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Why wealthy Malaysians want to study in the UK and what it means for Malaysia

Harry November 2, 2024

For Kuala Lumpur real estate agent David Lau, providing his children with a British education is more than a status symbol; It is the passport to the world of opportunities.

In a country whose modern identity continues to be shaped by echoes of its colonial past, the allure of a degree from a prestigious UK university – and better yet, a British accent – lies in the ability to achieve this feat. Malaysia‘s complex web of social class, wealth, status and ethnicity.

“I noticed that many of my clients who were very successful were educated at only a few colleges,” Lau said, referring to the universities of Sheffield and Nottingham, among others.

Disillusioned with Malaysia’s education system, she enrolled her two children in international schools that followed the University of Cambridge’s International General Certificate of Secondary Education curriculum to prepare them for British university education.

“As a Chinese, it is already difficult to get into Malaysian universities,” Lau said, referring to racial quotas that favor Malay applicants.

“So why do you put my kids through this and yearn for more?”