INTRODUCTION

EducationsysteminMalaysia based on community and ethnic that share same curriculum

Which known as vernaculareducationsystem or national curriculum
Retention ofsuch asystemwould encouragethe separation ofstudents fromdifferent
ethniccommunities
School functions to socialize students from different socio-politics, cultivate the spirit of
toleration and mutual understanding (neena:1985)

THE HISTORY OF EDUCATION IN

MALAYSIA AND ETHNIC RELATIONS

Creating national identity through national education with Malay language as

its medium is challenging to be implemented because every ethnic holds to
their heritages, identity and education system
France ,United State of American and Thailand also face the same conflicts
The prioritized of languageis given to originalpopulationorcommunity
The British colonial had divided Malayan for 130 years

THE BACKGROUND OF EDUCATION OF ETHNIC

GROUPS IN
TANAH MELAYU

Malay Community
informaleducation
Bahasa melayu and bahasa arab as intermediate language
Syllabus are based on reading al Quran al hadis and religious affairs
Free from British intervention.
Excellent students continued studies in Indonesia, India and Egypt.

Malay Vernacular School

bahasa melayu as intermediate language
focus on reading, writing, art, carpentry and agriculture.
Continued studies to Maktab Perguruan Sultan Idris (MPSI)
do not have oppurnity to

CHINESE COMMUNITY
The Chinese migrants looked for better life and wealth since they suffered natural disasters, political strife and dense
population.
Based onthe teachings ofa Confuciuswhich emphasize the important of education
Held a belief thatonlythrough educationand properties that canchange their fate andstatustoa higher level
Pre 1900
Education system which inclined to classical Chinese - Chinese writing
British laissez-faires policy enabled them to use Chinese as intermediate language , teacher and text book is from china
Chinese vernacular schools were funded by Chinese chambers of commerce and Hua Tuan
Have primary and secondary school
Pre 1920
The British enacted school registration enactment when communism and Kuomintang permeated the schools
The enactment was to control the ideology, Chinese societies and anti British idea.
Hence, the British funded the schools despite the strong rejection by the majority of Chinese community. The conducts
have continued until now.

INDIAN COMMUNITY

The influx of Indian immigrants to Tanah Melayu rose due to the demand of
rubber market in 1880 -1890.
They were of Tamil and Bengal sub-ethnic which originally from the
Southern part of India.
Financial constraint deterred the Indian immigrants to set up their own
vernacular schools.
The estate management built them the school because they refused to send
their kids to British funded Malay vernacular school.
Similarly to the Chinese immigrants, schools were used to keep their
Indian identity by having Indian education system.
The call for education was not intense, so Indian immigrants children
finished their primary education only.
As a result, the children did not have chance to hold high rank position in
the British administration.

ENGLISH VERNACULAR SCHOOL

Era

Description
1816 Penang Free School (PFS) was set up by missionaries. British
administration took over PFS in accommodating their junior administrative
workforce succession. Urban Chinese and Malay elites were the preference
to join PFS. Huge benefits enjoyed from being part of PFS social status,
pursuing studies abroad & serve in the British administration.
Pre 1920 Education was divided into 2 segments [PFS for non-Malay &
Malay elites] and [Malay Vernacular Schools set up by Gavenor Cavenagh in
the strait settlements for non-elite Malays for basic education; read, write
and arithmetic]

Colonial

Post 1920 stressing on vernacular system. The reasons for the majority of
the Malays not joining English vernacular school; religion, finance and
location.
The effects of British Education Policy separation and disparity among
Chinese/Indian immigrants and elites and non-elites Malay.
Huntington; 2005 ethnics are bound with their long shared values
including descent, religion, family, language, culture, tradition and history
which could lead them to establish their own education system. Separation
among ethnics is not absolutely British made.

DASAR CHEESEMAN 1946

Effects from the war, British have changed the principle of

education towards unification and not the separation between
different ethnics.
Therefore, dasar cheeseman was made in 1946.
The contents are:
1) allocate the primary education for free and allowed to use
their own native language.
2) English education will be exposed from the primary level.
Those who qualify can continue their education to the next level.
3) The opportunity will be given same to each gender.
The issue was raised by the chinese community where every
party should get the same opportunity to into an english
school for free.

JAWATANKUASA CAR-SAUNDERS
1947

Made by the British for the education in the universities at

Tanah Melayu.
The aim to make Malay language as the main language was
hard to achieve because the non-Malay community sees that it
can disturb their own language.
The Chinese and Indian community have emphasize for the
their language and value of tradition to be protected (Fennell
1968)

JAWATANKUASA HUBUNGAN
ANTARA KAUM 1949

Established on January 1949 to unify the society to build a new

independence country.
The committee represented was Dato Onn Jaafar (Malay), Tan
Chen Lock (Chinese) and Thuraisingham (India).
Steps to achieve the unity:
1) Malay and English language is compulsory to learn at school.
2) Sekolah Kebangsaan will be built to unify the different ethnic
community
3) Each native language can be learned.
However, the unification was hard to achieve because every
ethnic community was still protecting their traditional education
system.

LAPORAN BARNES 1951

The aim was to repair the form of Malay education

The result was the Malay and English language was suggested
as the communication language in primary school.
The report stated that the vernacular school should be
changed with the national primary school education system.
In the secondary school, English language was permanent
(Fennel 1968).
However, the report did not succeed to unify the society
because the non-Malay community did not agree.
Then the Fenn Wu report was made.

FENN-WU REPORT
William P.Fenn and Wu Teh-Yao is the chairman of this report.
This report is to maintaining the position of the Chinese schools and
urged the government provide financial assistance.
To maintain the Chinese language as the largest language in the world.
The urge for Chinese schools do not focus on the forms and methods of
education china because they have already stay in Malaysia.
This report cause the Malay language and English language difficult to
become the main language.

ORDINANCE REPORT
To unite all the ethnic by this education system.
All ethnic want to protect their own heritage so they can maintain their
own position.
Malay community had force our government more focus on Malay
language.
But Chinese and Indian community reject this suggestion.
So, this report is incorporated to solve the problem.
If the school have more than 15 students that is not Malay , so the school
will provide Chinese and Tamil education.

RAZAK REPORT
The report was incorporated into the section 3 of the education ordinance
of 1957.
This report was compromise between Barnes report and Fenn-Wu report.
Malay ,English , Chinese and Tamil schools were provided for primary
school level while Malay and English schools at secondary school level.
Is to form a single system of national education
Conception of a single system of evaluation for all.
Bahasa Melayu is the main medium of instruction.

RAHMAN TALIB REPORT

Was introduced in 1960 and incorporated in the education act 1961.
Stress on 3m basic education-membaca,menulis,mengira (reading, writing
and arithmetic)
Stress on strong spiritual education and the desired elements of discipline
Stress on Malayan curriculum.
Upper secondary education of two streams-academic and vocational.

SCHOOL TYPES AND MEDIUM OF INSTRUCTION

Malay-medium national schools (Sekolah Kebangsaan, SK)

Non-Malay-medium national-type schools (Sekolah Jenis Kebangsaan, SJK), also known as
"vernacular schools",further divided into
National-type school (Chinese) (Sekolah Jenis Kebangsaan (Cina), SJK(C)),mandarin-medium
andsimplified chinesewriting
National-type school (tamil) (Sekolah Jenis Kebangsaan (Tamil), SJK (T)),tamil-medium
All schools admit students regardless of racial and language background.
Malay and English are compulsory subjects in all schools. All schools use the same syllabus for
non-language subjects regardless of the medium of instruction. The teaching of the Chinese
language is compulsory in SJK(C), and Tamil language is compulsory in SJK(T). Additionally, a
national school must provide the teaching of Chinese or Tamil language, as well as indigenous
languages wherever practical, if the parents of at least 15 pupils in the school request that the
particular language to be taught.

English Vernacular School

SECONDARY EDUCATION

Public secondary education in Malaysia is provided by national secondary

schools (Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan,SMK). National secondary schools
use Malay as the main medium of instruction. English is a compulsory subject
in all schools. Since 2003, science and mathematics had been taught in
English, however in 2009 the government decided to revert to using Malay
starting in 2012
As in primary schools, a national secondary school must provide teaching of
Chinese and Tamil languages, as well as indigenous languages wherever
practical, on request of parents of at least 15 pupils in the school. In addition,
foreign languages such asArabicor Japanese may be taught at certain
schools.

PRIMARY
SCHOOL

SECONDARY
SCHOOL

FORM 6

MATRICULATION

UNIVERSITY

DIPLOMA

VISION SCHOOL
Objective
To create unity among students that comes from various races and
background.
To cultivate the spirit of integration between students from various streams

VISION SCHOOL
To create generation with high tolerance and understanding in order to
achieve unity.
To encourage maximum interaction between all school citizen through
sharing of facilities and implementation of various activities in school.

PRE-UNIVERSITY EDUCATION
Students selection after completing SIJIL PELAJARAN MALAYSIA (SPM):

Form 6 (2 years sit for STPM examination )

Matriculation program 90% places allocated for Malay/Bumiputera students

(1-2 years)

Diploma in various educational institute (3 years)

E.G : POLYTECHNIC COLLEGE

HIGHER EDUCATIONAL
INSTITUTIONS

Two categories of HIGHER EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS :

Public Higher Educational Institutions (IPTA) (20 institutions)

Private Higher Educational Institutions (IPTS) (32 institutions).

*This amount does not include other IPTS that are not listed by
Kementerian Pengajian Tinggi (categorised as other; approved by
Kementerian Pengajian Tinggi (Kementerian Pengajian Tinggi, 2006)*

CHALLENGES IN EDUCATION
efforts to prevent ethnic polarization

Diversity in the education system

Engender understanding of the three pillars of chinese politics
1.
2.
3.

Maintaining the chinese education

Maintaining the chinese newpaper publishing

Maintaining chinese unity

. Sumbit the memorndm of federal educition
. Making chinese education as one of national education flow

GOVERNMENT COMMITMENT

Repeal the Akta Pelajaran 1961 section 21(1b) which is to give the empower to
minister of education to close or repeal the national-type schools
Expend a new act which is Akta Pendidikan Negara
Creating educational philosophy of education
Creating educational based on 1 Malaysia
Reunite the ethnic relations by creating only one type of school at the
secondary level