80% of Malaysian students who take Pearson qualifications go on to study at leading varsities

Pearson, a learning company, announced that 80% of Malaysian students who completed their Pearson Edexcel A Level and International Advanced Level (IAL) qualifications in 2014 will go on to study at the world’s top 50 global universities.

Mr Steven

McGill, Head of Pearson's Partner Market, Asia giving his speech.[/caption]

Universities include: Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), University of Cambridge, London School of Economics, University of California, Berkeley, Imperial College London, University College London, Kings College London and University of Melbourne, for the academic year 2014/15 intake.Siva Prakash, Senior Country Manager for Pearson, said that “99% of Pearson Edexcel A Level and International Advanced Level Malaysian students successfully pursue further studies by entering first year of university internationally or locally in 2014. 80% of these students go on to study at the world’s top 50 universities, including MIT, University of Cambridge, Imperial College London and University of Melbourne.“We are proud of the Malaysian students for meeting the highest standards in globaleducation. Now more than ever, our world is interconnected. To be successful personally and professionally, students must become a “global citizen” skilled at interacting with people from other countries and cultures, and capable of analysing and addressing issues from a global perspective," said Steven McGill, Head of Pearson’s Partner Markets, Asia.“We are pleased they have chosen Pearson’s Edexcel qualifications as the platform to leapfrog them into gaining international education experience or studying abroad to build global competence. At Pearson, we take pride in developing world class students for world class universities.”Quoting figures from the Ministry of Higher Education, McGill said, “Malaysian students studying abroad increased by over 34% from 2009-10, from 58,963 (2009) to 79,254 (2010). Out of the total number of students studying abroad, 28,291 are sponsored by either government or private institutions.”From the year 2010 to 2011, the total number of Malaysianstudents studying abroad increased 13% from a total of 79,254 students in 2010 to 89,580 students in 2011. Australia, the United Kingdom and Ireland, Egypt, the United States of America and Indonesia were among the popular destinations for Malaysian students, he added.This increase is also in line with data collected by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) on international and foreign students. According to OECD report, over the past three decades, the number of students enrolled outside their country of citizenship has risen dramatically, from 0.8 million worldwide in 1975 to 4.1 million in 2010, more than a fivefold increase.Foreign students enrolled in G20 countries (20 major global economies), account for 83% of total foreign students, and students in the OECD area represent 77% of the total foreign students enrolled worldwide.“A Levels are an established and recognised worldwide qualification for entry into some of the renowned universities around the world. For decades UK universities have accepted this qualification as a good solid foundation onto their degree programmes, whether this is for something practical like Engineering or a theoretical course such as philosophy,” said Tina Yeung, Associate Director, South East Asia Region, The University of Sheffield.“Edexcel qualifications are among the most established and popular exams in the world. As a result of studying Edexcel International Advanced Levels, I have developed a true passion for Mathematics and Accounting. I now intend to further my studies in Finance at the London School of Economics,” shared Cynthia Low, who studied Edexcel International Advanced Level qualifications at HELP Academy Malaysia in 2014. She achieved top grades in Accounting (A*), Economics (A), Maths (A*) Further Maths (A5 Level A).