Education in Malaysia
Education in Malaysia is overseen by the Ministry of Education (Malay: Kementerian Pendidikan). Although education is the responsibility of the Federal Government, each state and federal territory has an Education Department to co-ordinate educational matters in its territory. The main legislation governing education is the Education Act 1996.
| Ministry of Education | |
|---|---|
| Minister of Education | Fadhlina Sidek |
| National education budget (2020) | |
| Budget | RM64.1 billion (US$15.4 billion) |
| General details | |
| Primary languages |
|
| System type | National |
| Established | 1956 |
| Literacy (2009) | |
| Total | 95% (all 15 yrs and above) |
| Male | 95% total, 98% 15–24 yrs |
| Female | 95% total, 98% 15–24 yrs |
| Enrollment | |
| Total | 5,407,865 with 405,716 teachers (ratio 13:1), incl. 163,746 pre-school |
| Primary | 2,899,228 (survival rate to last primary grade, Grade 6 is 99%) |
| Secondary | 2,344,891 (66% male & 72% female students move up to Secondary 1 from Primary 6 – some studies suggest that some of the remaining 34% and 28% switch to private institutions after secondary school) |
The education system in Malaysia is divided into five stages: preschool education, primary education, secondary education, post-secondary education and tertiary education. It is further divided into national and private education. Education may be obtained from the multilingual national school system, which provides free education for all Malaysians, or private schools, or through homeschooling. International and private institutions charge school fees. By law, primary education is compulsory. Secondary education is expected to be compulsory. Standardised tests are a common feature as in many Asia-Pacific countries such as the Republic of Korea, Singapore and Japan. Currently, there are 43 universities, 31 private university colleges, 9 foreign university branch campuses and 414 private colleges in Malaysia.