Easy pronunciation. Simple grammar.
Widely spoken in several parts of Asia.
A popular foreign language that is taught overseas.
These are some of the characteristics of the Malay language, or Bahasa Melayu, the national language of Malaysia. The influence of this language goes beyond just examination grades, as with it comes an umbrella of rich heritage and culture.
Whether you are learning Malay as a Malaysian or a non-Malaysian, you might have to make several considerations before committing to learning it seriously in the long run. In this article, you will get to read about Malay courses and lessons in Malaysia as well as get an overview of the costs of attending these courses and lessons.
Goals of learning Malay
At the end of the day, you certainly wish to begin and finish well in this Malay language learning journey. To do that, you will need clear goals and directions.
You can start by writing down reasons you want to learn Malay in a list.
Here’s a prompt for you: what inspired you to improve your language skills in Malay?
Additionally, you can find some common learning goals of students who are picking up the Malay language below. Do any of these goals resonate with you?
1. Succeed in standardised Malay exams at school
If you learning Malay in a public school, then you should know that you need to obtain a passing grade in the final year of your Malay language studies if you want to graduate successfully and earn your SPM certificate! In other words, you need to obtain a grade of anywhere between A+ and C in your SPM Malay paper.
Even students who are taking IGCSE Malay as an elective subject will need to prepare for the standardised exams to prove their proficiency in the language.
It is to succeed in these Malay language papers that students will work hard to improve their Malay vocabulary and grammar, and sometimes seek the help of their subject teacher after school! Rest assured though, with the determination to ace your exams and the effort you are putting in to prepare for your exams, you can surely succeed.
2. Expand career opportunities with Malay language proficiency
You may be looking to build your career in Malaysia while also being open to the idea of working in nearby countries like Singapore, Brunei and Indonesia. In that case, learning Malay is a fantastic idea since you can apply this language to all of these places!
If you are learning Malay as a foreign language, one way to keep yourself focused on your goal is to sit for a language proficiency test. It’s recommended that you register and sit for the Malay Language Proficiency Certification for Foreigners test which was released by the Malaysian Examination Council. It is also known as Peperiksaan Sijil Kecekapan Bahasa Melayu Bagi Warga Asing.
The test is conducted annually and those who are currently working in Malaysia or intend to work with official government bodies in places like public universities and government departments are encouraged to sit for this test.
3. Boost confidence in learning a second language
Perhaps you are not preparing for any kind of examination at the moment but you still want to become more confident at using Bahasa Melayu!
If you are an international student hoping to become an effective bilingual communicator in Malaysia, learning Malay and taking proper Malay lessons will enable you to improve vastly in your spoken Malay and even lead you to many job opportunities in the future.
With increased fluency in the Malay language, you will be fine working or starting a company in Malaysia or even overseas if you are keen on the Malaysian market.
Who knows… you may even release a book in Malay with years of learning Malay! Always remind yourself that your Malay language journey will be WORTH IT.
For any language enthusiast, mastering a foreign language with a Malay teacher guarantees you a great sense of satisfaction, boosts your confidence level and enhances personal growth.
Why should you learn Malay directly from a Malay teacher?
Some of you may be on the fence about whether to learn from a Malay teacher directly, be it via face-to-face classes or online classes. After all, we are living in the age of the Internet where we can access many learning materials by ourselves easily too. Let’s take a look at the other side of the coin.
Having a Malay teacher will provide you with a different perspective when you are learning the subject. For instance, they might introduce to you a better way of memorizing new words so you don’t have to take too long to pick up new phrases and sentences. You will also feel more confident and motivated because you are no longer learning alone.
Not to mention that you would certainly enhance your comprehension levels in several topics that you might have faced difficulties with previously as you can now constantly receive undivided attention from your Malay teacher.
Speaking Malay fluently is another struggle among individuals who are trying to build up their conversational Malay. With a Malay teacher, you also get to practise your speaking naturally when you converse with them, which also boosts your confidence whenever you have the opportunity to communicate with anyone who speaks Malay. At the same time, you will also be exposed to diverse learning materials every lesson to help you pick up Malay culture effectively.
Finally, you shouldn’t ignore the benefit of being assessed objectively and equally for all the Malay language components. With direct instruction and guidance from your Malay teacher, you can instantly improve because you will not only learn the needed language components, but you will also be able to learn from your mistakes and receive constructive and useful feedback immediately.
What is the cost of learning Malay in Malaysia?
After deciding on your goals for learning Malay, it’s time to take steps to put those goals into practice. First, we need to check out what Malay courses and lessons are available throughout the country and get a general idea of the related costs and fees.
Apart from the Malay classes that Malaysian students need to take in either public or private school curriculum settings, the two most popular ways of learning Malay in Malaysia are by taking:
- Malay language courses at language schools or higher education institutions, and
- Malay tuition classes at local tuition centres
Let’s look at these language courses and tuition classes for the Malay language in more detail.
Cost of taking a Malay language course in Malaysia
Malay language courses offered by language schools and higher education institutions in Malaysia are often designed for:
- International students studying in local universities
- Expatriates and their family members living in the country
- Foreigners interested in learning the language
A Malay language course is usually broken down into several levels, starting from the beginner level up until the advanced level of Malay proficiency. You will need to complete several hours of learning and tests to progress through the levels, and later obtain a certificate indicating that you’ve reached a certain proficiency of Malay.
Here are a couple of Malay language courses in Malaysia that you can consider taking along with the estimated costs of completing the courses.
1. Intensive Malay Language Proficiency Course, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia
Course duration: 100 hours (80 hours of reading, writing and speaking; 20 hours of practical work including field trips and workshops)
Fees: RM1,800 in a group (minimum 3 persons) / RM5,400 for one-to-one
When to attend: Offered year-round and based on demand
Location: Institut Alam dan Tamadun Melayu (ATMA),Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600 UKM Bangi, Selangor Darul Ehsan
2. Intensive Malay Conversation Course, VI Academy
Course duration: 4 to 24 weeks (1 hour per lesson includes listening, speaking, reading, writing and more)
Fees: $547 (about RM2,622)
When to attend: Classes are on weekdays only
Location: B-8-7, Megan Avenue II, 12, Jalan Yap Kwan Seng, Kampung Baru, 50450 Kuala Lumpur
Cost of taking Malay tuition in Malaysia
Malay tuition classes are usually catered to Malaysian students or international students who are already taking Malay lessons in school but need additional guidance to improve their language abilities. Students usually attend Malay tuition classes once a week after school.
Here are some tuition centres across Malaysia that are offering Malay tuition classes, as well as their tuition fees:
1. Kasturi Academy, Kuala Lumpur & Selangor (several branches)
Levels: Form 1 to Form 6 Malay
Fees: RM50-60 per month (excluding registration fee)
When to attend: Depending on physical and online class schedules
Location: Choose from branches in Cheras, Puchong and Kuala Lumpur
2. Pusat Bimbingan Karya, Kuching
Levels: Kindergarten to Form 6 Malay
Fees: RM120 to RM365 per month
When to attend: Slots available from Thursdays to Sundays, 3 hours per lesson
Location: Lot 2977, Q3A, Bormill Commercial Centre, 93150 Kuching, Sarawak
So, should you take a Malay language course or attend Malay tuition classes?
Cost-wise, attending a few Malay tuition lessons will cost you less than completing a Malay language course.
However, you should also know that most of the Malay classes at tuition centres are structured according to the KSSR and KSSM syllabus meant for Malaysian students. If you are an adult beginner learner of Malay, it therefore makes sense to take a comprehensive language course meant for learners of a second language.
On the other hand, students preparing for their SPM or IGCSE Malay exams will likely benefit from Malay tuition classes, especially if they prefer one-to-one guidance that is difficult to obtain in large classroom settings.
Don’t worry if you feel the classes and courses above are out of your budget. That is why the next step is to decide how much you want to invest in your Malay learning!
Deciding on the budget for your Malay lessons
Let’s be honest. It is important to make sure that your Malay lessons are WORTH YOUR TIME AND MONEY! Hence, setting a budget is important to make sure you can enjoy your lessons without worrying about the finances.
There are various factors to consider before signing up for any Malay lessons or courses, such as:
- Rates of the lesson or course, which will depend on whether you want one-to-one or group classes
- Mode of learning, which is choosing between in-person or virtual Malay lessons
- The course or lesson duration, or if you plan to study Malay as a short-term or long-term investment (consider the intensity of the lessons you plan to tackle)
- Location, as you may need to set aside additional savings to cover your travel distance
Take note that the rate of private tutoring (for any subject) is normally charged at an hourly rate, and it can differ from a low to a high rate depending on your level, the scope that you want to learn and also the tutor’s teaching experience as well as credentials.
At the same time, remember that you can also customise and discuss the rate of your Malay lessons with your Malay teacher based on the location or mode of learning that you choose.
One way to keep the calculation clear and objective is to decide on your preferred learning mode first. If you’re thinking about having physical classes, remember to consider the distance and transportation fees for your Malay teacher if they are coming to your house for home tutoring.
For physical classes at other locations, most language centres already have a fixed rate for their lessons because they are arranged according to various packages. An example could be taking 10 lessons per package, and one hour can range from RM100 to RM120 for private tutoring. On the other hand, you will usually have a more flexible option by choosing online classes.
Still think that it is quite challenging to find the perfect fit?
To help you work through the points of consideration for your Malay lessons and courses, head to Superprof’s website and the amazing filtering system will lead you to your desired Malay classes with rates and a mode of learning suited to your preferences. It will be a great guide to begin your Malay learning journey.
Let’s say you are from Kuala Lumpur and are looking for Malay classes near your area.
You will be able to check that the average price for one hour of Malay classes is RM40 and at the same time, you can adjust your maximum budget on the filtering tab easily according to your budget. Let’s say your allocated maximum budget is as low as RM20 for an hour of Superprof Malay lessons: you will automatically be led to all the Malay teachers who are offering their lessons below RM20 per hour!
The characteristics of effective Malay language learning (during/ after classes)
If you have decided on a Malay course, that’s great!
However, if you have already attended a few classes with your teacher, you may be wondering if the lessons are working for you and if you need to change to a new Malay teacher.
What happens after you enrol in your Malay classes? As you begin or if you have already learned Malay for a few months or probably a year, here are some takeaways that you can observe as you take your lessons.
1. You have built a basic foundation in the Malay language.
To make sure that you continuously and consistently have a good lesson, it is important to build a good foundation when you are taking basic lessons and advancing into higher lessons. By the end of the beginner-level Malay classes, you should be able to know basic Malay vocabulary, ask and answer simple questions, and have an idea of straightforward sentence structures.
2. You see progress in various Malay language components.
Effective Malay language lessons also mean that there is a balance between the written and oral learning of Malay. This means you should show similar progress in all your language learning components, which include listening, speaking, reading and writing.
3. You don’t take too long to understand what is being said.
Here is an interesting thing you will also notice if your Malay lessons are working: now you can understand what your Malay teacher is saying without having to “register” it in your head! You can pick up what a Malay speaker is saying without having to take too long to translate what is being said.
Bear in mind that learning does not stop when your lessons end every week. What sets you apart from average class learners is the extra effort that you put in between lessons that will increase your proficiency in the Malay language.
After all, you should take steps to make the best out of your Malay lessons!
Be open to new experiences during Malay lessons for beginners
In addition to taking classes that are effective for your Malay language learning journey, there are some things you can do to ensure you can make the most out of your Malay lessons.
When you are starting your lessons as a beginner, remember to discuss your learning expectations with your Malay teacher before proceeding. Both the teacher and learner need to acknowledge that consistent monitoring and creative input are equally essential to produce the best results in language learning.
Be open to new ideas, new experiences and new methods of acquiring the language and follow the lessons systemically and regularly.
Remember that motivation and self-discipline go hand in hand. For instance, if your Malay teacher suggests that you record yourself speaking about different topics every week, you should be eager to explore new topics and learn about the vocabulary, the contexts and how you can use the vocabulary in your daily life consistently.
Why is this important?
Your new Malay language learning experiences could be more memorable and effective because it is a deviation from your usual lessons where you solely receive information from your Malay teacher.
Another way to make the most of your Malay classes is to take the lead to make the lessons as interactive as possible. During your lessons, don’t hesitate to proactively ask your Malay teacher questions while exchanging ideas on the taught Malay topics. If you are learning Malay with a group of students, use this time to speak to them and your other Malay-speaking friends during and between classes. You got this!
Find the best Malay tutors on Superprof
We wouldn’t want to end this article without mentioning the perks of learning Malay with a Superprof tutor.
If you are unsure of how to begin and where to search for the most suitable Malay teacher to start learning with the best rates, remember that Superprof is a good platform for you to start exploring - not just because of its amazing filtering system that will bring you to tutors within your budget, but you can also find the top Malay tutors across Malaysia.
All tutors on the Superprof platform have been verified and you can also read up on your Malay tutor’s educational background and teaching experience on their Superprof profile. Therefore, you can easily access experienced and amazing Malay teachers all over Malaysia when you learn with Superprof!
Once you have confirmed your maximum budget for your lessons and you have reviewed your tutor’s profile, all you need to do is just contact your chosen Malay tutor and wait for their reply. All that is left to do now is get ready for your first Malay language lesson with your teacher in Malay!
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