Primary school could be considered the most important stage in your child’s development. This is when your child strengthens the foundational life and learned skills that will help them advance to secondary school and set them up for life.

In Standard 1 to Standard 3, students focus more on developing language and mathematical skills. From Standard 4 onwards, they take on more technical subjects like history, science, and information technology.

While your child would have learnt to play and socialise in kindergarten, they will form stronger friendships in primary school that could last a lifetime. This is when they are exposed to social norms and etiquette, and what is deemed acceptable or not.

Children at this age (7-12) have curious minds eager to pick up knowledge. Parents and teachers become more of a role model, inculcating positive values, principles and mindsets.

As such, it’s crucial for parents to understand the financial requirements for six years of education. Like kindergarten, there are various options you can choose from, depending on your financial situation and budget.

Government-run primary schools

The government offers several options – and notably, most of them are FREE. This is by far the most preferred option, with 2.8 million students enrolled in public primary schools as of 2022, according to data from the education ministry.

1. Sekolah kebangsaan

National primary school or Sekolah Kebangsaan (SK) is the most popular option among Malaysian parents. In 2022, 2.2 million students or 78% of the total number of primary students attended SK.

The primary teaching language is Bahasa Malaysia, and tuition is free. But because of its popularity, the trade-off here is that class sizes tend to be large, making it hard for students to obtain more personalised attention.

2. Sekolah Jenis Kebangsaaan (Mandarin or Tamil)

If you wish to educate your children in Mandarin or Tamil, you could send them to Sekolah Jenis Kebangsaan Cina (SJKC) or Tamil (SJKT).

SJKC and SJKT boast about 496,000 and 79,000 primary students, respectively, and are the second- and third-most popular choices among Malaysians.

That said, parents should consider that SJK students might need to attend a year-long transition class before Form 1 if they don’t achieve satisfactory results in Bahasa Malaysia.

3. Government-aided religious schools

Those who wish to send their children for religious-based education can consider government-aided religious schools. These are established by the respective state governments and fall under the state religious authorities.

Religious-school enrolments only stood at 18,291 in 2022, or about 1% of total primary-school enrolment.

4. Special education schools

Parents with special-needs children who might struggle with the national curriculum can opt for the Special Education Curriculum for Learning Disabilities offered by the education ministry.

The ministry’s list of these schools can be found here. It also offers the following special-ed programmes:

• Special Recovery Programme: this helps primary schoolchildren who face problems in learning and mastering basic skills;
• Inclusive Education Programme: a programme for special-needs children in government primary schools;
• Integrated Special Education: a vocational programme to develop children with special educational needs.

Private primary schools

There are generally two options for private primary schools. The first follows the government syllabus and prepares students for national exams, while the second follows international curricula and examinations such as IGCSE.

Private primary schools are generally considered to offer higher-quality education, with smaller class sizes and more personalised attention.

The trade-off is that parents need to be prepared to spend an average of RM26,000 to RM33,000 a year. The higher the education level, the more expensive it will become.

Tax reliefs and government assistance

The National Education Savings Scheme (SSPN) is an education fund managed by PTPTN. Parents who have deposited into it can claim up to RM8,000 a year.

The Underprivileged Student Trust Fund (KWAPM), recently renamed the Poor Students Trust Fund, helps families who are unable to send their children to primary school for whatever reason. Recipients get up to RM150 per student from Standard 1 to Form 3, or get emergency cash funding of RM300 from Standard 1 to Form 5.

Yayasan Pelajaran Mara provides one-off tuition fee assistance of RM300 to low-income students in primary school.

For Muslims, Majlis Agama Wilayah Persekutuan helps with tuition for students from low-income families.

Hidden costs

Given that there are six years of primary education, the costs will add up: school uniforms, books, and stationery change hands every year.

There’s insurance for the students, school van or bus services should you need them, and schools also tend to ask for donations for extracurricular activities. All of these are not included officially in the tuition fees.

So while there is no way to determine an exact cost, the department of statistics proposes that children aged 1-14 might require a total of RM1,141 per month for transport (RM641), insurance and financial services (RM222), clothing and footwear (RM163), and education services (RM115).

If you were to consider RM1,141 as the “hidden cost” of your children’s primary education every month, this would translate to RM82,152 for six years in a government school – plus RM198,000 in tuition fees should you go down the private route.

This article was written by Su-Wei Ho for MyPF. To simplify and grow your personal finances, follow MyPF on Facebook and Instagram.