Historical Development of Education

Educational System from 1400 1941 Educational System before Independence 1946 1957 Educational Development: Early Independence 1957 1963

Pondok school
the Malay vernacular educational system was mainly religious and Quranic based. Pupils recited the content of al Quran under the guidance of religious teachers in the pondoks, suraus and mosque

 In the middle of the 19th century - vernacular Malay schools was strongly objected by the local people and religious teachers Normal class in the morning and Quranic class in the afternoon, more Malay students entered the Malay vernacular schools. This led to an increase in the pupil population and a shortage of proper teaching staff to teach in the Malay schools

Maktab Perguruan Sultan Idris

In 1922, Maktab Perguruan Sultan Idris (SITC) was established to overcome the shortage of teachers. This college produced many dedicated Malay teachers and good quality textbooks for the use in Malay schools and teachers colleges.

 the British government rendered financial assistance for building Tamil schools in 1902. The government also enforced the Labour Code which required employers to provide Tamil education for children in the estates

 The Chinese however, had to take their own initiative to set up schools based on education system in China. It was then discovered that the curriculum content in the vernacular Chinese schools in Malaya posed a danger to the country. A Registration Enactment was then established in 1920 to stop its development.

 In 1816, the Penang Free School was established by preachers and was meant for elite children only. Education in Chinese schools and English schools reached the secondary level but remained at the primary level for Malay schools and Tamil schools.

Educational System before Independence 1946 1957

During the Japanese rule between 1942 to 1945, all types of schools were forced to close down, except for Japanese classes.
With the formation of the Malayan Union in 1946, the Cheeseman report was accepted but not implemented due to remedial work after Japanese rule. The formation of the Malay Federation (1949) had seen the rejection of Holgate Report

 In 1951, Barnes Report was released. It suggested two types of schools to be continued, i.e. the Malay schools and the English schools. This report caused strong protest from the Chinese committee. The Fenn-Wu Report then proposed Chinese Language as the medium of instruction in Chinese schools. However, students must also study Malay Language and English Language. A Special Committee was set up to coordinate and attempt the two different recommendations. It was passed and supposed to be implemented under the Educational Ordinance in 1952. However, it was not successful due to financial reasons

 In 1956, the Razak Report was announced, declaring Malay Language as the National Language, and, at the same time, accepted Chinese, Tamil and English as medium of instructions in their respective primary schools. A few types of teacher training programmes were planned. The Kota Bahru Training College was established in 1954

Educational Development: Early Independence 1957 1963

In 1957, all existing primary schools were converted to national and national-type schools. Malay medium primary schools were renamed national primary schools with Malay Language as the medium of instruction. The Dewan Bahasa and Pustaka was founded in 1956 to produce textbooks and reference books in the National Language. The Language Institute was established in 1958 to train Malay Language specialist teachers. English and Chinese secondary schools were converted to nationaltype secondary schools. The medium of instruction in national-type schools were English and the vernacular languages. The national language was made a compulsory subject in these national-type schools. Such schools became fully assisted schools.

Stage 1 Razak Report (1956)

Same school syllabus

Stage 2 Rahman Talib Report (1960)

Schooling age 15 years automatic promotion Advanced

Teacher training centre established Establishment of Education School Produced same text books

Create advanced examination for Malay and English medium schools only

National language compulsory for Financial aid for Malay and English primary schools medium schools only Provide learning place for all Learning Technical and schools and National type schools Vocational Secondary schools established

Education System after Formation of Malaysia (1963 1975)

Level 1 (1963 1965) Further Education Schools (Sekolah Lanjutan) were established Emphasis of National Language at all levels Comprehensive Education System (Sistem Pendidikan Aneka Jurusan) was introduced in 1965 Automatic entry for primary school pupils into secondary schools

 Level 2 (1966 1970) To foster Integration To achieve educational balance between rural and urban areas Diversify educational training facilities Accelerate teacher training Technical and Vocational Secondary Schools were built to provide opportunities for students with potential and talent in the vocational field

 Level 3 (1971 1975) Changes based on May 13th tragedy Reformation of education aimed at promoting unity among the various races More skilled workers Improving the standard of living for rural people To reduce the economic imbalances among various races More employment opportunities for the bumiputera group Follow and practise the Five National Principles (Rukun Negara): Belief in God Loyalty to King and nation Upholding the Constitution Sovereignty of Constitution Practice of ethics and etiquette Teacher training reforms in Malaysia

Education Development in Malaysia After 1975

The medium of instruction was changed in stages, beginning in 1970. By 1983 it became the medium of instruction at the tertiary level. Today Bahasa Melayu is the medium of instruction in all national schools and it is a compulsory subject in Chinese and Tamil Schools. English is taught as a second language. In 1980, the Malaysian Certificate of Education examination was conducted in Bahasa Melayu only. In 1970, English ceased to be the medium of instruction in primary teacher education programmes.

 In 1979, a Cabinet Committee was set up to review the educational system so that it complies with the nations objective to create a united, disciplined and well-trained society. Based on the Cabinet Committee Report, the Ministry of Education decided to implement the Primary School Curriculum (KBSR) programme in 1983 and Secondary School Integrated Curriculum (KBSM) programme in 1989.

Education Development in Malaysia from 1990 until Today

At present, the Malaysia education system can be grouped into two levels. This is the school level (primary and secondary) and higher education level (colleges and universities). Pupils start their primary Year 1 at the age of seven, for a period of six years until they are twelve years old. The medium of instruction could be in Malay, Chinese or Tamil according to the type of schools. All the schools follow a common curriculum. Pupils will be assessed through the primary school assessment

Smart Schools
In 1995, the Smart Schools was annouced as one of the Seven Flagship Applications within the Multimedia Super Corridor (MSC). The Smart School Concept in teaching-learning activities, assessments and administration. Rationale : in line with our countrys aspiration to achieve Vision 2020 as well as to keep pace with rapid development in this era of science and technology. Smart schools which is a technology-supported initiative. Concept : change in the learning culture based on memory and examination-orientation to that of creative thinking and problem-solving. Goals : to produce knowledge-based work force who will navigate our country towards an information-based economy.

Education Act 1996

1996 saw the change when the Education Act 1961 was replaced by the Education Act 1996 to regulate the expansion of education. It states that the national education system is designed to produce world class quality education to achieve the countrys aspirations. It upholds the National Philosophy of Education as the basis for the National Principles of Education. Pre-education is part of the national education system and the duration for primary education is 5 7 years. to have improved technical and polytechnic education the enactment of the Private Higher Education Institutions Act 1996 which made provision for the establishment of privately run tertiary institutions.