Secondary Education (High school). Secondary Education consists of 5 years of schooling referred to as Form 1 to Form 5, encompassing 3 years of lower secondary and 2 years of upper secondary studies. At the end of Form 5, students take the General Certificate of Education ‘O’ level exams.

Post-secondary Education (University preparation). Upon completion of secondary education, students can opt to pursue 1 to 2 years of post-secondary education, which is the university entrance preparatory course. Students can opt to take a course leading to the British ‘A’ level examination or the Malaysian equivalent, or can study for the International Baccalaureate exam.

Tertiary Education (University level) . At the tertiary level, institutions of higher learning offer courses leading to the award of Certificate, Diploma and Degree qualifications. Certificate, Diploma, first Degree and higher Degree programs in academic and professional fields are adequately provided for by both the public and private education sector. Tertiary education consists of two major components:

• Public (government funded) institutions of higher learning, for example, public universities, public university colleges, polytechnics and teacher training colleges.

• Private (private funded) higher educational institutions, for example, private universities, private university colleges, branch campuses of foreign universities and private colleges.

These institutions offer internationally recognized degrees such as Bachelor’s, Master’s and Doctorate (Ph.D) degrees.

Technical and Professional Institutions. Besides university degrees, students have the option of continuing their education in professional courses such as those offered by the ICSA (Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators). Polytechnics in Malaysia provide courses for diploma level (3 years) and certificate level (2 years).

Private Education Providers
The private education providers in Malaysia can be broadly categorized into 2 categories depending on the levels of education offered, which range from pre-school to tertiary education. The two broad categories of institutions are:

1. Private Educational Institutions (PEIs), or private schools, providing education at preschool, primary and secondary levels

2. Private Higher Educational Institutions (PHEIs), providing tertiary education leading to the awards of Certificate, Diploma and Degree qualifications