Sekolah Menengah Chung Hua No.3

About Chung Hua Middle School No.3

Chung Hua Middle School No.3 is a Chinese independent high school in Kuching, the capital of Sarawak. It belongs to the Kuching Chung Hua group, a cluster of schools run by a joint management board that also operates Chung Hua Middle School No.1 and Chung Hua Middle School No.4. No.1 dates to 1958 and is the oldest surviving Chinese independent school in the state, which places No.3 within one of Sarawak’s longest-running networks of Chinese-medium education.

These schools trace their identity to a turning point in the 1960s. After Sarawak joined Malaysia in 1963, the state introduced a ten-year plan to bring Chinese middle schools into the national system, teaching in English. Six Kuching schools declined, including Chung Hua Middle School No.1, No.3, and No.4. By staying independent, they kept Mandarin as the medium of instruction and the freedom to set their own curriculum, which is the path Chung Hua Middle School No.3 still follows today. The school motto, 公仁诚毅, sets out the values it teaches: fairness, benevolence, honesty, and resolve.

Curriculum at Chung Hua Middle School No.3

Chung Hua Middle School No.3 teaches in Mandarin and follows the Chinese independent school structure of three years of Junior Middle (Junior Middle 1 to 3) followed by three years of Senior Middle (Senior Middle 1 to 3). The exit qualification is the Unified Examination Certificate (UEC), set and graded by Dong Zong, the United Chinese School Committees Association of Malaysia (UCSCAM).

Bahasa Melayu is a compulsory subject throughout, and English is taught alongside it, so graduates leave trilingual. Many Chinese independent high schools also enter students for the national SPM examination in parallel with the UEC; families should confirm with the school whether that option runs in a given year. The contrast between the two tracks matters for planning: the UEC is recognised by universities across Singapore, Taiwan, China, and parts of the West, while the SPM is the standard route into Malaysian public universities. Students at Chung Hua Middle School No.3 sit a Mandarin-medium curriculum rather than the national stream covered by the SPM.

Fees at Chung Hua Middle School No.3

Chung Hua Middle School No.3 is community-funded rather than government-funded, so it charges tuition. Published figures are not listed for this school. Chinese independent high schools in Malaysia generally fall in the range of RM 3,000 to RM 12,000 per year, with the exact amount depending on the year level and any boarding or activity charges. Contact the school on 082-332871 for current fees, registration costs, and any sibling or community-board concessions.

Admissions at Chung Hua Middle School No.3

Entry to Chung Hua Middle School No.3 is usually at Junior Middle 1, taken after a student completes primary school, though transfers into later years may be considered case by case. Because the medium of instruction is Mandarin, applicants are expected to have a Chinese-primary background or equivalent language readiness. Required documents typically include the student’s birth certificate, primary school results, and identification. For intake dates, entrance assessment, and the application procedure, contact the school directly on 082-332871.

Chung Hua Middle School No.3 in Sarawak

Chung Hua Middle School No.3 sits in Kuching, the largest city in Sarawak and the centre of the state’s Chinese independent school network. Sarawak holds a particular place in the UEC story: in 2014 it became the first Malaysian state to recognise the certificate, and the state government offers free tertiary places at its own institutions to eligible UEC graduates. That recognition gives families in Kuching a clear local pathway from a Chung Hua Middle School No.3 UEC into higher education without leaving the state, while the certificate also keeps options open at universities overseas.

Contact: 082-332871.