PHILOSOPHY &

EDUCATION IN
MALAYSIA
(EDU 3101)

DEVELOPMENT OF THE EDUCATION

SYSTEM IN MALAYSIA

PHASE 1: BEFORE THE

BRITISH COLONIAL PERIOD
(1400-1786)
Islamic education was initially taught in:
Teachers

Home

- Recite the Quran and Fardhu Ain

- Taught by Ulamak
Mosques, surau and madarasah

- To carter for the increasing number of students

- Ulamak were invited to the Istana to teach members
of royal family

Religious Institutions (Pondok)

standard syllabi
- Uses curriculum from Al Haram
Mosque in Makkah
- No provision for a

- Serve as religious teachers in their respective

kampungs
- Further their studies in Makkah, Kaherah, Pakistan
or India.

BEFORE THE SECOND

WORLD WAR (17861941)

STAGE 1

Education System in

Malaya
Education System in
Sabah
Education System in
Sarawak

EDUCATION SYSTEM IN
MALAYA
Primary Education
Secondary Education
Teacher Training
Vocational and Technical Education
Tertiary Education

PRIMARY AND SECONDARY

EDUCATION IN MALAYA
Malays, Chinese and Indians were segregated in terms of education

British implemented

Divide and Rule. WHY???

- To create a divide amongst the citizens

6 years
- Provide

of basic education were given to Malays in order to:

basic Arithmetic skills

- Promote

for males

awareness regarding the importance of moral values

- Ensure children of royal family

effectively

can master English

INDIANS
6 years
Work as

of basic education were given to Indians

laborers in the rubber estates and railway tracks

Chinese
own schools
Designing their own curriculum
Employing teachers and using textbooks from China
Setting up their

English
To supply manpower for the British
administration

MALAY SCHOOLS

Standard Five
Malay Language as the medium of instruction
Provide schooling until

However, Malay parents were not interested in

sending their children to Malay Schools.

SO,

A.M. Skinner

started Quran recitation classes.

Finally, the number of Malay students are increased .

DEVELOPMENT OF MALAY
SCHOOLS
British Government enforced the COMPULSORY
EDUCATION ACT

Every child is compulsory to receive education or else

their parents would be

FINED!

Government took a longer time to set up schools for

girls.

They did not put in extra effort in setting up Malay

secondary schools because British worried that highly

educated Malays would initiate
feeling among the Malays.

ANTI-BRITISH

CHINESE SCHOOLS
Expenditure for building Chinese schools are fully sponsored by

Chinese businessmen and leaders.

Curriculum and Chinese school teachers were brought in from China

During Revolution in 1911, the Chinese schools were frequently

visited and monitored by

China.
6 years
3 years
3 years

EDUCATION OFFICERS

of Primary School Education

of Lower Secondary School Education
of Upper Secondary School Education

from

DEVELOPMENT OF CHINESE SCHOOLS

TAMIL SCHOOLS
Indians were not very responsive to Tamil School

inadequately equipped with

basic physical amenities
System was poorly organized
Tamil schools were

CONSEQUENCE???
Indian children were not interested
in schooling

DEVELOPMENT OF TAMIL
SCHOOLS

ENGLISH SCHOOLS/
MISSION SCHOOLS
WHY???

Penang

FREE

School (WHAT IS THE FREE HERE MEAN?)

Characteristics of English Schools

- Located in

town area

- Non-muslim pupils were compulsory to study

Religious

Knowledge
-

English Language

- Supported by

British colonial Government

TEACHER TRAINING
The TEACHING PROFESION was deluged

Low wages

Small number of female teachers

Lack of trained teachers in Malay schools

Setting up of many teacher training colleges

Translation Bureau was set up

WHY???

To solve the shortage of reading and reference materials

written in Malay Language

VOCATIONAL AND
TECHNICAL SCHOOLS
1990

- Malay handicraft
- Teach in Malay schools
1905

- Establishment of Treacher Technical School in KL

1918

- Formation of the Technical and Industrial

Education Commission

 1923

- Setting up of the Agricultural Training Centre

1926

- Setting up of the Technical School

1931

- Establishment of the Agriculture School in Serdang ,

Selangor
1946

- Agriculture school was elevated to Agriculture

college

TERTIARY EDUCATION
1905

- Establishment of King Edward VII Medical School

1929

- Establishment of Raffles College

1938

- Formation of a commission
- Merging of both colleges to form a university
1941

- Establishment of UM in Singapore

EDUCATION SYSTEM IN
SABAH
Malays were only given religious education in areas
Dusun would receive education related to the

traditions of their descendants

English is the major medium of instruction in
Sabahs Education system

1st Government-aided school was established at KOTA

BELUD

21 28

EDUCATION SYSTEM IN
SARAWAK
No formal education
Farming, hunting and handicraft
Ruled by Christian missionaries, Brooke Government and

Chinese Community

English Language
Expenses of Chinese schools were sully supported by

Chinese traders and businessmen.

Setting up of an Education Department in Sarawak (1924)

Setting up of Malay Teacher Training College

AFTER WORLD WAR II

(SECOND STAGE)

CHEESEMAN PLAN

Recommendations

Failed

Free basic education for

Reasons:

all
English, Malay, mandarin

and Tamil are used in

secondary level of
education
English is the compulsory

subject for all vernacular

school

Does not address the

issue ofsocial
integration among
multi ethnic groups in
Malaya
Vanished in 1949 with
Malayan Union

BARNES REPORT 1951

Recommendations
Malay and English be

the medium of
instruction

Conversion of Malay,

Chinese, Tamil schools

to national-type schools

Islamic religious studies

in school

Failed
Reasons:
Oppose from the
Chinese community
agreed with the basic
recommendation that
Malay be treated as the
principal language
Recognize Chinese and
Tamil language

FENN-WU REPORT
Characteristics 1952
Recommendation
Focused on Chinese

schools
Accepted the Malay
and English language
as the medium of
instruction
Wanted to retain their
mother tongue

The Malay
language, Mandarin
and English
language as the
medium of
instruction in all
vernacular schools

EDUCATION ORDINANCE
1952
Recommendations:

Brief Explanation:
British colonial
government set up a
Central Advisory
Committee
Follow up the Barnes
report and Fenn-Wu
Report

Five types of schooling

systems:
1.English school
2.Malay school
3.Chinese school
4.Tamil school
5.Religious school
.Curriculum according to
individual school system

RAZAK REPORT 1956

Cabinet committee
Functions:
1. Examine existing

educational policies
2. Recommend

educational
changes

Recommendations:
One common schooling
system for all
Malay language as the
medium of instruction
for all stages of
schooling
Centralized curriculum
and school examination

TEACHER TRAINING
Problems:
Growing
demands in
school
Lack of trained
and qualified
teachers

DEVELOPMENT OF
EDUCATION SYSTEM IN
MALAYSIA:
POST INDEPENDENCE

RAHMAN TALIB REPORT

1960
Recommendations
Brief explanation
Committee led by Abdul
Rahman Talib is formed
to
Review the

implementation of the
National Education
Policy

Improve the education

system

1.Malay language as the main

medium of instruction
2.Free secondary school
education
3.Automatic promotion until
form 3
4.Establishment of technical
and vocational schools
5.Emphasis on religious and
moral education

EDUCATION ACT 1961

Aims:
1. To promote the cultural,

economical, and
political advancement
2. To make the Malay

language the national

language

Content:
Compulsory for all children
of school-going age
Free primary education for
all
Technical and vocational
education in secondary
school
Islamic education offered
(provided the number of
Muslim pupil is more than

HUSSEIN ONN REPORT 1971

According to the Hussien Onn Report
(1971)
The national system of education is

designed to meet the countrys needs

Promote cultural, social, economical and

political development

Beginning 1968, the Malay language will

replace English language as the medium

of instruction in all English medium
schools.

MAHATHIR REPORT
Objectives:
To review the goals and

effectiveness of the
educational system

Ensure the educational

system meets the

manpower needs of the
country

Produce a united,

disciplined and skilled

society

Recommendations:
1.Focus on 3 basic skills
(reading, writing, arithmetic)
2.English language as second
language
3.Academic and vocational
streams in secondary
education
4. Establishment of moral and
disciplined Malaysian society

DEVELOPMENT OF EDUCATION
SYSTEM IN MALAYSIA:
CURRENT EDUCATION

WHY OUR COUNTRY HAS

UNDERGONE SEVERAL CHANGES?
To

liberate

Malaysians from the effects of British

Colonialism
To

fulfill the economic needs

of our

growing nation

EDUCATION ACT 1996

EDUCATION POLICY 1999
EDUCATION DEVELOPMENT MASTER PLAN (2006-

EDUCATION ACT 1996

AIM:
To further consolidate the national education system

for the young generation

To outline the legislation related to education

LEGISLATIVE PROVISION
The National Philosophy of Education (FPK)
The consolidation of the national education

system

- all levels of schooling

- all categories of schools
National Language Malay Language became
the main medium of instruction

LEGISLATIVE PROVISION OF THE

EDUCATION ACT 1996 ACCORDING TO THE
LEVELS OF SCHOOLING
Pre-school

- Children from poor family can receive pre-school

education
- Empower to establish and maintain pre-school
- Compulsory use of the Pre-school Curriculum
Guidelines
Primary and Secondary School

- Sit for public examination

 Technical and Vocational

- To enculturate science and technology education

- Vocational TECHNICAL schools
- Twinning programmes

Teacher Training
- Diploma and Degree level

Tertiary Education

- Teaching National Language in private institutions

NATIONAL EDUCATION
POLICY
Mission of Ministry of Education (MOE)

world class education

- To fulfill the nations aspirations
- To produce

Goals

- To produce a united bangsa Malaysia

- To produce excellent Malaysians
- To provide competent work force
- To offer equal educational opportunities for all
Malaysian citizens

POLICY

IMPLEMENTATION STRATEGIES
PRE-SCHOOL EDUCATION

Reinforced Pre-school Curriculum

Initiate quality teaching and teaching
Guidelines
approaches
PRIMARY EDUCATION
Introduce and emphasis on the mastery Increase the number of graduates and
of three basic skills (3Rs)
trained teachers
Establish strong foundation for
Introduction of Vision School and Model
particular subjects
School
SECONDARY EDUCATION
Establish a curriculum that emphasize
on few subjects.

Provide Form 6 and matriculation

programme

POLICY

IMPLEMENTATION STRATEGIES
SPECIAL EDUCATION

Provide educational opportunities

to special needs children

Provide a suitable curriculum and

trained teachers

TECHNICAL AND VOCATIONAL EDUCATION

Consolidate technical and vocational

education

Provide diversified technical courses

POLYTECHNICS

Increase the number of workers

Set up new polytechnics / Increase

private sector involvement

TERTIARY EDUCATION

Upgrade our country as a centre of

excellence for education

Establish MQA

TEACHING OF SCIENCE AND

MATHEMATICS IN ENGLISH
AIM:
(PPSMI)
- To ensure Malaysia
globalization era

would not be left out

in the

Implications:

- Science and Mathematics teacher need to master the

English Language
- To ensure there is an adequate supply of Science and
Mathematics
Textbook

COMPULSORY EDUCATION
Parents are responsible to register their children who

have reached the

age of 6 years

for schooling

Duration 6 years
Implications:

- To ensure all Malaysians receive equal access to

education
- To protect the rights of children

STATUS OF CHINESE AND

TAMIL LANGUAGE
Chinese and Tamil language was compulsory in all national

schools because of:

- An inadequate
schools

number of pupils

- An increase in the

pupils

So,

in Government

number of non-Chinese

in Chinese Vernacular schools

Increase in the number of

SMART SCHOOL
Rationale:

- To keep pace with rapid development in this era of

science and technology
How?

- Move away from rote-learning and drill strategies

- Concern and take responsibility of their own learning

 Goals:

- To produce a knowledge-based work force

Implementation:

- Produce a computer-savvy equipped with thinking

skills
- Holistic development due to the individual capacities

VISION SCHOOL
AIM:

- To foster

racial unity

Rationale:

- United schools under a standardized education

system
Challenges:

- Unique identity and culture would loss

Consequence:

- Sekolah Kebangsaan

BASIC READING AND

WRITING CLASSROOM
INTERVENTION PROGRAMME
Duration:
(KIA2M)
- Three or six months

Goals

- To enable pupils to master 2R (Basic Reading &

Writing skills)

 Target Group

- Year one pupils who need remediation in

class, a special remedial class or slow learner
Teaching and Learning strategies

- Nomination
- Screening test
- Planning
- Teaching
- Evaluation

EDUCATION DEVELOPMENT
MASTER PLAN (EDPM) IN
2006-2010
Goals
- To ensure equity and equality in education
- To develop the schools to achieve measurable success in education

Thrusts

- Nation-building
- Developing human capital
- Strengthening national schools
- Bridging education gap
- Enhancing the teaching process
- Accelerating excellence of educational institutions

MALAYSIA EDUCATION BLUEPRINT

2013-2025

AIM:
*Understanding

the current performance

and challenges of the Malaysian school
system
Raising standards (quality) of academic
performance
Promoting unity among students

ASPIRATIONS FOR THE MALAYSIAN

EDUCATION SYSTEM AND MALAYSIAN
STUDENTS

These aspirations comprise two

aspects.
Those for the education system as
a whole
Those for individual students

SYSTEM ASPIRATION (5
OUTCOMES)

Access (Equal access to an education)

Quality (Have the opportunity to attain an
excellent education)
Equity (Fair)
Unity (Share experiences and aspirations to form
the foundation for unity)
Efficiency (Produce students with high academic
performance )

STUDENT ASPIRATIONS
Knowledge (Fully literate and numerate)
Thinking Skills (Master a range of important cognitive

skills)
Leadership skills (Take on leadership roles)
Bilingual proficiency (BM & BI)
Ethics and spirituality (Inculcate strong ethics and
spirituality )
National Identity (Understand the countrys history,
and share common aspirations for the future)

REFERENCES
Choong, L. K.(2008), Philosophy and Education in Malaysia. Kumpulan
Budiman SDN BHD.
University Education in Malaysia. (2009, September 23). Education System
in Malaysia. Retrieved from: http://www.etawau.com
Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization. (2012). National
Education System. Retrieved from: http://www.seameo.org

THANK YOU