It is that time of the year when parents whose kids are about to enter our Malaysian public schools for the first time are feeling jittery and nervous, waiting anxiously for the results of the school placement for Std 1.
By now, those who are in Selangor may have checked and received the results of the Std 1 2016 school placement decision. Did you get the school that you selected? If you have not done so yet, those in Selangor can go online to check here: Cari Keputusan Penempatan by JPN Selangor's "Sistem Pengurusan Murid Tahun 1 Online". This is the updated link. Some may have gone to the old link which no longer works. (More jitters!)
For those in KL and other states, you will receive a letter from the school soon. If not, you can always call up the school to get the latest updates.
Updated: A member of our FB group shared the link for checking for Wilayah Persekutuan. You can try checking using that link to see if you can find out the results of your school application.
So what happens next?
If you get the school that you applied for...
In the month of August 2015, you will need to go to the school to confirm a place for your child. (Pengesahan Penempatan). You will be required to bring along your child's original and copy of birth certificate plus a copy of the online placement decision/"Keputusan Penempatan" (for those in Selangor). Bring along any other document that is stated in the letter from the school your child is placed in. If you have not received your letter, check with the school.
When you go to the school, you may be given forms to fill. If you are sending your child to SJKC make sure you know how to write their Chinese names. (we didn't know how!). The school may not request for this immediately but you will require it soon. Make sure you keep your child's vaccination records.
If you did not get the school you applied for....
Do not be dismayed. Before you decide to transfer, why not pay the school your child has been placed in a visit and give it a chance? Perhaps you may like it and decide not to transfer after all. That is what we did and we have no regrets.
If you still wish to transfer, call up your PPD (Pejabat Pendidikan Daerah) to find out the procedure for transfer. Here is a list of PPD in Malaysia (Senarai PPD Di Seluruh Malaysia) which I found on a blog. It states MPM as the source. Unfortunately I can't find the source document so I am linking to the blog for your easy reference. Please note that this list was from a blog post dated 2013 so if you do not find what you are looking for please call up your JPN for more information.
The difference between PPD and JPN
JPN= Jabatan Pendidikan Negeri (State Education Department) whereas PPD=Pejabat Pendidikan Daerah. (District Education Office). Most school related matters will be handled by the PPD where your child's school is located. However, certain matters eg. interstate school transfers between Selangor to Wilayah Persekutuan for example, may be handled directly by the Jabatan Pendidikan Negeri instead of the Pejabat Pendidikan Daerah. So go to the right department to facilitate your transfers.
Apart from getting the department correct, always make sure you go with ALL the documents that are required to save time. I have seen parents running around to the same place twice just because they forgot to photostat a required document.
You may like to pay the school you wish to go to a visit to find out if they still have places available. This is not compulsory or necessary but it may give you an idea of whether your transfer application will be successful.
I am not listing down the procedures for transfers on this post. It may change from time to time and may differ from state to state. So it is best you check with the schools and relevant departments.
On the Selangor JPN website, the time frame for appeal to transfer is from 1st to 30th September 2015. Results of appeal will be out after 15 November 2015. This is pretty much the same for other states as well. Yup, more anxiousness and waiting.
After you have submitted your appeals, relax and wait. Go for your year-end holidays etc. Once your child starts school, your life and holidays will pretty much revolve around school holidays so take this chance to have a free and easy holiday before school starts.
If you wish to network with other parents, join our FB Group: Malaysia Primary And Secondary School Parents On Facebook.
Good Luck!