Around the World in Education

At present, 31 international and expatriate schools in the country cater especially to children expatriate families. Malaysian pupils are not permitted to study in international school unless one parent is a foreigner or if they have lived and studied abroad for 3 years or more.

Some educators of international schools argue that parents should have the right to choose the kind of education they want for their children, including the option to study at an international school.

However, Chairperson of the Association of International Malaysian Schools (AIMS) Margaret Kaloo points out that international schools do not actually exist for Malaysian pupils. They are primarily for the children of expatriates currently working in the country.

Hence, the emphasis should not be so much o opening international schools to Malaysians but rather on the schools' participation in and contribution to the national education system. She feels that at present, international schools are "somewhat marginalised".

"We would love to be a part of the national education policy, to share resources with local schools, perhaps even offer scholarships to pupils, if that were considered appropriate, but we haven't been able to find our niche yet. We are here and ready to contribute if someone could point us in the right direction," she says.

As to why the Government, discourages Malaysian from enrolling in international schools, an official from the Private Education Department (JPS) says: "Through education, the Government educated the nation based on a set of academic, non-academic social and philosophical values which are in line with the culture and needs of the nation. One way to educate the nation is by having a common National Education Curriculum for all."

Malaysian are not encouraged to enrol in international schools for they differ in curriculum and implementation from Government schools.

He added that among the main objectives of national schools are to promotion of racial harmony and universality, and democratisation of education. The enrolment of Malaysian citizens into national schools as opposed to other schools within or outside the country will, in a way, improve the status of national schools and bring them to higher level."

Mostly, the international schools follow a British, American or Australian-based curriculum, adapted to suit the international pupil population and the Malaysian environment.

Says Alice Smith School primary school head Steve Caulfield: "Although the school provides a British education and pupils take the same national curriculum tests as pupils in the UK, the curriculum is delivered using local resources - field trips to Malaysian sites for example."

In the International School of Kuala Lumpur (ISKL), which is known for its American-based-system, the emphasis is not so much on following the academic curriculum of American schools, but rather on an American approach of "educating the whole child, socially, emotionally, physically."

"In an international school setting, we have kids from a wide range of cultural experiences," says elementary school principal Susan Napoliello. These cultural resources among the pupils themselves contribute further to a broad "internationalisation" of education. Because international schools acknowledge that their pupils are not exclusively British, American, Australian, etc, the curriculum is adapted to allow these pupils to fit back into education systems around the world, should the family move home or transfer elsewhere.

"We measure our standards against the national standards in other countries and in other international schools within Malaysia to ensure we keep up with competitive levels," says Napoliello.

"There are also expatriate schools such as the German and Japanese schools in Kuala Lumpur which cater specifically for German and Japanese speakers. There prepare pupils for the systems back home in their countries and the medium of instruction is in the native language.

One of the more important roles of the international schools is also to provide the social support for expatriate children and their families, particular those who have just moved to the country.

"We assist both the child and their parents and there is a very close-knit community within the school," says Caulfield.

There is high participation from the Parent-Teacher Association in school events and a country representative scheme gets existing parents to help new families integrate into the school and into Malaysian life.