This articles concerns the educational institutions of Penang.
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Penang boasts of a good system of education stretching back to the early days of the British administration. Many of the public schools in Penang are among the oldest in the country and even in the region as a whole. Most notable of these are:
These pioneer schools formed the backbone of Malaysia's early education system which has educated generations of rulers, prime ministers, chief ministers, lawmakers, politicians, professionals and people of social standing.
Sekolah Menengah Sains Tun Syed Sheh Shahabudin
Sekolah Menengah Sains Kepala Batas
Penang Chinese school has also long been the centre of a well-developed schooling system. These schools were set up by local Chinese associations with donations from philanthropists, and have historically attracted students from Chinese communities in Thailand and Indonesia, where Chinese education was banned.
Penang also has six international schools to meet the needs of the local and the expatriate community. These are Dalat International School, the International School of Penang (Uplands), St. Christopher's International Primary School, Tenby International School and Fairview International School. The Prince of Wales Island International School opened in September 2011.
Penang is home to the Universiti Sains Malaysia (popular acronym USM), established in 1969, the second oldest University in Malaysia after the University of Malaya. Its main campus is situated in Gelugor while its engineering campus is located in Seri Ampangan in Seberang Perai. The university's medical faculty is in Kubang Kerian, Kelantan on the east coast. With 35 000 students in 2005, USM is the biggest university in terms of enrolment in Malaysia. In March 2006 USM is also earmarked as one of four research-intensive universities in Malaysia. Within the expansive and undulating university grounds can be found lakes, hillocks, and swathes of trees, making it a very 'green' university.
Penang is also home to the Wawasan Open University.
SEAMEO RECSAM, which is short for South East Asian Ministers of Education Organization- Regional Centre for Education in Science and Mathematics, is located in Gelugor. It serves as a research and training facility for the enhancement of the education of science and mathematics in South East Asia. Sharing the campus grounds is the Malaysian Teachers' College. The other teachers' training college being the Tuanku Bainun Teachers' College in Bukit Mertajam.
[IPG College] now known as PTPL Penang is the first college in Penang established by Malaysia first Prime Minister Tunku Abdul Rahman and his very good friend Mr K L Goon in 1981. Ever since then, IPG College has been the college of choice and has produce more than 300 World and Malaysia awards winners.
Penang is known as a regional education hub which attracts students from foreign countries due to its quality education and affordable tuition fees.
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Although it has been an important centre of education, Penang is one of the states in Malaysia that suffers from brain drain. The Malaysian New Economic Plan has been criticised by many people to be one of the key contributors to this social effect. However, this is not the only factor. University graduates do not have much opportunity to experience cutting-edge technologies in many areas of industry, from hard sciences (e.g. nanotechnology, grid computing, algorithmic research etc.) to high finance (e.g. risk management etc.) to global corporate management.