Articles

Choosing a Chinese secondary school: Vernacular or Independent

Published by SchoolAdvisor | Mar 01, 2013

As a parent, making decision about your child’s education path has never been easy. In Malaysia, we have various schooling options, which make the decision-making process even more hectic. Besides private and international schools, which will be discussed in another feature, parents can opt to send their children to national/Kebangsaan school or vernacular (Chinese or Tamil) school.

In the secondary level, they will have another option, which is the Chinese independent school. One of the major concerns of the parents would be the regime of the school. Chinese independent schools are commonly deemed to have tougher syllabus compared to Chinese vernacular schools. Besides syllabus, the two types of schools actually share multiple differences as well as certain similarities. To clear any confusion, here are some comparisons: 

 

*Fees and school sessions vary between schools. Please contact the school for more information. 

*Retention policy of Chinese independent schools:

Students must achieve the standard set by the school to continue to the next level, if not they'll have to retake the same level

Parents’ views

Mr Chua (53, Advertising)

I sent both of my children to Chinese independent school (CIS) because I think CIS has higher quality of education compared to Chinese vernacular school. The disciplinary regime is also stricter. Although my kids had to study much harder because they sat for both UEC and national examinations, they master three languages including English, Malay and Chinese. Although UEC is not recognized by local universities, CIS students who do not possess SPM or STPM certificates can go to private universities or study abroad.

Mrs Tay (55, Retired)

All of my children studied in Chinese vernacular schools because I planned to send them to local universities. Another reason is I can’t afford the tuition fees of Chinese independent school (CIS). I also heard that the curriculum of CIS is tougher compared to Chinese vernacular schools. I was concerned if they couldn’t achieve the standard set by the school, they would have to graduate later due to the retention policy. 

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