Benefits Of Reading

In ancient times, words in various forms were carved into stones and drawn onto the soil in hopes to convey a message or a story from one man to another. A world we live in that never stops growing would need a place to store stories of many, many generations, so you and I could read from the past, and our future generations could read from us. That place, somewhere you’d never want to step into – the library.

As boring as books may sound (you probably are imagining how you look like with your book on the table and your head rested against it), it holds many secrets that only avid readers would realize. It comes in many shapes and sizes, from magazines to shelf-scented novels, newspaper articles to E-books. These reading materials have been made available to you through the author’s hard work for months and years, hoping to enlighten you with whatever they have in their minds that you don’t.

Just as some of you may already know, the authors that made those books possible spent a lot of time researching the topic, if not, it’s because they are already specialized in a certain field, hence they are able to pass down information to others. History, philosophy, and literature are just a few examples of the plethora of genres you would find in bookstores and libraries. Since the authors have so much experience in what they decided to put on paper, it would make sense for you to also gain that experience from delivering those words into your mind.   Science tutor Penang 

Some readers have read so much that they have developed the skill of speed reading, making them finish books as thick as dictionaries in just a day or two. For you and I average people, it would probably take us a lot more time, but bear in mind that time we spend reading would not go to waste, as every word we put in our minds would turn into useful knowledge to be used in the near future. It’s worth our time becoming a smarter person finishing a book than finishing a season of your Korean drama.

Those of you who are introverted would mostly understand how reading is able to calm your nerves down. Whenever you encounter a difficult day at school or work, try to grab a book and head to a nice, quiet place, like your study or balcony. As you immerse yourself into the sea of words, you would realize that you have been lifted away from all the stress and worries for just a moment. Even then, it’s a great way to keep your emotions in check, making sure you don’t go haywire when your teachers or bosses give you a hard time.

How about the words themselves? Does it stay in your mind or just vaporizes into thin air after you finish the book? Of course, it stays in you! When you concentrate on reading a book, you would gradually improve the language you read in, be it in English or Chinese, as you meet new words that are foreign to your mind, and sentence structures that you never would’ve used should you have left the book on your shelf. In fact, many experts in languages derive their vocabulary mainly from reading, as they know that established writers often spend a large chunk of their time selecting their words and perfecting the way they write.   Science tutor Johor Bahru

Many of you prefer watching stories on the big screen nowadays, but as long as books are still in print, pick up those books and read them, and you’ll understand why Harry Potter enthusiasts prefer the written trilogy over the filmed one. You just can’t fit that much information in a 2-hour long movie as you can on paper!

Author: Galvin Lee is the award winner of various debating championships and author of physics book. He has good foundation in languages and science, hoping to open new doors to an adventurous ride in life.

Benefits of ECA

A lazy bum only brings harm! Hop onto your extra-curricular ride in school today!

Living in the era of lightning-fast communication allows us to socialize even from our bedroom but how great would it be to touch, feel and act together with your friends in school? Aside from being an educational institution, your school is designed to build your character as well, future-proofing you for the ever-changing world through a series of out-of-classroom activities! However, not many are keen to stay back in school on stuffy afternoons as they could enjoy paradise at home, sipping on Coke and binging on Netflix. Extra-curricular activities, extra pain, extra lame! If you take a different look at it though, it might just not be as bad as you think!

There are as many choices as your Netflix shows!

Extra-curricular activities are tailored to cater to every single unique palate, including yours. From a wide range of activities in societies and sports, you’ll definitely be able to find one that suits your style! Drown yourself in choices as you explore the inner you that has yet to be unleashed. You may well have an artistic or musical side of you waiting to break open its shell!   Mandarin tutor Johor Bahru

Time is not about the quantity but the quality.

Rather than spending your time on the phone at home or having a stare-down competition with your TV screen, why not spend your time with your classmates and teachers doing something all of you like in school? Just an hour of extra-curricular activities a week would mean earning a valuable 60 minutes under your belt! Plus, you get to feel good about yourself thinking about how productive your day went!

Bring out a better you!

Believe it or not, most of our greatest personalities don’t come from realizing it ourselves but people in our surroundings that help us do so! When you occupy your mind with activities in school, you force yourself to constantly reach outside your comfort zone and work with other individuals, leading a team and even expressing your own ideas while you’re at it. Through years of involvement in extra-curricular activities, you’d almost be guaranteed positive traits you once thought only the idols you admire could have.  Mandarin Tutor in Penang

Build your network!

More often than not, the human brain registers face that we frequently see more effectively, as opposed to long hours of texting and emojis. Even if you think meeting people face-to-face isn’t in season anymore, everyone else doesn’t! If you got together with your friends and indulge in activities you all enjoy, it would create memories that all of you could hold onto for the many years to come. True friendship doesn’t come by with exchanging names and smiles, but the great time people can talk about at reunion parties!

Decorate yourself!

In this challenging and competitive era, it takes more than a stack of certificates to edge over your competition. Proven in many studies, employers are not looking forward to seeing a long list of achievements, but they are much more curious about the life skills you possess. Leadership, resilience, open-mindedness, selflessness, confidence are only a few of many traits employers are looking for that you could easily get from participating in extra-curricular activities! You’d develop these life skills along the way as you fulfill your responsibilities with the position you hold in your society!

Youth development has been the epitome of success for many countries and the first step to doing this is already in your school. It’s up to you to lead a monotonous life or one that is filled with exciting meetings and events you’d be craving for as soon as you make the initial move of signing for a club!

Malaysia’s Education System

Malaysia is a cosmopolitan country situated in South-East Asia and consists of three main races of the Malay, Chinese and Indian communities. There is a minority of foreigners also living in the country. The Malaysian education system is monitored by the Ministry of Education which is called, ‘Kementerian Pendidikan’. The Federal Government is responsible for the education system, but each state and federal territory has its individual education departments to control and coordinate all educational matters in their respective territories. The legislation governing the education system is the Education Act 1996.

How is the education system in Malaysia?

Primary education

Just like other countries, the child starts with preschool education at the age of 4 to 6 years. There are many preschools called ‘Tadika’ or ‘Taska’ owned by private institutions. In Malaysia, a child has to attend the Government primary school at the age of 7. Private and international schools start at their primary education at an earlier age of 5 or 6. The difference between the government and private education in Malaysia is the medium of instruction. Government schools use the Malay language called Bahasa Malaysia whereas the private schools use English as their medium of instruction. There are schools that teach in the Chinese medium and owned by private bodies. As a majority of the Indians were found living in estates, the Tamil medium of education also is used in some of the schools. The primary education is compulsory in Malaysia, where multilingual public schools, private and home education co-exists side by side. The students in the government schools are assessed for a test in year six called UPSR to continue for secondary education. Similarly, private schools also have their own assessment for further education.

Secondary education

The secondary education will start at the age of thirteen and will last for five years. Students will be assessed after three years during their secondary education which is called PMT or lower certificate of education. This assessment will determine whether the student qualifies to enter the arts or science stream according to their results obtained in the assessment. When they are in the specified stream, their switching opportunities are limited. Following this, after two years they will be assessed to enter the high school. This assessment is called SPM and the results will determine for the students to proceed into high school for a further two years which is form six or STPM, in Public schools, matriculation or A levels in private schools.  English tutor Johor Bahru

Malacca High School is Malacca is the second oldest High School in Malaysia

What if a student has specialized skills more than academic skills?

Vocational schools

Of course, there are vocational schools set up for skills development by the government which oversees the establishment and operation of all Public and Private training institutions. It has developed about 1,000 standards for certificate, diploma, advanced diploma training and has approximately 20 identified key areas. They are normally conducted by Polytechnics administered by the Government or Private institutions.

Kolej Polytechnic Mara in Kuala Lumpur one of the oldest Vocational colleges

How about higher education in the Universities?

Most of the students who have finished their high school would want to further their education in the Universities and look for tertiary education.

Malaysian tertiary education is heavily subsidized and has tight quotas that protect the racial majority. There is a great meritocracy is a selection of students to the public universities and in the interim disadvantaged students have the opportunity of enrolling at the private university colleges, private universities or foreign universities.   English tutor Penang

Students are able to continue for their post-graduate studies also by furthering their education with a Master’s degree program or a Ph.D. The universities in Malaysia also cater to working adults who want to further their education in the universities and many foreign students find that Malaysia is an excellent place for higher studies with all the good facilities, fees structure, cheap cost of living and the climate.

The University of Malaya is evolved from the Federated Malay States Government Medical School founded in 1905, is the oldest functioning tertiary institution in the country. Currently, there are 43 universities, 31 private university colleges, 9 foreign university branch campuses and 414 private colleges in Malaysia.

Benefits of Private Tuition

As much as we encourage students to pay attention, buckle up and get ready for class, more often than not these students would do the opposite as they are bogged down by heavy schoolwork and insufficient sleep. Hours spent in school may be the necessary input for students as they are introduced to new ideas and concepts daily, but it is inevitable that some may require additional assistance alongside the curricular framework in school. 

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Traditionally, parents would only put their trust onto teachers in school as they have been filtered, selected and trained from a pool of candidates on top of the years of experience they would obtain throughout their careers. That would mean external sources of enrichment were never appealing to parents and student. However, due to the influx of elites venturing into the education industry, it is observed that the quality the private tuition industry poises is on par with conventional schools, if not more efficient and productive. Fresh graduates, retired teachers and master’s degree holders are only a few among the many private tutors that offer classes to schoolchildren today.

The conventional school system ties not only the students but teachers down strictly onto the curricular framework that has been laid out – in terms of the hours a subject has been allocated with, the chapters that teachers have to fulfill at a certain stage, and all these contribute to the inability of the school system to be flexible. On the other hand, private tutors have much more control onto how they execute their classes, as they use various teaching methods, speed of teaching, as well as out-of-textbook approaches to drilling students. This is especially beneficial to those students who require additional time and care, should they find difficulty in learning along with the rhythm of teaching in school.  Science tutor Penang

Additionally, classes conducted by private tutors are often small-sized, usually on a one-to-one basis. This means that more attention and guidance can be given to the students, as opposed to a classroom packed with over thirty, sometimes forty students. For the students, they would be able to enjoy the privilege of asking questions right when they stumble upon one and do not have to “catch the teacher afterward”. For the tutors, they would be able to grasp the learning patterns of their students so they can adapt their teaching methods specifically for those who need unique approaches to study.

It’s no fact to dodge from that schools our young generation go to are still not equipped with the latest technology, things like projectors, tablets, speakers and so on. Even if they do, they wouldn’t be as great of experience compared to them being able to interact with media face-to-face as private tutors prepare their teaching materials in various forms – videos, slides, songs, etc. In fact, not many students are able to learn via printed materials, as they are either visual learners or auditory learners. Hence, private tutors with their self-designed materials would definitely be able to engage the students and offer them a more comfortable time confronting their subjects.

Many parents opt into hiring private home tutors, as they are much, much more convenient than any other option available. It allows the parents to fit classes for their children on top of their tight schedule, as they are able to discuss the available slots a private tutor has. Private home tutors, as the name suggests, also conduct their classes in your home, not needing you to fetch your children to and fro to a different location! This would mean that you, as a parent would also benefit from hiring private tutors!