KUALA LUMPUR (Sept 14): The private education sector in Malaysia is gaining popularity among the international crowd. International schools here have seen an increase in international students’ enrolment.

There seems to be a shift in trend as well, where there is an increasing number of international students who are self-paying, consisting of those whose parents are not employed with a multinational company in Malaysia, who are looking to the country as a destination for private education.

People in the industry see a rise, especially of students coming from North Asia. Part of the increase has been credited to the Malaysia My Second Home (MM2H) programme, with Chinese nationals as top participants of the programme.

A large part of the reason for this phenomenon is because parents see Malaysia as an affordable destination that provides quality education for their children.

“In the past, they may have sent their children, especially for boarding, to the UK or Australia. Malaysia is a really good alternative to that now. The quality of international schools in Malaysia is good and the cheaper ringgit helps,” says Association of International Malaysian Schools (AIMS) chairman David Griffiths.

As a sector, private education services contribute to about 0.8% of the country’s gross domestic product, and this has been constant over the last decade. In absolute numbers, the sector amounted to RM12.27 billion in 2023. This would include all private education services, from preschools to tertiary education and even tuition centres, driving schools and other education services.

The economic spillover effect from the growing sector is difficult to quantify, but many believe that it is a positive one for the country, as it stems not only from the fees paid to the schools, but also the properties parents of international students purchase, to the vacations they take in Malaysia during school breaks, and even the shopping trips they make while in Malaysia. 

https://www.theedgemarkets.com/node/726797