Page 377 - The Guide To Sarawak

THE GUIDE TO SARAWAK 375
public universities and is equivalent to A-Levels, International Baccalaureate or SATS. A number of government schools
have been designated specialist schools for sports, languages, science & technology or vocational education, although
all teach the national curriculum.
As well as government schools, there are
a large number of government-supported
and independent Chinese vernacular schools where instruction is primarily in Mandarin. In addition, many mission schools of various Christian denominations receive government support. Both Chinese
and mission schools follow the same basic curriculum as government schools. English is the medium of instruction in a number of well-regarded international schools, in
Kuching and Miri, which also operate a Bahasa Malaysia curriculum for local students.
Education is provided even in the remotest areas, with primary schools accessible to every community in the state. Children in very remote areas may need to board during the week, and their food, accommodation and transport are provided free of charge. Rural secondary school students may often need to board in major towns and cities, again at zero cost to their parents.
TERTIARY
Sarawak is one of
the country’s leading education hubs with both public and private institutions of higher learning.
PUBLIC UNIVERSITIES & INSTITUTIONS
Universiti Malaysia
Sarawak (UNIMAS) opened in 1992 and has over 9,000 students and more than 2,000 staff. The university has eight faculties:
Applied & Creative Arts, Cognitive Sciences & Human Development, Computer Science & Information Technology, Economics & Business, Engineering, Medicine & Health Sciences, Resource Science & Technology, as well as Social Sciences. It is starting to gain a strong reputation as a research institution in the social and medical sciences.
Universiti Teknologi
Mara (UiTM) Sarawak has
a current enrolment of about 4,000 full-time and 800 part-time students and offers 26 programmes ranging from certificate to PhD level, through full- time, off-campus and e-PJJ (distance learning).
Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) Bintulu Campus
NASA Astronauts are introduced to the audience at the The vast modern campus of UNIMAS, Sarawak’s first and XXIII Planetary Congress of the Association of Space
largest university, at Kota Samarahan near Kuching. Explorers (ASE), held at UNIMAS in 2010.