Sekolah Menengah Pei Min

About Pei Min Middle School

Pei Min Middle School (Sekolah Menengah Pei Min, 培民中学) is a Chinese independent high school in Miri, Sarawak. Founded in 1961, it was the first Chinese independent secondary school in the town and now carries more than six decades of operating history. It is one of 14 Chinese independent high schools in Sarawak and one of two in Miri, the other being Riam Road Middle School.

The school runs 24 classes split between a double-track stream, which prepares students for both the UEC and the national examination, and a single-track stream focused on the UEC. Pei Min places equal weight on the three main languages used in Malaysia, Chinese, English, and Bahasa Melayu, alongside an all-round education covering moral, intellectual, physical, social, aesthetic, and practical development.

Curriculum at Pei Min Middle School

Pei Min Middle School follows the Chinese independent school model built around the Unified Examination Certificate (UEC). The programme runs for six years, divided into Junior Middle 1 to 3 and Senior Middle 1 to 3. The UEC is set and governed by the United Chinese School Committees Association of Malaysia (Dong Zong), which standardises the syllabus and examinations across all member schools.

Mandarin is the main medium of instruction, with Bahasa Melayu compulsory for every student and English taught throughout. Where the school offers the option, students in the double-track stream sit for the national SPM examination in parallel with the UEC, which widens the range of local and overseas tertiary destinations they can apply to.

Fees at Pei Min Middle School

Pei Min Middle School does not publish a standard fee schedule online, and Chinese independent schools commonly adjust charges by stream and year. As a guide, fees at Chinese independent high schools in Malaysia generally fall within roughly RM 3,000 to RM 12,000 per year once tuition, registration, and activity charges are added together. Families should contact the school directly for the current figures, since Sarawak schools also receive periodic state grants that can affect what parents pay.

Admissions at Pei Min Middle School

Entry to Pei Min Middle School is normally at Junior Middle 1, after a pupil completes Chinese primary schooling, with places also available at higher levels subject to space and assessment. Applicants are usually asked for the child’s identity document, primary school records, and recent results. Parents choosing between the double-track and single-track streams should discuss the option with the school, since the double-track route keeps the national examination open.

Contact the school office for intake dates, entrance assessment details, and the documents required for the current academic year. Phone: 085-432448.

Pei Min Middle School in Sarawak

Pei Min Middle School sits in Miri, the second city of Sarawak and a centre for the oil and gas industry near the Brunei border. The school benefits from being in the same town as Curtin University Malaysia: a September 2019 memorandum of understanding between the two created a degree pathway for Pei Min graduates, and by that point 43 former students had already enrolled at Curtin after the UEC.

Sarawak was the first Malaysian state to recognise the UEC, in 2014, and offers free tertiary places at state institutions to eligible UEC graduates, which strengthens the case for the UEC route in Miri. Pei Min is part of the wider network of Chinese Independent High Schools in Malaysia. The Sarawak directory lists other private and independent schools across the state.