Results of the Malaysia Early Year Education Survey 2017

During the last SmartKids Asia Educational Fair that lasted from 21 April 2017 to 23 April 2017, Kiddy123.com had conducted a survey on Malaysia Early Years Education (EYE) that was participated by 233 parents. This survey is conducted to gather more information on how parents perceived early education in Malaysia.

The profile of the parents that participated in our survey are as follows: 

Stretching the dollar

Due to our economic situation, it is a not surprising that parents have become smart consumers. This is apparent when they were asked about the most important factors in choosing a kindergarten/enrichment centre. 67.7% parents chose Location as the main factor in choosing a kindergarten, followed by 
Fees and Charges (47.8%), Curriculum and Teaching Methodologies (40.1%) and Facilities (34.1%). It can be concluded that most parents choose to save on travel and fees costs, but still want a specific curriculum and the best facilities for their kids.

Best of both worlds

It is interesting to note that when the parents were asked about enrichment classes that they wish their kids’ kindergartens would provide, 45.9% chose Brain Training, 39.1% chose Music, 37.8% chose Performing Art, and it was a tie between Arts & Design & Foreign Language (31.3%). Perhaps the parents want their kids to be cognitively versatile but still in touch with their creative side.

International School popularity

More and more International Schools are introduced in Malaysia compared to the past decade, therefore we were also interested to find out how International School fares with Malaysian parents with younger children. Almost half of the parents (48.7%) are considering to send their kids to International School for Preschool or Primary School, which means that International Schools are gaining popularity as an option for parents to send their kids for their early and primary education.

 Modern preferences

In line with modern technology progression, 78% of parents now prefer to use the internet to research on Early Years Education (EYE) centres. The statistic has since doubled from the last survey in 2014, and it will not be surprising if the digit will increase in the future. Through internet, almost everything can be reached by the tips of their fingers, therefore majority of the parents preferred to save time and energy to research on EYE centres through this method. 

We also asked parents if Early Year Education directories like Kiddy123.com will help them to choose the perfect kindergarten for their children and 93.9% of parents said yes. 93.1% parents also think that official website is important for an Early Year Education centre. This showed that parents want centres’ info to be easily accessible for reference purposes.

Conclusion:

Although this survey doesn’t mean that all parents view Early Year Education (EYE) in Malaysia in this light, it is interesting to see how the current situation has shaped the parents perception of it, at least in Klang Valley. Parents are now no longer focusing on traditional ways to educate their kids, but prefer a specific curriculum, holistic approach and even utilizing the current technology to research on EYE centres. 

We hope that our findings this year will help parents and and EYE providers in understanding the current scene in early education, so that we can all come together to provide our children a better quality education that is vital for their development.