Kuala Lumpur is an internationally well recognized city way better than what was depicted by 1999 Sean Connery-Katherine Zeta Jones blockbuster Entrapment. That apart, it is a major tourism and business centre that sees people from around the world come and settle here. The city has a large number of expats from around the world who work in the well established corporate sector here.
While Malaysia has reasonable standards of living, particularly in Kuala Lumpur, expats with families often worry about the kind of schooling available here. Though Kuala Lumpur has some of the best kindergarten schools, as well as many notable international schools. If you are an expat anxious about getting your child admitted to a premier Kuala Lumpur International School, here’s what you need to look for.
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1. Compatible Curriculum
The children of expats need to enrol in a school that is compatible with what they had back at home. A student from India, for instance, would likely be looking at the CBSE or IGCSE curricula that are popular in India. At the same time many of them would like to have access to popular international programs like the International Baccalaureate, that puts them more in tune with what is in vogue globally. Ensuring that the school one is considering to put one’s child into has a compatible curriculum is therefore of prime importance.
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2. The Quality of the Teaching Staff
Schools may have the best infrastructure in the world, but if the quality of the teaching staff lags behind, you may not get the kind of education that you want for your child. It is, therefore, imperative that the school you choose for your child has excellent teachers who have the requisite qualifications and experience. It might make sense to read some reviews about the school in question or talk to parents of children who study at that school. If you can interact with the teachers yourself, you would be very well placed to obtain a fair idea of how good they are.
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3. Higher Education Counselling
The aim of most students is to go for higher education after completing school. The best international schools provide valuable counselling with regard to this. It is a good idea to put your child in such a school, because that will provide him or her with the right kind of guidance about higher study options and possibilities. Considering that expat students go to school in a foreign country, the value of this kind of facility is immense.
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4. Respect for Diversity
Studying in a foreign country is always a little challenging on account of the different environment in terms of the language and culture. It is advisable to put your child in an international school that respects diversity and makes all their students feel comfortable, at home and happy. A school which provides an international environment in the truest sense of the world and a level playing field is the kind of school to look out for.
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5. Location
Places like Kuala Lumpur where an expat’s child would most likely obtain admission in a school is a busy metropolis with all the accompanying traffic woes. Therefore it would be wise to put one’ s child in a school that requires very little travelling. This is especially true for small children going to nursery or kindergarten school. One should, therefore, take the location of the school into consideration before obtaining admission for one’s child there.
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Conclusion
Kuala Lumpur has a fairly large number of kindergarten and nursery schools serving the interests of their students in the best possible way. The international schools in particular are quite highly regarded and much sought after by both local and expat parents, on account of their high standards of academia. The facilities provided at these schools too are world class.
That apart, many of these schools are run and administered by reputed overseas organizations with impeccable credentials. Getting admission in such schools guarantees the future prospects of expat students by educating and training them in the best possible way.
The world today is a global village. International schools like these have played a stellar role in this. They have done that by allowing citizens of nations around the world to seamlessly work and live in any part of the world by providing the best education to their children.
The ones in Kuala Lumpur are right there among the top international schools of the world. Therefore, it is not surprising that expats from around the world send their children to these schools. They are confident that the high standard of education provided by these schools will make their children turn out very well.
Besides, the world class facilities and infrastructure available at these schools matches the best in any part of the world. There is, therefore, no reason for the expats to worry about whether their children are enjoying school as much as they would back home.
