Another New Academic Year?

In less than a fortnight’s time the school in Malaysia will be open, again for the 2007 session. In 2007 I will have 4 kids in Primary school where students spent their first six years of education.

Start Up Expenses

So the issues prevailing here are the cash the parents have to fork out at the beginning of an academic year. They the same old things that we needed those days. A complete uniform, shirts or the girls wear “baju kurung (long blouse), pants and Sarong for the girls, socks and shoes. Then what is needed for the studies, the text and exercises books, bags, stationeries and of course the fees.

Lets put up a budget for each primary school child, in RM, (that is Malaysian Ringgit) for the first item.

The Budget

Rich Man’s					Poor Man’s
Items		Price	No	Amount	Price	No	Amount
1	Shirt/ baju kurung	20	3	60	8	2	16
2	Pants /Sarong	30	3	90	15	2	30
3	socks	10		10	3	2	6
4	shoes	30	2	60	10	1	10
	School Uniform
				220			62
5	School bags			50			25
6	Stationeries			15			10
	Exercise books			30			30
	TOTAL			315			127

That’s basically the ball part figure. I will put up a comparison on how much I spent for my standard 1 kid, a girl later.

A man has to fork out some RM127.00 say RM130.00 minimum per schooling child. Fees can be safely put at RM100.00 per child in the Primary School. Actually it should not be called fees for education is free in this country. It something that the school charges for their administration purposes, cover things like exam papers and notes.

Shopping places.

So that what is occupying the heads of the locals here. It is raining and for those involved in the rubber industry it is not very good, income wise. The kedai pati (kampong hut style open cafes) philosophers were taliking floods. Floods are hitting other southern states of the Peninsular now. On the whole the weather has been okay considering the monsoon period, rubber tapers can still go work, generally 60% of the month of November was workable, if they are up to it. But in a year it is said that the rubber trees are taped for only a hundred days.

Shopping places.

An easy area to go to and get all the stuff at one location will be any supermarket. We have quite a few of them and many, the major ones are located in Kota Bharu. (the capital of the opposition control state in Malaysia, Kelantan, it is now the only state in Malaysia under the control of the opposition who ironically do no form the main opposition in the Malaysian Parlimen). It will be quite a sight in Kota Bharu with many shoppers from all over the state eyeing for schooling goods and gadgets.

Low Cost Areas

Bazar

The are reputable low cost outlet like Bazar UDA located between Jalan Sultanah Zainab and the old Market approachable from both sides. In every town in Kelantan, there are stalls selling apparels for schooling within the wet market itself.

Economic Outlets

There are supermarkets and shops offering cheap stuffs probably China made. China is good now there are responsible for producing cheap and good PC peripherals including for HP Hawlett Packard all those jets (printers).

Exam orientated society.

At the end of the six years in Primary School they will seat for an exam, the major one, known as UPSR (Primary School Assessment Exam). Another two will be in the Secondary school where students here spent five years before they finally sat for the SPM, used to be “O” levels too for the English medium students. SPM is still equivalent to UK “O” level standard. Before that in their third year they will have to seat for their PMR, (Assessment Examination for Lower Secondary).

Last year two of my kids, each sat for one of the Secondary school exam. Results will be out soon for the Third year exam, the PMR. The other one the Fifth year exam result will not be out until circa March. Next year.

In Kelantan most schools have made their standard six students facing UPSR in September / October 2007 to start attending classes from the second week of December 2006. My kid has to attend his from the 10 December. “Over schooled” said my minister of home affairs. Kids like me would probably rebel and run way from school. But we don’t deny there is a need for that. There is probably a need for a “community school” as well. How I wish the school computer center is open 24/7 during the school holidays. My kids would enjoy that. They are queuing up for my PC! They would have no qualms to give it a crack.