Sisters wake up at 4am to go to school in Singapore

Early risers: Nine-year-old Chen Xiao Ni (right) and her sister Xiao Ting, 12, reading a book as they wait for their school van at the front porch of their home in Taman Impian Molek, Johor Baru.

JOHOR BARU: Sometimes it breaks the heart of Ivy Teh to see her young daughters waking up at ungodly hours just so that they can reach their school in Singapore before the rush hour.

Teh is among the scores of Malaysian parents who send their children to the republic hoping for a better quality education, especially as it is conducted in English.