Articles

Singapore & Malaysia – A comparison of public education systems (Part 1)

Published by SchoolAdvisor | Feb 20, 2013

Singapore's brand of education has been lauded in many different circles for producing high quality English speakers and for their excellent performance in international education surveys. Singaporean students regularly rank within the top 5 of international educational surveys such as the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) in Mathematics, Reading, and Science.

Malaysian students scored far below the international average for all metrics tested on their first foray into the PISA during 2009, as shown in the following charts:

Yet, at heart, both Malaysia and Singapore’s public education systems are fairly similar – Both countries utilise Malay as the national language, a remnant of our shared history, though we differ in our official language, which remains Malay in Malaysia, and English in Singapore. Both countries perform academic streaming of their students, a process famously lauded by British education secretary Michael Gove; Singapore sends students to “Normal stream” or “O levels” after secondary 2, whereas Malaysia streams students into Science or Arts classes after secondary 3 (Form 3).

Read the second part HERE.

Don’t forget to LIKE us on Facebook and receive updates and consultation on all matters related to Private and International schools in Malaysia. 

RELATED ARTICLES

Land of Lion Loses It's Roar

Singapore & Malaysia – A comparison of public education systems (Part 2)

A Guide to Finding the Right School

Private Schools in Malaysia

International Schools in Malaysia

Jokowi: People's President Chose Private Education for Son