The mind boggling world of education in Malaysia.

Welcome to EB - there are lots of threads discussing schooling. If you take a look, some of your questions will probably be answered.

I guess the first thing that springs to mind is what do you really want for your children?  Is a good education more attractive than a cheap one? Gone are the days where there are lots and lots of European expat families sent to work in Malaysia and huge turnover. Today I would say its more the teacher turnover that would be worrying in some schools. More expats are these days from the region, predominantly India IT professionals. There are lots of new schools sprouting every year. the choice is very wide.

I would describe the education developments here as middle class Malaysians having better incomes as the country develops and using this to secure a more international education. All schools are thus very mixed in terms of ethnic backgrounds and from normal family backgrounds. Add a sprinkling of expat pupils in the Tier 2 schools and you have a homogeneous mix on all levels.

What location interests you?  Or are you open to anything?

Thanks for the welcome, Gravitas. Thanks for the tip on looking at the other threads. I have had a good look.

Well, what do I want for my kids ..... I would like a good education. A school which will challenge them academically but also make learning fun. I would like a holistic education ... For them to also enjoy sports, art, music. A school which will treat and develop them as individuals and prepare them for the future. I want a school which will support them in their move and help them settle ... Above all I want them to enjoy their childhood, climb trees, jump in muddy puddles .... The little things in life.

I look at our friends in Malaysia and they talk about the constant stress to keep up academically, ferrying their children from one tuition class to another, going for all sorts of enrichment classes .... It scares me. Their kids couldn't believe it when mine told them that they love school and that school was fun.

Yes, I have noticed the numbers of new schools sprouting everywhere.... I am really skeptical about the quality of most of these schools. Is there a governing body that assesses these schools?

We are looking at petaling jaya as our base. I feel it is important that we get their schooling right ... It will be such a big change for them living in Malaysia.

Hi again ClanC. - It is true that there is a certain pressure cooker atmosphere as education is seen as the gateway to the future. I am British and share the same views as you about childhood and education. At points in my two children's lives chosen very alternative schooling to give them different values and freedom to be little human beings. Despite their insane mother, both hold Masters Degrees (one has two). So I did not injure them in any way and in fact I strongly believe that already in the younger years the attitudes are set which they carry throughout their lives. "Give me the child till he is seven and I will show you the man" is the much quoted Jesuit saying. I think there are some mediocre schools that are not truly international. The most important gift is to speak and write English as closely to mother tongue quality. Pupils who don't have exposure to the language struggle later in their lives and underachieve. I want just to mention one school to look at because it has a very interesting background i.e. it started life as an educational group that ran university level education and has since worked backwards and opened an international school in 2012. They have technology as a key component of their educational style. Technology is going to be unavoidable and is a fantastic medium outside the immediate environment. It leads to globalisation. So take a look at Asia Pacific International School and see what you think. I know that tech-savvy foreigners are honing in on it at the moment. Ara Damansara is also becoming an interesting township of affordable housing. Keep in touch.

This thread may also interest you https://www.expat.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=501670

Strange hour to up, Gravitas.....
Did your children grow up in Malaysia? Tell me more about this alternative schooling .....

Thanks for the link. I noticed that post earlier and had a quick peek. My brother recently moved to ara Damansara so we visited the area during our holiday a few weeks ago. It certainly is up and coming.

I was also looking at the Australian school website and really like it. BSKL looks good too but a bit out of our price range. Any idea about AISM? I am so torn ... I know the tier 1 schools would be the closest match to the education they have experienced here .... and this will help them settle and keep them happy .....But I also feel that tier 2 schools would be a more realistic view of life in Malaysia .... I don't know ... Maybe I am wrong, maybe I worry too much.....

AISM is popular but a bit out of the way. My kids went to school in Australia for a couple of years. I did not like the system much as I found it too loose and progressive, i.e. lazy kids can hide. But nowadays things may have changed. You would need to visit to get the flavour of what it has become in Malaysia. My kids also went to school in the UK and Denmark - so lots of different approaches. Personally I like schooling that has an overall theme e.g.. one of their schools encouraged music and performance highly and turned out very articulate and capable kids. Dull lessons day in and day out are just not interesting enough for today's children. I also had them in Rudolf Steiner and a sort of hybrid of Montessori/Steiner as well. I was a hands on amateur educator at home as well - which makes a difference. Up at 3 am finishing project on dinosaurs springs to mind...... Yes its late (early) here.

Oh wow, your kids have travelled far and wide! An interesting mix of schooling too.

Dull lessons is what I fear .... The tier 2 schools we visited said they are very Malaysian in their approach and what came to mind was my experience growing up ... Rote learning.... Boring lessons  .... Exams .... I don't know if things have changed since ..... Over 20 years ago .....

Do schools allow a taster day where potential new students can join in for the day? Just to experience what the school has to offer....

Another thing I find is that kids do change schools a lot .... Our friend had her son in BSKL and moved to Tenby and now considering another move .... Another friend had kids in Tenby, moved to cempaka and now moving back. A friend of a friend had kids in Sri KDU and now have pulled them out .... I just can't get my head around the schooling in Malaysia!

Anyway, hope you get some rest.

Cx

I don't know about taster day, but I would ask for one and get it.... I think school hoping is ridiculous. Children do well some school years and not so well others. But there is nothing as certain as change, so changing school is a bit OTT. The parents sound like head cases to take that approach to education to be honest. Are you Chinese Malaysian? It sounds like it to me.

Cempaka and Sri KDA don't have good reputations for modern education. I know an English couple who were at Sri KDA but could not stand it for long. Hopping teachers are also a big problem - schools attract a token European teacher but they are shocked to see the standards and don't stick around. This is a major problem. Kids need continuity and security (and as little stress and drama (metaphorically speaking) as possible). With close familial support kids will reach their optimum.

Happy kids thrive and helicopter mothers are a nightmare.

Yes, am Chinese Malaysian.... and a banana ... 

I am going to narrow down the schools and see if I can get taster days ....

Any other recommendations?

How was the get together today?

Gravitas, interesting programme on BBC 2 last night
http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/article/3 … -in-the-uk

Thank you ClanC - I was really interested to read the article you sent. I did see two articles based on the experiment. These were the headliners:

Britain's generous welfare system behind pupils' lack of ambition,' say Chinese teachers

Take note, Chinese teachers: a little classroom chaos can be a good thing