Chinese independent high school


A Chinese independent high school is a type of private high school in Malaysia. They provide secondary education in the Chinese language as the continuation of the public primary education in Chinese national-type primary schools or SJK. The main medium of instruction in these schools is Mandarin Chinese using simplified Chinese characters.
The United Chinese School Committees Association of Malaysia, also known as the Dong Zong, coordinates the curriculum used in the schools and organises the Unified Examination Certificate standardised test. Despite this, the schools are independent of each other and are free to manage their own affairs.
Chinese independent high schools represent a small number of high schools in Malaysia. The number of Chinese independent high schools differed among sources, ranging from 60 to 63, due to the ambiguous status of SM Chong Hwa Kuantan and whether branch campuses count as separate schools. In 2020, UCSCAM adopted the "60+2+1" formula in describing the number of Chinese independent high schools:
  • 60 Chinese independent high schools originated from the aftermath of school conversions in the 1960s
  • 2 branch campuses of Foon Yew High School
  • 1 private school allowed to participate in the UEC examinations

    Characteristics

Students usually spend six years in a Chinese Independent High School. The six years are divided into two stages: three years in junior middle and three years in senior middle, similar to the secondary school systems in mainland China and Taiwan. Students are streamed into tracks like Science or Art/Commerce in the senior middle stage. At the end of each stage, students sit for the Unified Examination Certificate. A few schools offer an additional year in senior middle, catering to students taking the government's Sijil Tinggi Pelajaran Malaysia.

Unified Examination Certificate (UEC)

The Unified Examination Certificate is a standardised test for Chinese independent high school students organised by the UCSCAM since 1975.
As the UEC is not recognised by the Malaysian government, some Chinese independent high schools opt to teach the national secondary school curriculum alongside the independent school curriculum and require students to sit for the government standardised tests as private school candidates, providing the students an opportunity to obtain government-recognised certificates.
In 2014, Sarawak was the first to recognise UEC, followed by Penang, Selangor, and Malacca. In 2019, Sabah followed suit in recognising the examination. In 2024, Sarawak further announced that students who graduate from the examination being eligible to enrol in state-owned universities under the free tertiary education scheme, which begins in 2026. The following year it was reaffirmed by the region premiership. In September 2025, Sabah further announce that it will recognise the UEC for state scholarship and enrolment in state-owned higher learning institutions. By October 2025, an official circular recognising the examination qualification for Chinese independent secondary schools within the region was released.

Medium of instruction

The main medium of instruction in Chinese independent high schools for non-language subjects is Mandarin Chinese using simplified Chinese characters. In some schools, certain subjects at the senior middle levels are taught using English teaching materials and exam papers for those subjects are set in English, but teachers may instruct and explain in Mandarin. For schools that prepare students to take national exams alongside the UEC, Bahasa Malaysia teaching materials in conjunction with the national curriculum are used in preparatory classes for those exams.