Educational Issues in Multiethnic Malaysia
Educational Issues in Multiethnic Malaysia

Author: Tan Yao Sua

Publisher: Strategic Information and Research Development Centre

Published:

Total Pages: 235

ISBN-13: 6297575010

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Education in multiethnic societies is a subject of considerable debates in almost all parts of the world. These debates have invoked strongly-felt positions between competing ethnic groups over a host of issues that have a profound impact on the nation building process. Apart from deep-seated issues arising from contrasting internal demands over educational rights and equality, emerging issues arising from external influences such as the global spread of English as a result of globalisation have also impacted the nation building process of multiethnic societies. It is against this context that educational issues in multiethnic societies merit our attention. In the case of Malaysia, discourses over these issues are particularly intense and hotly contested by the different ethnic groups. This is primarily because of the extreme difficulties in mediating these complicated issues which are impinged by competing socio-cultural, economic and political interests. This book explores the contested terrains of education in multiethnic Malaysia. It comprises seven chapters that cover three crucial areas of educational provisions and delivery, namely education of ethnic minorities, education and national integration, and educational language policy. These three crucial areas are often the prime concerns of policy makers in multiethnic societies who have to tread a thin line in resolving these issues which are underpinned by intense coterminous interests and inter-ethnic competition, and having the potential to generate conflicts, contestation and power struggle. As far as the Malaysian policy makers are concerned, their efforts in resolving these issues have not been overly successful. It is most unfortunate that their policy decisions are at times influenced by competing political and ethnic interests rather than guided by sound theoretical underpinnings that could put the educational development of the country on a stronger platform and a clearer trajectory.

Language Policy Challenges in Multi-Ethnic Malaysia
Language Policy Challenges in Multi-Ethnic Malaysia

Author: Saran Kaur Gill

Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media

Published: 2013-12-09

Total Pages: 134

ISBN-13: 9400779666

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Set in Malaysia, this book encompasses language and cultural policy challenges that many other multi-ethnic nations currently have to address. The people of Malaysia constitute a diverse ethnic, linguistic and cultural population and one of the continuing challenges is the development and establishment of the Malaysian people’s ethnic, national and global cultural identities. This challenge is evident in the journey of language and cultural policy from the post-independence period to the 21st century; a period of over 50 years. The book highlights political, socio-cultural, economic and knowledge economy factors as they impact on decisions made by the government with regard to language policy in the various educational systems. It examines decisions made on the selection of the national language, the medium of instruction in educational systems, the varying changes in language policy for the field of science and technology and the maintenance and sustenance of minority languages.

Islamic Education in Indonesia and Malaysia
Islamic Education in Indonesia and Malaysia

Author: Azmil Tayeb

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2018-03-13

Total Pages: 302

ISBN-13: 1351116843

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Despite their close geographic and cultural ties, Indonesia and Malaysia have dramatically different Islamic education, with that in Indonesia being relatively decentralized and discursively diverse, while that in Malaysia is centralized and discursively restricted. The book explores the nature of the Islamic education systems in Indonesia and Malaysia and the different approaches taken by these states in managing these systems. The book argues that the post-colonial state in Malaysia has been more successful in centralising its control over Islamic education, and more concerned with promoting a restrictive orthodoxy, compared to the post-colonial state in Indonesia. This is due to three factors: the ideological makeup of the state institutions that oversee Islamic education; patterns of societal Islamisation that have prompted different responses from the states; and control of resources by the central government that influences centre-periphery relations. Informed by the theoretical works of state-in-society relations and historical institutionalism, this book shows that the three aforementioned factors can help a state to minimize influence from the society and exert its dominance, in this case by centralising control over Islamic education. Specifically, they help us understand the markedly different landscapes of Islamic education in Malaysia and Indonesia. It will be of interest to academics in the field of Southeast Asian Studies, Asian Education and Comparative Education.

The Emergence and Widening of Ethnic Divide in the Malaysian Educational system
The Emergence and Widening of Ethnic Divide in the Malaysian Educational system

Author: Tan Yao Sua

Publisher: Strategic Information and Research Development Centre

Published:

Total Pages: 81

ISBN-13: 6297575045

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The existence of an ethnic divide is a common problem in multiethnic societies, more so when these societies are straddled with contradictions reflected in their socioeconomic and political composition and configuration. The existence of an ethnic divide in the educational sector is most unfortunate since one of the fundamental purposes of schooling in multiethnic societies is to achieve a common process of socialisation and enculturation among the different ethnic group to achieve a strong sense of social cohesion. While Malaysia has aspired to provide a common or uniform system of schooling for the different ethnic groups since Independence, such an aspiration was however compromised by the co-existence of alternative pathways of education that are divided along ethnic lines. There are four dimensions underpinning these ethnic divisions, namely linguistic, preferential, religious and class. This monograph explores the emergence and subsequent developments of these alternative pathways of education and their impact on Malaysia’s nation-building process.

Malaysian Indians and Education
Malaysian Indians and Education

Author: Rajendran Nagappan

Publisher: Taylor & Francis

Published: 2022-11-30

Total Pages: 178

ISBN-13: 1000788660

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This edited volume provides a comprehensive overview and discussion of the issues surrounding the Malaysian Indian community’s educational development. Malaysian Indian citizens who make up seven per cent of the population have their own set of strengths and weaknesses, while facing deep-seated socio-economic challenges. Education is seen as an enabler which could significantly facilitate social and economic upward mobility, as shown in policies and practices implemented under the New Economic Policy, many of which have unfortunately bypassed the Indian Community. This book explores and assesses the various aspects of the education endeavour of Malaysian Indians, including primary, secondary, post-secondary and tertiary education. Related challenges include urban poverty, school dropouts, dysfunctional families and other socio-economic issues. It reconsiders educational equity policies and practices in place while proposing new initiatives which could support and chart a way forward for the development of Malaysian Indians. Importantly, the publication addresses the roles of the government, private sector and civil society to help elevate the educational achievements of the Indian Community. The book will appeal to students and academics in the faculties of social science and comparative education, development economics and sociology, with a focus on access and equity in education. Proposals for change would be of interest to policy-makers and managers of educational and non-governmental organisations in plural societies.

Education and Globalization in Southeast Asia
Education and Globalization in Southeast Asia

Author: Lee Hock Guan

Publisher: Flipside Digital Content Company Inc.

Published: 2018-02-14

Total Pages: 163

ISBN-13: 981476292X

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Prior to the era of globalization, education in Southeast Asia was viewed in the context of the national state and it was deployed in the service of state and nation-building and national economic development. States monopolized education, and public-funded centralized education systems were established to teach literacy, transmit national cultures and promote social cohesion, and to produce literate workers. Globalization forces, however, dramatically impacted in varying ways and degrees the national education systems across the region. As states begun to see their citizens as resources to enhance the countries' competitiveness in the global market, it, among other things, led to the increasing demand for highly skilled and qualified human capital. The accompanying neoliberal ideology led to varying degrees of decentralization, privatization and internationalization of education, especially of higher education, in Southeast Asia. The chapters in this volume focus on a number of issues and challenges confronting the education sector in Southeast Asia, including: (i) the contrasting language in education policy in Singapore and Malaysia; (ii) the introduction of an English-medium private education sector in Malaysia; (iii) the internationalization of Thai higher education; (iv) access and quality issues in the massification of Malaysian higher education; (v) secondary school quality and higher education participation in Indonesia; (vi) equity, access and retention in primary school education in Malaysia; and (vii) reforms in the primary and secondary education in Myanmar.

Education in Malaysia
Education in Malaysia

Author: Moses Samuel

Publisher: Springer

Published: 2017-07-11

Total Pages: 191

ISBN-13: 9811044279

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This book examines Malaysia’s educational landscape, providing a contemporary study of key themes that have emerged in this multicultural, multi-ethnic society, as it attempts to shift from a middle-income to a high-income nation. Combining contributions by scholars from various fields—such as economics, history, sociology, political science and, of course, education—the book provides richer insights into Malaysia. Offering a unique resource, it will be of particular interest to educators, researchers, students, policymakers and members of the public who want to be updated on the latest trends and challenges in Malaysian education.

Languages in the Malaysian Education System
Languages in the Malaysian Education System

Author: Asmah Haji Omar

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2015-12-16

Total Pages: 246

ISBN-13: 131736421X

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This book provides an overview of language education in Malaysia, covering topics such as the evolution of the education system from pre-independence days to the present time, to the typology of schools, and the public philosophy behind every policy made in the teaching of languages. The book consists of chapters devoted to the teaching of languages that form separate strands but are at the same time connected to each other within the education system. These chapters discuss: Implementing the national language policy in education institutions English in language education policies and planning in Malaysia Chinese and Tamil language education in Malaysia Teaching of indigenous Malaysian languages The role of translation in education in Malaysia It also discusses the development of language which enables the national language, Malay, to fulfil its role as the main medium of education up to the tertiary level. This book will be of interest to researchers studying language planning, teacher education and the sociology of education, particularly, within the Malaysian context.

The Development of Chinese Education in Malaysia
The Development of Chinese Education in Malaysia

Author: Tan Yao Sua

Publisher: Strategic Information and Research Development Centre

Published: 2022-12-06

Total Pages: 114

ISBN-13: 9672464649

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Chinese education in Malaysia has come a long way since the nineteenth century. The Chinese had brought their traditional mode of education to Malaya, which was modernised following new political developments in China. The postcolonial period saw the restructuring of education, which resulted in the acceptance of Chinese primary schools into the national educational system and the conversion of Chinese secondary schools to national-medium schools. Despite this, the development of these schools, especially the Chinese primary schools, has not been fully supported by the government and there are also measures that could lead to a change in their character. Meanwhile, the development of Independent Chinese Secondary Schools has been lacklustre and it was only in the early 2000s that they began to show impressive growth. But the strong emergence of international schools beginning in the mid-1990s might pose a threat to this impressive growth. As for the aspirations of the Chinese educationists to establish a Chinese institution of higher learning since the second half of the 1960s, their efforts were blocked by the government until the 1990s when they managed to establish a private college to create a complete system of Chinese education in Malaysia. This book is essential reading for anyone hoping to study the development of the Malaysian Chinese education system in greater detail.