chinese Language (Bahasa Cina) Tamil Language (Bahasa Tamil) Science (Sains) Mathematics (Matematik) Geography (Geografi) History (Sejarah)	Integrated Living Skills (Kemahiran Hidup Bersepadu) Music Education (Pendidikan Muzik) Visual Arts Education (Pendidikan Seni Visual) Physical Education (Pendidikan Jasmani) Health Education (Pendidikan Kesihatan) Moral Education (Pendidikan Moral) Islamic Education (Pendidikan Islam) Malay Language Practice (Amalan Bahasa Melayu) - for Remove Class (Kelas Peralihan) only

Subjects in Upper Secondary School - Forms 4 & 5 (Subjek dalam Sekolah Menengah Atas - Tingkatan 4 & 5)

Malay Language (Bahasa Melayu) English Language (Bahasa Inggeris) Chinese Language (Bahasa Cina) Tamil Language (Bahasa Tamil) Science (Sains) Mathematics (Matematik) Geography (Geografi) Physics (Fizik) Chemistry (Kimia) Biology (Biologi) Sports Science (Sains Sukan)

Malay Literature (Kesusasteraan Melayu) English for Science and Technology - EST (Bahasa Inggeris untuk Sains dan Teknologi) Music Education (Pendidikan Muzik) Visual Arts Education (Pendidikan Seni Visual) Additional Mathematics (Matematik Tambahan) Physical Education (Pendidikan Jasmani) Health Education (Pendidikan Kesihatan) Moral Education (Pendidikan Moral) Islamic Education (Pendidikan Islam) Basic Economics (Ekonomi Asas) Information Technology (Teknologi Maklumat)

Apart from the subjects listed above, Form 4 and Form 5 students in vocational (vokasional, vokesyenal) schools can also select the following subjects:

Subjects in Vocational School - Forms 4 & 5 (Subjek dalam Sekolah Vokasional - Tingkatan 4 & 5)

Domestic Construction (Pembinaan Domestik) Furniture Making (Membuat Perabot) Signage Design (Seni Reka Tanda) Food Planting (Tanaman Makanan) Facial Care and Hairdressing (Penjagaan Muka dan Dandanan Rambut) Domestic Electrical Appliances Servicing (Menservis Peralatan Elektrik Domestik) Clothing Design and Sewing (Rekaan dan Jahitan Pakaian) Catering and Serving (Katering dan Penyajian) Landscape and Nursery (Lanskap dan Nurseri)

Aquaculture and Recreational Animals (Akuakultur dan Haiwan Rekreasi) Cooling and Air-Conditioning Equipment Servicing (Menservis Peralatan Penyejukan dan Penyamanan Udara) Basic Interior Design (Hiasan Dalaman Asas) Early Childhood Education and Care (Asuhan dan Pendidikan Awal Kanak-Kanak) Multimedia Production (Produksi Multimedia) Computer Graphics (Grafik Berkomputer) Food Processing (Pemprosesan Makanan) Domestic Wiring (Pendawaian Domestik) Automobile Servicing (Menservis Automobil)

In addition to Forms 1 to 5, there is also a Form 6 (Tingkatan 6) which serves as a pre-university (pra-universiti) level. Form 6 students comprise of two stages - Lower 6 (Tingkatan 6 Bawah) and Upper 6 (Tingkatan 6 Atas). Students in Form 6 are usually aiming to enter one of the several local universities in Malaysia. In order to achieve that, they will have to do well in the STPM examination. The subjects available in Form 6 will be covered in the section on STPM below.


UPSR
UPSR, short for Ujian Pencapaian Sekolah Rendah or Primary School Achievement Test is a compulsory national examination (peperiksaan kebangsaan) for Year 6 primary school students. These pupils will sit for the exam at the end of their academic year. Not all subjects that are taught in school will be tested though. Only selected subjects considered as important are covered in the UPSR. These subjects are:

Subjects in Primary School Achievement Test, UPSR - Year 6 (Subjek dalam Ujian Pencapaian Sekolah Rendah, UPSR - Tahun 6)
Malay Language - Comprehension (Bahasa Melayu - Pemahaman) Malay Language - Composition (Bahasa Melayu - Penulisan) English Language (Bahasa Inggeris) Mathematics (Matematik) Science (Sains)	Chinese Language - Comprehension (Bahasa Cina - Pemahaman) Chinese Language - Composition (Bahasa Cina - Penulisan) Tamil Language - Comprehension (Bahasa Tamil - Pemahaman) Tamil Language - Composition (Bahasa Tamil - Penulisan)

PMR
PMR, short for Penilainan Menengah Rendah or Lower Secondary Assessment is a compulsory national examination (peperiksaan kebangsaan) for Form 3 secondary school students. These pupils will sit for the exam at the end of their academic year. Not all subjects that are taught in school will be tested though. Only selected subjects considered as important are covered in the PMR. These subjects are:

Subjects in Lower Secondary Assessment, PMR - Form 3 (Subjek dalam Penilaian Menengah Rendah, PMR - Tingkatan 3)
Malay Language (Bahasa Melayu) English Language (Bahasa Inggeris) Chinese Language (Bahasa Cina) Tamil Language (Bahasa Tamil) Arabic Language - Communication (Bahasa Arab - Komunikasi) Punjabi Language (Bahasa Punjabi)	Mathematics (Matematik) Science (Sains) History (Sejarah) Geography (Geografi) Islamic Education (Pendidikan Islam) Integrated Living Skills (Kemahiran Hidup Bersepadu) Iban Language (Bahasa Iban)

SPM / SPMV
SPM, short for Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia or Malaysian Certificate of Education is a compulsory national examination (peperiksaan kebangsaan) for Form 5 secondary school students. These pupils will sit for the exam at the end of their academic year. For vocational schools, the equivalent examination will be SPM(V), short for Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (Vokasional) or Malaysian Certificate of Education (Vocational). Subjects offered in the SPM / SPVM are:

Subjects in Malaysian Certificate of Education, SPM / SPMV - Form 5 (Subjek dalam Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia, SPM / SPMV - Tingkatan 5)

Malay Language (Bahasa Melayu) English Language (Bahasa Inggeris) Islamic Education (Pendidikan Islam) Moral Education (Pendidikan Moral) History (Sejarah) Mathematics (Matematik) Science (Sains) English Literature (Kesusasteraan Bahasa Inggeris) Malay Literature (Kesusasteraan Melayu) Geography (Geografi) Advanced Arabic Language (Bahasa Arab Tinggi) Arts Education (Pendidikan Seni) Music Education (Pendidikan Muzik) Additional Mathematics (Matematik Tambahan) Agricultural Science (Sains Pertanian) Commerce (Perdagangan) Accounting Principles (Prinsip Akaun) Basic Economics (Ekonomi Asas) Household Economics (Ekonomi Rumah Tangga) Engineering Drawing (Lukisan Kejuruteraan) Mechanical Engineering Studies (Pengajian Kejuruteraan Jentera) Civil Engineering Studies (Pengajian Kejuruteraan Awam) Electrical and Electronic Engineering Study (Pengajian Kejuruteraan Elektrik dan Elektronik) Design (Reka Cipta) Engineering Technology (Teknologi Kejuruteraan) Information Technology (Teknologi Maklumat) Physics (Fizik) Chemistry (Kimia) Biology (Biologi) Additional Science (Sains Tambahan) Sports Science Knowledge (Pengetahuan Sains Sukan) Islamic Tasawwur (Tasawwur Islam) Al-Quran and As-Sunnah Education (Pendidikan Al-Quran dan As-Sunnah) Syariah Islamiah Education (Pendidikan Syariah Islamiah) Chinese Language (Bahasa Cina) Tamil Language (Bahasa Tamil) Arabic Language - Communication (Bahasa Arab - Komunikasi) Machine Workshop Technology (Teknologi Bengkel Mesin) Grinding and Machining Work (Kerja Menggegas dan Memesin) Machine and Geometrical Drawing (Lukisan Geometri dan Mesin) Building Construction Technology (Teknologi Binaan Bangunan) Wood and Brick Work (Kerja Kayu dan Bata) Building Construction and Geometrical Drawing (Lukisan Geometri dan Binaan Bangunan)

Electrical Technology (Teknologi Elektrik) Electrical Control and Installation (Pemasangan dan Kawalan Elektrik) Electrical and Geometrical Drawing (Lukisan Geometri dan Elektrik) Electronics Technology (Teknologi Elektronik) TV and Radio Servicing (Menservis Radio dan TV) Electronics and Geometrical Drawing (Lukisan Geometri dan Elektronik) Metal Fabrication and Welding Technology (Teknologi Kimpalan dan Fabrikasi Logam) Welding Work (Kerja Kimpalan) Metal Fabrication and Geometrical Drawing (Lukisan Geometri dan Fabrikasi Logam) Automotive Technology (Teknologi Automotif) Vehicle Repair and Servicing (Menservis dan Membaiki Kenderaan) Automotive and Geometrical Drawing (Lukisan Geometri dan Automotif) Air-Conditioning and Cooling Technology (Teknologi Penyejukan dan Penyamanan Udara) Air-Conditioning and Cooling Work (Kerja Penyejukan dan Penyamanan Udara) Air-Conditioning and Geometrical Drawing (Lukisan Geometri dan Penyamanan Udara) Basic Information Processing (Asas Pemprosesan Maklumat) Catering Technology (Teknologi Katering) Food Preparation and Service (Penyediaan dan Perkhidmatan Makanan) Clothes Making and Fashion Design Technology (Teknologi Rekaan Fesyen dan Membuat Pakaian) Clothes Making and Fashion Design (Rekaan Fesyen dan Membuat Pakaian) Cosmetics Technology (Teknologi Seni Kecantikan) Make-Up and Hairdressing (Persolekan dan Mendandan Rambut) Confectionery and Bakery Technology (Teknologi Bakeri dan Konfeksioneri) Patisserie and Bread Making (Membuat Roti dan Patisserie) Child Care (Asuhan Kanak-Kanak) Minding and Caring for Children (Mengasuh dan Membimbing Kanak-kanak) Plants Production (Pengeluaran Tanaman) Poultry Production (Pengeluaran Ternakan) Decorative Horticulture and Landscaping (Hortikultur Hiasan dan Landskap) Farming Machines (Kejenteraan Ladang) Farm Management (Pengurusan Ladang) Chinese Literature (Kesusasteraan Cina) Tamil Literature (Kesusasteraan Tamil) Bible Knowledge (Pengetahuan Kitab Injil) French Language (Bahasa Perancis) Punjabi Language (Bahasa Punjabi)

The large number of subjects on offer is due to the existence of multiple streams (aliran) of study. Choosing a certain combination of subjects constitues a 'package' (pakej). Among the 'packages' are Pure Science (Sains Tulen / Sains Tulin), Professional Arts (Sastera Ikhtisas), Islamic Studies (Pengajian Islam), Humanities (Kemanusiaan), Vocational (Vokasional / Vokesyenal), Additional Science (Sains Tambahan), Information Technology (Teknologi Maklumat) & etc.


STPM / STAM
STPM, short for Sijil Tinggi Persekolahan Malaysia or Malaysian Higher School Certificate is a pre-university (pra-universiti) national examination (peperiksaan kebangsaan) for Form 6 students. These pupils will sit for the exam at the end of their academic year. Subjects offered in the STPM are:

Subjects in Malaysian Higher School Certificate, STPM - Form 6 (Subjek dalam Sijil Tinggi Persekolahan Malaysia, STPM - Tingkatan 6)
General Studies (Pengajian Am) Malay Language (Bahasa Melayu) Chinese Language (Bahasa Cina) Tamil Language (Bahasa Tamil) Arabic Language (Bahasa Arab) Syariah (Syariah) Usuluddin (Usuluddin) History (Sejarah) Geography (Geografi) Economics (Ekonomi) Accounting (Perakaunan)	Literature In English (Kesusateraan Bahasa Inggeris) Malay Literature (Kesusasteraan Melayu) Business Studies (Pengajian Perniagaan) Mathematics S (Matematik S) Mathematics T (Matematik T) Further Mathematics T (Matematik Lanjutan T) Computing (Perkomputeran) Physics (Fizik) Chemistry (Kimia) Biology (Biologi) Visual Arts (Seni Visual)

Students from Islamic Secondary Schools (Sekolah Menengah Agama - SMA) will sit for the STAM, short for Sijil Tinggi Agama Malaysia or Malaysian Higher Religious Certificate to secure admission into Islamic universities. Subjects offered in the STAM are:

Subjects in Malaysian Higher Religious Certificate, STAM - Islamic Pre University (Subjek dalam Sijil Tinggi Agama Malaysia, STAM - Pra Universiti Agama)
Hifz Al-Quran & Tajwid Fiqh Tauhid Tafsir & Ulumuhu Hadith & Mustolah Mantiq	Nahu Sarf Insya' Adab & Nusus Mutala'ah Arud & Qafiyah Balaghah

All pre-university students are also required to sit for the Malaysian University English Test - MUET (Ujian Bahasa Inggeris Universiti Malaysia). Not only STPM students, but Matriculation (Matrikulasi) and Diploma (Diploma) students who wish to enter a local university have to take MUET. The test is intended to assess the achievement and proficiency level of these students in the English language.


University & College
After sitting for their STPM or SPM, Malaysian students who wish to acquire tertiary education (pendidikan tertiari) will enrol in colleges (kolej) or universities (universiti) of choice. Between the two, enrollment into a public university is the more coveted due to its limited admittance and the stiff competition. Almost all STPM candidates aspire to gain admittance into these public universities. Compared to earning a degree (ijazah) in an overseas university, public universities offer unparalled savings in tuition and education costs. Examples of these public institutions of higher learning (IPTA - Institusi Pengajian Tinggi Awam, Institusi Pendidikan Tinggi Awam) are Universiti Malaya (UM), Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM), Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM), Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM), Universiti Utara Malaysia (UUM), Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM), Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS), Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS), Universiti Islam Antarabangsa Malaysia (UIAM), Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM), Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris (UPSI), Kolej Universiti Islam Malaysia (KUIM), Kolej Universiti Sains & Teknologi Malaysia (KUSTEM), Kolej Universiti Teknikal Kebangsaan Malaysia (KUTKM), Kolej Universiti Kejuruteraan & Teknologi Malaysia (KUKTEM), Kolej Universiti Kejuruteraan Utara Malaysia (KUKUM) and Kolej Universiti Teknologi Tun Hussein Onn (KUiTTHO). The establishment of university colleges (kolej universiti) is a relatively recent development in Malaysia. While not enjoying the full status of a university, university colleges seek to combine the best of academic degree programs from universities with the best of practical diploma / certificate programs from colleges.

Apart from IPTA, there are also private institutions of higher learning (IPTS - Institusi Pengajian Tinggi Swasta, Institusi Pendidikan Tinggi Swasta) offering quality tertiary education in Malaysia. Some of the more better-known IPTS are Multimedia University (MMU), Universiti Teknologi Petronas (UTP), Universiti Tenaga Nasional (UNITEN), Open University Malaysia (OUM) - Universiti Terbuka Malaysia, Universiti Tun Abdul Razak (UNITAR), Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman (UTAR), Malaysian University of Science & Technology (MUST), University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus, Curtin University of Technology Sarawak Campus, Monash University Malaysia Campus, International Medical University (IMU), Asian Institute of Medicine, Science & Technology (AIMST), Kolej Universiti Teknologi & Pengurusan Malaysia (KUTPM) - University College of Technology & Management Malaysia and Limkokwing University College of Creative Technology. The private institutions of learning (IPS - Institusi Pengajian Swasta, Institusi Pendidikan Swasta) in Malaysia also include many colleges and institutes that offer programs lower than degree level. Examples are Kolej Damansara Utama (KDU), Sunway College, Nilai International College, Taylor's College, Sedaya College, INTI College, Metropolitan College, Asia-Pacific Institute of Information Technology (APIIT), IPG College, KBU International College, Informatics and PRIME College.

Internal Degree Programs (Program Ijazah Dalaman) are offered by universities and university colleges either of the IPTA or IPTS variety. The available levels of study span from Undergraduate Level (Tahap Prasiswazah) such as Bachelor's Degree, First Degree (Ijazah Sarjana Muda, Ijazah Pertama) to Postgraduate or Higher Degree Level (Tahap Pascasiswazah, Ijazah Lanjutan) such as Master's Degree (Ijazah Sarjana) and Ph.D / Doctorate Degree (Ijazah Doktor Falsafah, Kedoktoran). Graduate studies (pengajian siswazah) in Malaysian universities are accredited and recognized by the international academic community. On the other hand, Advanced Diploma, Diploma and Certificate programs are offered by university colleges, colleges and institutes of private learning (IPS). Some IPTS and IPS also conduct collaborative programs with overseas universities; for example: Twinning Programs (Program Berkembar), Credit Transfer Programs (Program Pemindahan Kredit), Advanced Standing Programs, External Degree Programs (Program Ijazah Luaran) and Distance Learning Programs (Program Pengajian Jarak Jauh,Program Pedidikan Jarak Jauh). Tutorial programs that prepare students for popular examinations are also available, such as for pre-university courses and for professional courses (kursus profesional). Examples of popular preuniversity exams are GCE 'A' Level (UK), SAM (Australia), OSSD (Canada), WATEE (Australia) and LCCI (UK). Examples of professional exams are AIA, AAT, ABE, CIM, ACCA, CLP, MACPA and IBBM.


Tuition
Malaysians use the word "tuition" in a different way from Americans. In the USA, tuition is what you pay to a college (kolej) or a university (universiti). In this country, tuition (tuisyen) means supplementary academic coaching. Pupils attend tuition classes on their own volition and pay for the tutoring service. It is a service operated by the private sector (sektor swasta), and is therefore a type of profit-oriented education. Tuition can best be described as the shadow education system of Malaysia. It has "shadowy" characteristics because tuition has never been part of the government sanctioned public schooling system; yet it is as widespread as the official one. Tuition is also shadowy in other ways as well. Its existence is solely reliant on the continuation of the schooling system in its current form. The emphasis on examination in Malaysian education both gives birth to and sustains the tuition industry. The range of subjects offered in tuition mimics those in schools. Teaching techniques are geared towards helping pupils do well in the national exams. The slightest change in syllabus (silabus, sukatan pelajaran) or exam formats will be met with the swiftest of response by the tuition industry, often even capitalising on the situation. No matter what, tuition shadows the schools without fail.

There are two types of tuition - institutional tuition (tuisyen institusi) and private tuition (tuisyen peribadi, tuisyen persendirian, tuisyen perseorangan). Institutional tuition refers to tutoring that takes place in a dedicated establishment. These institutions are variously known as Tuition Centers (Pusat Tuisyen), Guidance Centers (Pusat Bimbingan) & Learning Centres (Pusat Pembelajaran). In the 1980's tuition centres began mushrooming in Malaysia. The tuition 'boom' was so sudden that many of these early operators had to pioneer the assimilation of the word "tuition" into the Malay Language. Hence several non-standard variants were adopted, such as "tiusyen" and "tusyen". Since then, however, the proper term has come into usage. The second type, known as private / personal tuition occurs on a smaller scale. A tutor (pengajar) or tuition teacher (guru tuisyen, cikgu tuisyen) will guide a small group of students or even a single student only. In the latter case, it is known as 1-to-1 tuition (one-to-one tuition). In the former case, it is called group tuition (tuisyen berkumpulan). Regardless of which, private tuition usually takes place at the tutor's home or the student's. Therefore, private tuition are sometimes referred to as home tuition (tuisyen di rumah). Home tutors and their students are usually matched by tuition agents (agen tuisyen) or tuition agencies / agency (agensi tuisyen). The popularity of personal / private tuition is on the rise. Together with institutional tuition, they are both evidence that tuition is here to stay in Malaysia.