Education in Malaysia - A Case Study

Overview
Look at your map again and turn your eyes eastwards at the peninsular country of Malaysia. A country renowned for its enormous Palm Oil Estate, Rubber, Petroleum, Breath-taking vacation spots, variety of manufacturing industries, and proudly boasting the Petronas Twin Towers, the once Tallest Building in the world, among other attractive spots in the country.

Having obtained independence from the British in 1957, the country exploited its agricultural, manufacturing and service industry and has rapidly grown both economically and physically over the decades. The only country to have survived the Asian Financial Crisis, Malaysia stood strong, progressing considerably and is now achieving 5% annual growth.

As a multi racial society, Malaysia has promoted living together in peace and harmony. With a population of 23 million the Malay race is the majority, approximately 60% and all are Muslims, with the next two major races being the Chinese and Indians, 23% and 10% respectively. The metropolitan city of Kuala Lumpur poses as the country’s Capital City cum Financial Centre while Putrajaya has been made the Administrative Capital.

The country has been divided into fourteen states and three federal territories. Each state has its own Sultan as a symbolic figure. However, there is also the Yang Di Pertua Agong, or the King, as the symbolic figure for the country. The Kingship rotates among the states every five years. The political affairs and parliament, however, is run by the Prime Minister and his Cabinet.

The currency is the Malaysia Ringgit (MYR) that is un-pegged yet on a managed float. Against the dollar it stands at approximately MYR 3.73 for every dollar, recently removed from the pegged rate of MYR 3.80 (January 2006). The country’s national language is Malay while its commercial language is English. English, Chinese and Tamil are widely spoken in the country. A tropical climate allows fluctuations of temperature throughout the year between 21°C and 32°C. There’s high humidity and rain tends to fall between April and May, and October and November. This thus allows a comfortable living.

Why do students choose to study in Malaysia?
Evidently, the main reason why students choose Malaysia to study is the cost factor. With soaring prices for education in the west, yet a necessity for the individuals out there in the society, Malaysia becomes an affordable alternative.

Secondly, the tertiary education system offered is convenient and attractive. Malaysia is proud to have over 500 private and public universities and colleges that offer tertiary education in a variety of fields of study. With the public universities focused on their own education, private colleges and universities take advantage of collaborating with foreign universities such as those in the United Kingdom, Europe, United States, Australia, New Zealand and Canada and offer their courses on a twinning basis in Malaysia. Depending on the course of study, the student has the choice of completing all academic years in Malaysia or proceeding to the respective foreign university for the final year. The course and degree certificate is, however, from the respective foreign university. There are also foreign based universities who have established their campuses in Malaysia to cater for those who cannot afford studying at their western base.

Thirdly, the cost of living is reasonably affordable and thus allows for much savings that could be used for occasional entertainment. Accommodation is affordable; food is available at any hour of the day. It is said, you can never go hungry in Malaysia. Transportation is efficient and reasonable and thus it is easy to get around.

Fourthly, the conducive environment of study. Several private colleges and universities are located outside the city to provoke a more conducive and comfortable environment for students to excel. The campus life encourages socialising and cultural exchange that leads to better self-esteem and self-development for the student.

The combination of the above factors encourages students to choose Malaysia as there is much more to gain than just an education.

What would it cost me to study?

For a typical Bachelor Degree in Business Administration, tuitions fees only are approximately USD 10,000 for the three year academic course.

Tuition Fees

Let us look at Tuitions fees for some of the courses. This list is by no means exhaustive. All values are in MYR {( USD 1 = MYR 3.73) – January 2006}

Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Accounting / Business Administration / Finance / Marketing	MYR 36,000
Bachelor of Science (Honours) in: Computer Science / Network Computing / Software Engineering	MYR 38,000
Diploma in Engineering: Civil Engineering / Computer Engineering / Construction & Estate Management / Electrical & Electronic Engineering / Industrial Engineering / Mechanical Engineering / Mechatronics	MYR 23,000
Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) in Electrical & Electronic / Electrical / Computer and Digital Art	MYR 45,000
Master of Pharmacy Year 1 & 2 (Malaysia Campus)                             Year 3 & 4 (UK Campus)	MYR 66,000 GBP 24,300

    
What would it cost me to live?

On an annual basis the cost of accommodation, meals, transportation and entertainment, would total under USD 5,000. This would however, depend on the type of accommodation required and lifestyle of a student.

Accommodation

Generally, there are two types of accommodation – on-campus and off-campus. Depending on the policy of the institution, it is a general requirement for all newly enrolled students, especially international students to stay on-campus for the first semester or year. For the following years, students can opt for off-campus accommodation or choose to remain on-campus until the completion of the course.

At the majority of institutions, the off-campus accommodation is available in the vicinity of the institutions. Some may be walking distance away while others could just be 5-15 minutes drive away. Bus transportation is efficient and allows for easy mobility.

The following are indicative rates for on-campus and off-campus accommodation.

• On-Campus furnished Accommodation per regular semester (15 weeks):
  Apartments / Halls of Residence (Without Aircon) MYR 700 – MYR 1000
  Apartments / Halls of Residence (With Aircon)  MYR 1300 – MYR 1800
• Off-Campus Accommodation per month per unit
  Apartments / Single Storey (furnished)   MYR 800 – MYR 1200
  Apartments / Single Storey (unfurnished)  MYR 400 – MYR 900

Meals

You will never sleep hungry in Malaysia. Restaurants, kiosks, food hawkers are available round the clock. With varieties of choices of food, one can find absolutely anything to fill their stomach.

An average meal would cost you approximately USD 1.50 – 2.00. However, a meal at any fast food restaurants such as McDonalds and KFC would cost just USD 3.00 – 4.00.

You will never have to worry about the meat. The Malaysian law requires all meat to be Halal and therefore, this gives peace of mind. One needs to keep an eye out on some of the Tourist’s resorts where Haraam meat may be sold in some Chinese, Thai or Vietnamese restaurants.

The following is the indicative cost of several meals and household groceries in USD for comparison.

1. Fried rice / noodle with a drink meal – USD 1.80
2. A meal at a Fast food Restaurant – USD 3.00
3. 300ml canned soft drink – USD 0.40
4. 2.5 litre bottled mineral water – USD 0.50
5. Loaf of bread – USD 0.70
6. A litre of Milk – USD 1.20
7. Coffee at Coffee Houses – USD 3.00
8. A kilogram of Potatoes / Onions – USD 0.40
9. A kilogram of Chicken – USD 1.60
10. A kilogram of Meat – USD 4.00

Transportation Costs

Transportation is very convenient in Malaysia. You can easily catch the bus or train or hail a taxi or even hire a car among friends. With minimal fare, it gives you access to several townships around the institution and easy mobility to and around the city.

The following is the indicative cost of transportation respective of modes in USD for comparison.

1. Intracity Bus fares – USD 0.20 – 0.70
2. City taxi ride – USD 0.50 for the first 2km, USD 0.025 for every subsequent 100 meters
3. Intracity Light Rail Transit – USD 0.20 – 0.70
4. Intercity Commuter – USD 0.25 – 2.00
5. Car rental – from USD 20 per day
6. Petrol – USD 0.40 per litre

Entertainment

When you need a break from studies, or feel like having a weekend outing, there is much to do. Kuala Lumpur is a host to many entertainment spots from cinemas, bowling arenas, indoor and outdoor theme parks, mega malls, and much more. The following is the indicative rates and fares for the different types of entertainment in USD for comparison.

1. A movie ticket – USD 2.50
2. Theme Parks – USD 5.00 - USD 10.00
3. A game of ten-pin bowling – USD 1.50

How is the Student Visa Application Procedure?

All institution recruiting international students follow a standard procedure highlighted in the Malaysia Immigration Act. The procedure is as follows:

1. A potential student must submit an application for enrolment to the institution he/she has chosen.
2. Upon approval of the application, the institution makes a submission for Immigration Approval to Malaysia Immigration Authority.
3. Upon receipt of the Immigration Approval, the institution sends an offer letter and the Immigration Approval to the student who is required to present these at the Immigration Counter upon arrival to the country.
4. After entering Malaysia, the institution undertakes the responsibility of sending the student’s Passport to the Malaysian Immigration Authority to obtain the student Visa.
5. Renewal of Student Visa is undertaken by the institution.

Can I work part-time?

Several courses have work placement as part of their course. However, for courses that do not have work placement as part of their curriculum, the Malaysia Immigration has recently allowed international students to work part-time ONLY on semester breaks and for a maximum of 20 hours per week.

Can I find a job after completion of my study?

There are several locally well established and multinational companies that seek foreign expertise in specific fields such as Information Technology (IT). Applications can be made to such organizations for their assessment and consideration. The following are highly rated job search websites in Malaysia.

1. Jobs DB - http://www.jobsdb.com.my
2. Jobstreet - http://www.jobstreet.com.my
3. Doctor Job - http://www.doctorjob.com.my
4. Career Jet - http://www.careerjet.com.my
5. A JobBox http://www.careerjet.com.my/partners/jobbox.html
6. A SearchBox http://www.careerjet.com.my/partners/searchbox.html

The Malaysian Immigration law is however quite strict to foreign employment in the service sector. Generally, the mandatory requirement for a successful application for an Employment Pass / Work Permit is a minimum age of 27, a minimum income of MYR 5000 (USD 1200), and that the required expertise cannot be available in the local labour market. However, the law is more flexible for the IT related fields where the minimum age must be 21 to qualify. There are several employment agencies who could secure the application should one have difficulties in obtaining a Work Permit.

Where are celebrations of Wiladat and commemorations of Wafaat held?

There is presently no Khoja Shia Ithna-Asheri (KSI) community in Malaysia. The only Khoja family residing in Malaysia happens to be my family - the family of Hussein Esmail Kassam (well known as Wassama), originally from Mombasa, Kenya. There are many KSI’s students pursuing their tertiary education.

On mostly all occasions around the year, the celebrations and commemorations are hosted at our residence where all students from East Africa, Oman, Yemen, India, Pakistan, etc are invited to honour the gathering. Recitations of duas, nauhas, ziyarats, amaals, etc are all conducted by the students.


Relevant Websites

Colleges and Universities

1. Malaysian Association of Private Colleges and Universities – http://www.mapcu.com
2. Nilai International College – http://www.nilai.edu.my
3. INTI College Malaysia – http://www.inti.edu.my
4. Limkokwing University College of Creative Technology – http://www.limkokwing.edu.my
5. University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus – http://www.nottingham.edu.my
6. Multimedia University - http://www.mmu.edu.my
7. Sedaya College – http://www.sedaya.edu.my
8. Taylors College – http://www.taylors.edu.my
9. Stamford College – http://www.stamford.edu.my
10. HELP University College – http://www.help.edu.my
11. Monash University – http://www.monash.edu.my
12. Sunway College – http://www.sunway.edu.my
13. International Islamic University – http://www.iium.edu.my
14. International Medical University – http://www.imu.edu.my