The most expensive gift to a child?

Recently, there have been some education fairs being held after the SPM and STPM results were released in March. Past memory crossed my mind when I saw lots of students were hunting for colleges to further their studies. There are so many choices now to further their education. During my high school time back in the early 90's last century, majority would choose from the following 3 paths to further their education after finishing high school.

• Study in Form Six, and get good results in STPM. Admission to a local public university was not guaranteed, and a student might not get their first choice in their field of interest.
• Apply for UTM with SPM results, and if got admitted, a student may finish a degree 2 years in advance compared to the peers who study Form Six.
• Study abroad directly or through twinning/transfer program.

Of all the options available, study abroad was and is still the most expensive option. Given a choice, I believe many parents would like their children to study abroad. However, do you know how much does it cost to study locally and abroad now? What about 10 years, 15 years or 18 years from now? I collected some data from the internet, and did some calculations and projections. The answers may be shocking to parents who never think about that YET.....

Labels: Education