All Federal Government policies are implemented through the various
Ministries and Departments. They are the main instruments for giving effect to
Government policy after Parliament has passed the necessary legislation.
In a book of this nature, it is not possible to examine all the
Ministries and Departments. Hence, in this chapter, we look at three
Ministries Ministry of Law and Attorney Generals' Chambers, Ministry of
Culture, Youth and Sports, and the Ministry of Education. In the next few
chapters, a few more Ministries are examined.
MINISTRY OF LAW AND ATTORNEY GENERAL'S CHAMBERS
The Minister of Law and Attorney-General acts in many capacities. He is
the Public Prosecutor responsible for the prosecution of all criminal offences;
the Legal Adviser of the Government in all its branches; the advocate of the
Government in the Courts; the Draftsman of all legislation; the official leader
of the local Bar; and also the guardian of public rights. As Minister and
Attorney General he is responsible for the following Departments;
(i)Ministry of Law and Attorney General's Chambers,
(ii)Public Trustee, Official Administrator and Custodian of Enemy
property
(iii)Official Assignee,
(iv)Legal Aid Bureau,
(v)National Bureau of Investigation, and
(vi)Narcotics Bureau.
Some of his political duties and responsibilities are delegated to a
Deputy Minister of Law. The Chief executive of the Ministry of Law is the
Solicitor-General. He performs the dual duties of the Chief Adviser in all
legal matters as well us tin1 Administrative Head in the Ministry.
Under the law, the Solicitor-General may exercise any power and perform any
duty that the Attorney-General is authorised or required to exercise or
perform.
The principal functions of the Public Trustee are:
(i)Administration of estates of deceased persons
(ii)Administration of trusts
(iii)Officiating as Trustee of Unit Trusts
(iv)Executor of Wills.
The Official Assignee Department deals with the administration ol
the estates of debtors and bankrupts. The aim of the Bankruptcy Law is twofold
to distribute the effects of the debtor in the most expeditious, equitable and
economical way and to free him from the demands of his creditors after he has
made a full surrender of his entire property. I ho main object of the law is to
protect the interests of both creditors and debtors.
The Legal Aid Bureau aims to
(i)provide for a social need lacking in the past, and
(ii)strengthen further the application of the legal maxim' equality
before the law'. Eligibility for legal aid is determined by a Means Test
and every applicant for legal
aid is required to make a statutory declaration as to his income and
property. The primary objective of the service is to provide Legal Aid and
Advisory Service to the poor on most legal problems affecting them.
The National Bureau of Investigation was establised in 1973 to
replace the former Anti-Corruption Agency. Its function are:
(a)to investigate and prosecute offences under the Anti-Corruption Act,
1974. Under this Act the Bureau posseses powers to investigate, detain and
prosecute any person, without exception, including Members of Parliament,
Members of State Legislative Councils and public officers. The Bureau is also
empowered to investigate and inspect any bank accounts and the accounts of any
person who is under suspicion of corruption, and to call upon any person to
make a sworn declaration of his property or family possessions.
(b)to investigate and prosecute offences under other prescribed laws viz.
Penal Code, Customs Act, etc.
As a preventive measure the NBI will not hesitate to recommend to the
Heads of the Department concerned, if it finds that the officer involved in any
alleged corrupt practices or malpractices cannot be prosecuted in court for
lack of evidence, to take appropriate disciplinary action against him for
contravening Government Code of conduct and discipline. Disciplinary action
includes:
warning,
(i)reprimand,
(ii)fine,
(iii)forfeiture of salary,
(iv)withholding of increment,
(v)stoppage of increment,
(vi)deferment of increment,
(v)reduction in rank,
(vii)termination of service,
(viii)dismissal.
The NBI is not only an ordinary investigation department but an
organisation which provides a positive service to those who are being
victimised by the corrupt-practices or misdeeds of those in power. The
existence of the NBI is the result of the determination of the Government and
the people to have an investigation body which is independent, just and
impartial. Although only a minority of the people are prosecuted for
corruption offences, it does not mean that people should be complacent and
treat the problems of corruption lightly, especially in high places. The people
must be made to realise all the time that corruption can never be accepted as a
way of life although it may help them sometime in order to get things done
quickly.
MINISTRY OF CULTURE, YOUTH AND SPORTS
This Ministry strives to achieve the aims and objectives of the New
Economic Policy of the Government by promoting national unity among the races
through social and economic integration, by fostering a stable and just society
win constantly filled with a sense of dedication to the principles laid out in
the Rukunegara and to instil a national consciousness among the people so that an
identity of its own could be moulded through frequent intermingling and
interaction in all kinds of cultural youth and sports activities.
The Ministry's 4 main divisions are Administration, Culture, Youth and
Sports. The Administrative Division ensures the efficiency, progress and
coordination of the Minis try as well as provides its physical and manpower
requirements.
The Culture Division is responsible for the implementation of Government
policy on National Culture based on the following guidelines:
(i)The National Culture must be based on the culture of the indigenous
people of this region.
(ii)suitable elements from other Malaysian cultures which are found
acceptable could be infused in the National Culture—Islam to be an important
element in the creation of a national culture.
The objectives of the Culture Division are:
(i) to strengthen national unity through National Culture
(ii)to promote and sustain national identity which comes from the
National Culture
(iii)to enrich and upgrade the quality of human and spiritual life, in
line with socioeconomic developments
(iv)to create international understanding by participating in cultural
activities and introducing the Malaysian identity to the World Community.
The objective of the Youth Division is to raise the standard of
youths so as to make them economically progressive and socially cohesive and to
promote goodwill and solidarity among youths of all races.
The objectives of the Sports Division are:
(i)to evolve a dynamic, healthy and active society in the process of
nation building through participation in sports and recreation;
(ii)to enhance Social harmony and goodwill among the various Communities
so as to build a united nation;
(iii)to better the standard of sports of the country and thus enhance the
image of the country through sports.
MINISTRY OF EDUCATION
Objectives of Education
According to the Third Malaysia Plan (1976-80) the main objectives of
education and training are:
1. strengthen the educational system for promoting national integration
and unity through;
(i)the continued implementation, in stages, of Bahasa Malaysia as the
main medium of instruction at all levels;
(ii)the development of personality, character and good citizenship and
the promotion of moral discipline through curriculum and extra-curriculum
activities;
(iii)narrowing the gap in educational opportunities between the rich and
poor, and among the various regions and races in the country, through a more
equitable distribution of resources and facilities; and
(iv)the eventual integration of the educational system in Sabah and
Sarawak into the national system;
2.the orientation and expansion of the education and training system
towards meeting national manpower needs, especially in science and technology;
3.the improvement of the quality of education in order to reduce wastage
and increase its effectiveness for nation building; and
4.the expansion of the research, planning and implementation capacity to
meet the above objectives.
It is obvious from the above objectives the education and training system
has a multi functional role to play in the creation of a society based on the
principles of the Rukunegara and the realization of the objectives of the New
Economic Policy. The overiding objectives is national integration and unity.
HISTORY OF EDUCATION IN MALAYSIA
When the British established the Straits Settlements, the Malay Peninsula
was very thinly populated and large areas were completely uninhabited. The mass
migration of Chinese to the Peninsula resulted in the population of Singapore
and Penang reaching about 60,000 each at about 1860; As for the Malay states,
the Bumiputra population could be roughly estimated at about 30,000. They
settled mainly in the padi growing areas of North Perak, Kedah, Perlis and
Kelantan.
The population figures underwent a great change with the extension of
British influence. The resultant development witnessed the influx of immigrants
from China, Indonesia and India. In addition to the above, the Siamese Malay
states came under British protection in 1909, and the population figures
increased to roughly 2'A million. The population then increased at the
rate of about a million per decade and stood at about 5 million when the
Japanese attacked in 1941.
The most notable feature of the population was not its rate of increase
or numbers, but its racial composition. Made up of the three main races - the
Malays, Chinese and the Indians, it was "plural" in character. In a
plural society, it is normal for the racial divisions to coincide with economic
functions. Though this was only true to a certain extent, these economical
division of functions was not rigid because the different racial groups did not
live in water-tight compartments. While each group had its own characteristics
and natural preferences, the search for employment resulted in some contact
between the various races. The steps taken in the educational advancement of
the people must be appreciated against the problems created by a pluray
society. This meant that 4 different types of schools had to be established at
least at the primary level.
Broadly speaking, we can divide the history of education in Malaysia into
three main periods:
(i)Pre-war period under British administration.
(ii)Period of post-war Education (1945-65).
(iii)Education since establishment of Malaysia.
1. Period under British Administration (Pre-1941)
(a)Malay Education
The first Malay school was opened as a branch of the Penang Free School in
1816. It is the Glugor Malay School, which is still in existence today. In
addition to this,London Missionary Society opened a number of Malay Schools.
Some of these schools functioned till 1847, when the society withdrew its
mission.
Munshi Abdullah mentions a number of Koran schools that were functioning
during his period. The education in these schools was only religious, and the
boys had to learn the Arabic verses of the Koran by heart. The reverent Mr. Keasberry
helped Malay education greatly by printing a Malay reader and a book on
arithmetic. By 1860, Koran schools were not given grants unless they taught
Arithmetic, Writing and Reading in addition to religious education. In time
these Koran schools developed into the Government Malay Schools.
The training of Malay teachers was begun in 1878, when a one-year course
was started for teachers in the Straits Settlements. The course was extended
over two years in 1901, at a training college opened at Malacca. Twelve years
later (1913) another such college was opened at Matang, in Perak. In 1922, as a
result of a report made by Sir Richard Winstedt, the Sultan Idris Training
College was opened. It provided a three year course of training. Teachers from
Sarawak and Brunei were also trained in this college.
The Winstedt report brought other changes in Malay education. A basic
school course of four years was fixed. Later this was increased to six years.
After the fourth year, the Malay student could enter an English school.
At first, Malay parents were opposed to the education of girls. Probably
the traditional Muslim seclusion of women was responsible for their attitude.
However, a gradual change took place. A Lady Supervisor of Malay Girls' school
was appointed as a result of the Winstedt Report. This brought an improvement
in the education of Malay girls.
In 1935, a teachers' college was opened in Malacca, which provided a two
year (later a three year) course.
(b)Chinese Schools
From the earliest days, Chinese schools were established wherever there
were Chinese children. They were owned and maintained by the Chinese community.
The syllabus they followed were the same as the ones used in China. It was only
after the 1911 Revolution in China that the syllabus taught in Malayan schools
was changed.
The national language, Kuo-Yo was adopted as the medium of instruction.
The school course also underwent a lot of changes. Children attending Primary
school had to go through a six year course Lower Primary (4 years) and Upper
Primary (2 years). This was followed up
by a Junior Middle course of three years. Later a Senior Middle (3 years)
course was introduced.
One of the problems confronting Chinese schools from the beginning, has
been the supply of teachers. At first, teachers were recruited from China.
Later Normal classes for the training of
teachers, based on the traditional Chinese pattern, were started with Government
aid. This orientation towards China failed to produce a Malaysian outlook among
the children.
Efforts were made by government to remedy this situation. Only lately the
government started a scheme based on the English pattern a two-year course
being introduced for students who had passed the Junior Middle School.
English was taught in Chinese schools after the First World War. The
standard, however, was not very high. The Government began to make grants
after 1924. These were to be used for a variety of purposes, including
teachers' salaries and the erection of new buildings.
The interest the government took in Chinese schools resulted in great
changes. New books with a Malayan outlook were introduced; the syllabus was
revised; and for the first time a regular pay scheme for teachers was
introduced. This was in 1952, a year which also saw the begining of the
teaching of Malay in Chinese schools.
(c)Indian Schools
Indian schools are for the most part Tamil schools. Although there are a
few schools in which Malayalam, Telugu and Punjabi is the medium of
instruction, the majority of Indian schools use Tamil. Like the Malay schools,
the first Tamil school was attached to the Penang Free School. In Malacca, the
Anglo-Tamil School (run with Government aid) was founded in 1850. It existed
for only ten years.
The real begining of Tamil education in the country begins with the
introduction of Tamil labour. Schools were started on estates in Province
Wellesly, Malacca, North Johore and other parts of the country. Under the
Labour Code of 1912, estates were required to provide a school, if there were
ten or more children of school going age,
i.e. seven to fourteen years. A small grant was given by goverment to
help in the main tenance of this school.
In 1930, a British Inspector of Tamil schools with a knowledge of Tamil
was appointed. The curriculum was widened and orientated to meet Malayan needs.
Training courses for teachers were also initiated. The post was abolished
during the depression.
(d)English Education
The first English school in Malaya (and South-East Asia) was founded by
the Rev. R.S. Hutchings on 21st October 1816. This was about thirty years after
the foundation of Penang. It was called the Penang Free School. It was free in
the sense that pupils of all races and religions could attand it. Fees were
charged, but free places were also provided. A section for girls was opened,
but this was forced to close in 1851. The school was aided financially by the
East India Company and contributions from the Church. It came under government
control in January 1920.
After the founding of Singapore, Raffles invited Hutchings for
consultations, and plans were made for the establishment of a school. In 1837,
the Singapore Free School (Raffles Institution) was declared open. The
contribution made by Raffles to education was very important. He was the first
to formulate an education policy for Malaya, although the policy adopted later
fell far short of the expectations of its founder.
Slowly following the pattern of the Penang Free School, other
institutions were established in the Malay States. The most well-known of these
are the Malacca High School, the King Edward VII School of Taiping, and the
Victoria Institution of Kuala Lumpur.
In addition to these government controlled schools, English schools were
established by the various missionary societies. Their work in the field of
education might be assessed from the fact that before the First World War, more
than seventy-five per cent of the boys receiving an English education were
attending Mission schools. With the increase in the number of government
schools, this percentage has fallen, but even today, nearly half of the
students are in these schools. There are also numerous private schools, run by
the Missions or by individuals.
The first school for girls was established as u part of the Penang I rue
School. However, it was closed in 1851. In due course, the Raffles Girls'
School was started in Singapore. As far as Malaya was concerned, the attitude
to the education of gills was discouraging. After years of hard work, this
attitude was changed and girls began to attend school. In this field, schools
established by the Convents of the Holy Infant Jesus and the Methodist Mission
have done good work.
As far as the government schools are concerned, the St. Geroge's Girls'
School of Penang is one of the biggest of its kind. It was taken over by the
Government in 1910 Schools for girls run by the government are now established
in every state.
In 1905, the Malay College was founded at Kuala Kangsar. Its main aim was
to encourage English education among Malays. After this education, the pupils
were absorbed into, the administrative service of the country. The College has
more than fulfilled its aim and today the administration of the country is in
the hands of many pupils who received their education there.
A college for girls, parallel to the Malay College, was to have been
established in 1942, but plans were interrupted by the Japananese invasion. It
was only in 1974 that the Malay Girls' College at Kuala Lumpur was started.
(e)Higher Education
In 1905, the King Edward VII College of Medicine was started in
Singapore. To provide for higher technical education, the Teacher Technical
School was opened in Kuala Lumpur in 1906 to train technical assistants for
the Railways, Public Works and Survey Departments. It was named the Technical
College in 1942.
Raffles College in Singapore was started in 1928 to provide higher education in arts and
science and teacher training. In 1931, the College of Agriculture was
established at Serdang (Selangor). In 1949, the Medical College and Raffles
College were fused into a University College.
(f)Teachers' Training
The training of teachers was begun in 1905, when an experimental course
was given for teachers in Kuala Lumpur. As a result of this, a two year Normal
course was begun two years later. In 1918, selected local teachers were sent to
the University of Hong Kong on scholarship. This practice was stopped with the
establishment of the Rallies College in 1928.
With the increased demand for education in the post war period, Teachier
Training Colleges were taken over at Kirkby and Brinsford Lodge in England
Another college was established in Penang.
In addition, the Diploma-in-Education course begun by the University of
Malaya increased the output of graduate teachers.
2.Period of post-war Reconstruction (1945-65)
While the country was still under the occupation of the Japanese, Britain
made plans as to the education set-up that would be introduced when the country
got rid of its Japanese occupation. The political set up was being organized so
as to unite the Straits Settlements; the Federated Malay States and the
Unfederated Malay States. It was therefore natural that the education planning
should also follow suit because the time was ripe for a unified system of
education. The division of children into different types of schools during the
pre-war, only helped to promote cooperation among different races as children
from various communities studied under one roof. This was a first step towards
the promotion of one nationality which the government was making its main aim.
The place where the base for the above could be laid was the schools. But
apart from the English-medium ones, where Malay, Chinese, Indian and other
pupils studied together the rest were communal. Thus the first requirements was
"a unified system of
equality". The result of this was that in 1950, a commission of
enquiry under I I.
Barnes who was Director of Social Training, University of Oxford, was set
up "to enquire into the adequacy or otherwise of the education facilities
available for Malays" etc.
(a)The Barnes Report
Before we refer to the report that Barnes made, we must remember that the
British were in a way surprised as to the manner in which the Malays had become
awake politically. Dato Onn bin Jaafar had formed the UMNO and openly rejected
the Malayan Union Proposal that the British had made on their return. But even
more important than the above, the British Authorities were surprised at the
unity which was shown by the 3 main races of the country.
By this policy, the British would take a minority party under its way and
secretly give it all the help, but on condition that party went against
everything that the majority party wanted. A good example of this is India
which was ultimately divided into India and Pakistan. The Muslims of India were
given a separate homeland though there are still 35 million living in India.
They could easily have lived together in India as they had been living for
centuries. But British divided the country, so that the Indians and Pakistanis
would ever be at war and thus give them the chance to take advantage of the
situation. In Malaysia however and fortunately for us, they were not able to
"divide and rule" because the Malays, Chinese, Indians and the rest
all showed a sense of unity of purpose.
Under these circumstances, Barnes recommended that this budding feeling
of national unity must be begun when the children are studying and growing up
in primary schools. Thus education must be changed from the racial set-up of
the pre-war days and geared into base which is inter racial. This will thus
give the idea of unity right from the beginning to these young and growing
minds. An thus he advocated the setting up of National Schools.
The schools were to be bi-lingual and all pupils had to learn English and
Malay for a six-year course. After this the brighter ones were to be sent to
Post-Primary classes, in which the medium of education was to be English for a
six-year period and free for all. We can thus say that the main result of the
Barnes Report was the creation and establishment of National schools.
The next step was taken in 1951 when the government appointed 2 Chinese
educators,. Dr. Fenn of America and Dr. Wu of the United Nations. Their
job was to find out how the scores of chinese-medium schools in the country
could be made trilingual, with Chinese as the optional subject. They were also
to try to transform Chinese education from its Chinese background to a Malayan
one.
(b)The Act of 1952
The main results of the basis mentioned above were as follows:
(i)National Schools were to be set up.
(ii)Teaching was not only to be in Malay and English but also in Chinese
and Tamil as the third language.
Things were just moving, when the High Commissioner Sir Henry Gurney was
shot in October, 1951. Everything was just put aside temporarily. Things began
to move only when a new Alliance Government, headed by Tunku Abdul Rahman took
office, and Dato (Later Tun) Abdul Razak became the first Education Minister.
In April, 1956, the first report (the Razak Report (1956) was issued to form
the base of the Education policy of an independent Malaya. We will read a
detailed account of it below.
SARAWAK
From the beginning, the Brookes followed a deliberate policy of
discouraging foreign investment in Sarawak. It was this policy that slowed the
development of its education and medical services. Another reason for the
above was the lack of sufficient revenue. And to remedy this situation, the
Brookes relied heavily on the Christian Missions for both their educational and
medical services. One precaution that the Brookes took was that they allocated
separate areas to the different missions so that they would not conflict with
each other or confuse the simple people, whom they might attract. The missions
were not to preach to the Muslims who had a special place in the Brooke
political system. Their activities amongst the Dayaks were also watched with
some suspicion. Raja Charles in particular respected the Dayak traditions as
they stood and feared that missionary influence would probably do more harm
than good Nevertheless the Government was quite satisfied to leave the missions
on their own
As far as the medical services are concerned, the missions ran hostels
where sick people were cared for. As for the Government, its record as far as
medical services are concerned was a poor one. The hospital and dispensary at
Kuching did not even have a nurse till 1870, two years after the beginning of
the reign of Raja Brookn I. Even the hospital relied on voluntary assistance
for many years after. Sibu did not have government hospital until 1913.
The situation was slightly better as far as education was concerned. When
Raja Brooke began his reign, the children of Malay Chiefs were receiving some
religious education when the
officials of the mosque taught the children to recite the verses of the Koran in Arabic and write Malay in the
Jawi script Malay primary schools were built, especially after 1883, but their
standards were low.
As for Chinese education, schools were built and run by the Chinese
community wherever there were Chinese children. But as In Peninsular Malaysia,
the education given was geared more to China than to local life. The teachers
were recruited in China and the curriculum they followed resulted in the
development of Chinese rather than Sarawak nationalism. Together with the
schools that were run by the Christian missions, 21,400 children were attending
schools in 1940. Of these 16,000 were Chinese; 4,000 Malays, and 1,400 native
children. This imbalance was more marked at the higher levels because very few
Malays or natives received secondary education. The main reason for this was
that as the Chinese lived in towns, they were better placed to make use of the
educational facilities that were available.
One of the reasons for the backwardness of education in Sarawak was the
attitude that the Rajas themselves adopted towards education. The Brookes were
not concerned about education and Raja Charles doubted the value of education
in a land like Sarawak. They argued that Sarawak would not be able to provide
the jobs for which these educated people would be trained. At the same time
education would result in their being dissatisfied with their traditional way
of life. An educated Chinese could find employment in the towns and yet be with
his community. This would not be true in the case of a Dayak who would be separated
from his community and his culture. All said and done, the Brookes could see no
purpose in educating the rural population.
It was only just before the Japanese occupation that the Government began
to change the above attitude. We have read about how Raja Vyrna Brooke was not
very keen to rule as an autocrat like his father but had begun to hand over the
administration to his officers. This meant that the administration was taking
a shape in which his Malay-educated officials would become misfits, because
they could not read and write English which was the official language.
It was during the 1930's that a change was coming into the social status
of the Iban. Resistance to the Raja's government had almost ceased and the
Ibans were no longer needed as warriors. Another role had to be found for them.
The problem was touched upon by the Blue Report of 1935 which recommended the
employment of Dayaks as Native Officers. This was followed by the Hammond
Report on Education in 1938 which recommended that Government provide education
for Dayaks. By 1940, the first Government school was established, patterned on
the schools that were already available for the Malays. It was the arrival of
the Japanese which halted the experiment before it could show results.
No one can doubt the sincerity of the Brookes when they doubted the value
which an elaborate education system would have on the Dayak. That the policy
the Government had followed was to act against the long-term interests of the
Dayaks and the other native people of Sarawak was illustrated when the Japanese
occupation came to an end. As Sarawak progressed towards self-government, the
Dayaks were at a sad disadvantage in the competition that followed for
positions and in the administration of their own country.
SABAH: System of Education
The story of education in Sabah followed a different pattern than that
followed by the Brookes of-Sarawak. The initial step was taken by Teacher when
he persuaded the Imam of Sandakan to build a mosque and a school. At the same
time, Pryer built a school for Chinese and Muslim children at Sandakan in 1886.
Both these attempts failed. It was the Christian missions that were to achieve
success in the schools that they founded.
The first of these was opened in Sandakan in August 1887 by the Roman
Catholic mission and was followed by one established by the Reverend W.H. Elton
of the Protestant Mission. An Education Department was established in 1909 and
it began by subsiding the 23 mission schools that were functioning by 1913.
This subsidy was first granted in 1911 to all mission schools considered
suitable at a rate of $1.50 per student each half year. The grant was continued
at the same rate for schools teaching in Chinese, Kadazan or Malay but was
increased for schools teaching in English.
In 1915, the Government opened a Malay-medium school for the sons of
native chiefs whose ages ranged from 9 to 25 years. The school did not seem to
have been popular till 1923 when religious instruction in the Koran and English
was introduced. The school, however, did not serve the purpose for which it was
established because the students preferred clerical positions in towns rather
than return to the interior to succeed their fathers. The school thus closed in
1930.
It was in 1921, that the Government decided to participate in the field
of education rather leave it entirely in the hands of the missions. It began by
establishing the first Malay primary school and by 1930 there were ten such
schools catering for about 400 students. It was obviously clear that interest
in education was picking up amongst the indigenous people. In 1935, the chief
of Truaran asked that a school be built in his village. Soon after the Government
reformed the school system and new schools were established. So much so that by
1941, there were 28 Government schools in which 1663 male pupils were receiving
their education. A proposed school for girls was not established because of the
Japanese invasion. The first Chief Inspector of Schools was appointed in 1913.
It was his duty to supervise the schools which were watched over by the
District Officers.
The Sabah school system owed much to the one operating in Peninsular
Malaysia. The curriculum and syllabus was based on the one that operated in the
Peninsular. R.O. Winstedt, whose name has been legendary as far as education in
Peninsular Malaysia is concerned, took a personal interest in the education in
Sabah. He provided the syllabus for vernacular schools and permitted the
training of Sabah teachers at the Sultan Idris Training College at Tanjong
Malim. By 1940, 11 of the 53 vernacular school teachers for Sabah had been
trained at the college, in 1939, the Government now strongly committed to its
own schools, decided not to increase grants to the missions, which by 1940 had
established 52 schools with almost 400 pupils. Chinese who formed the bulk of
the urban population benefited most from the higher levels of education which
mission schools offered.
As far as Chinese education was concerned, the story followed the same
pattern as elsewhere in Sarawak and Peninsular Malaysia. They established their
own school wherever they settled, inspite of receiving no subsidy from government.
In fact the Chinese were not prepared to accept the subsidy because with it
would come control and supervision. By 1940, there were 59 Chinese schools with
about 5,00. The schools provided a 4-year course with, in some cases, a further
2 years in English. There
curriculum and syllabus were similar to that used in China, from where most of the
teachers were also recruited. Government control of Chinese schools did not extend
beyond banning certain anti-British text books.
By 1940, the situation as far as education in Sabah was concur nod was
not very encouraging. Only a minority of school going children were
actually attending school.
The missions (Roman Catholic: Anglican and Lutheran) were not in the
financial position to open schools in sparsely populated areas outside the
main urban areas. But they did provide education up to secondary level, for
which the missions should be commended. But it was the Government that was not
living up to its responsibility. Setting aside the rural areas, Government
efforts in urban areas were half-hearted. No efforts were made to co-ordinate
the various types of schools. The vernacular schools were elementary and there
was little incentive for native children to continue their education. The
attitude of Government towards education can be judged from the fact that only
2% of all Government expenditure was directed towards education, which was
considered of minor importance. Sabah was thus left ill-prepared for the rapid
changes which occurred after the Japanese occupation.
The implementation of the Laporan Fenn-Wu (1952 Act) hit a snag as the
country was passing through the Emergency which cost the government $300,000/-
per day. The political situation changed in 1955 when the Alliance Government
swept itself into power.
One of the important points to note about the policies which the Alliance
Government followed was the top priority that it gave to Education even before
independence. Dato Abdul Razak, was appointed the Minister of Education,
appointed the Razak Committee of 15. Its main task was to recommend the changes
which were necessary for the establishment of a national system of Education.
The main points of the Report were:
As the National Language of the country, Malay was to be taught as a
compulsory subject in all schools. It was to be the basis on which a person got
his/her promotion in the government service. The only exception in the latter
case would be a Pass in the National Language paper.
English was to be the second language of the country in all primary
schools. As for Chinese and Tamil, these languages were to be taught where
there was demand for these by at least 15 pupils. In short, the Report meant
that while Malay pupils would be bi-lingual, the non-Malays would be tri
lingual.
Though the Report retained the various types of vernacular syllabus, it
began with the use of a common syllabus for all the schools in the country.
This, it was felt, was to be the base on which the national system of education
was to be built.
To sum up, one can say that the main decision of the Razak Report (1956)
was to abandon the "National schools" as advocated by the Barnes
Commission. These were to be replaced instead by the introduction of a variety
of primary schools which could be divided into:
(a)Standard Primary Schools — with Malay as the medium of instruction;
and
(b)Standard Type Primary Schools — with English; Kyo-Yu or Tamil as the
medium of instruction.
Malay, (the National Language) was to be a compulsory subject in all
schools anil the goverment service, while common syllabus was to be used in all
schools, irrespective of the medium of instruction.
We can say that the main breakthrough in our education policy came about
with the Razak Education Report of 1956. This report for the first time in the
history of Malaya introduced a national system of education.
(3)Education since Establishment of Malaysia (1961—5)
The period between 1961-65 was considered as one of transition and
witnessed changes which were introduced into the system destined to meet the
educational needs of the nation.
All schools, (primary and secondary; government-run or privately
operated) were required to conform with regulations on the national system of
education. Not only was school fees, in all primary schools abolished, but the
school-leaving age was raised from 12 to 14 years. In addition, upper-secondary
vocational schools wero established as extensions to sekolah-sekolah lanjutan
kampong.
The period also saw the implementation of the National Language Policy
which made English as the second language. Its use was not done away with
altogether be cause the Government was aware of the importance of English in
fields of higher education, international affairs and commerce. The next step
was taken in the implementation of the comprehensive system of education in
1965, when the school-leaving age was raised to 15. This also saw the abolition
of the Secondary School Entrance Examination (Standard 6) and the extention of
9 years of automatic education for all.
Priority was given to the training of teachers, and a teacher training
programme was integrated and streamlined to meet the ever-increasing teacher
requirements. Facilities were expanded accordingly.
Education Programmes under the 1st & 2nd Malaysia Plans
The objectives of the education programmes under the First Malaysia
Plan (1966) were as follows:-
(i)to consolidate further the national education system in order to promote
social, cultural and political unity.
(ii)to provide educational facilities, particularly at the Secondary
level to meet the needs of the increasing school-age population.
(iii)to improve the quality of education and to spread education
opportunities more evenly throughout the country so as to correct imbalances
between the urban and rural areas.
(iv)to diversify educational and training facilities by increasing such
facilities in vital fields, especially those relating to agricultural and industrial
science and techno logy.
(v)to accelerate teacher training in order to produce the necessary
number of qualified and skilled teachers.
Under the Second Malaysia Plan (1971-75) the main objectives of
education and training are as follows:-
(i) consolidation of the education system to promote national integration
and unity.
(ii)
orientation and expansion of education and training
programmes to meet the manpower needs of the country.
(iii) improvement of educational for the building of the progressive society
orientated towards modern science and technology.
(iv) improvement of the research; planning and implementation
capabilities to meet the above objectives.
Implementation of Bahasa Malaysia in Schools
The implementation of Bahasa Malaysia as the main medium of instruction
achieved the desired aim when from 1975, all national type (English) Primary
Schools began using Bahasa Malaysia as the medium of instruction. By 1982, it
will be the sole medium in all forms in Secondary Schools and in 1983 for all
courses at University level.
UNIVERSITY EDUCATION
Soon after he had established Singapore, Raffles drew up a plan which in
April 1823, resulted in laying the foundation of the Raffles Institution,
Singapore. In 1904, Governor John Anderson, received a petition from leading
(non-European) Singaporeans, mainly Chinese, requesting that the Governor take
steps in the establishment of a medical school in Singapore - a request which
was accompanied by funds contributed voluntarily and willingly by the local
community. It was this enthusiasm (financial and otherwise) which saw the
opening of the Singapore Medical School in September 1905, the name of which
was changed in 1912, to King Edward VII College of Medicine. Four years later
(1916) the Diplomas of the College were officially recognized by the General
Medical Council of Great Britain and its graduates permitted to practice
anywhere in the British Empire.
The centenary of the founding of Singapore fell in 1918 and together with
it, the appointment of the Maxwell Commission whose main task was to advise the
government on the policy that it should adopt on higher education. The Maxwell
Committee recommended that progress in this venue should be a 3-staged one:
(i)Establishment of technical and higher grade schools.
(ii)Provision of arts and science colleges.
(iii)Establishment of a university — residential; teaching and examining,
with powers to confer Arts and Science degrees.
It was the above Commission which led to the establishment of Raffles
College on 22 July, 1929 by Sir Hugh Clifford. And it was with it the Raffles
College, that the nucleus of a future university was laid. The final step was
taken by the Carr-Saunders Commission which was appointed after the war. It
recommended the immediate amalgamation of Raffles College and the King Edward
VII College of Medicine into a university, which was established in 1949, with
the Rt. Hon. Malcolm MacDonald as Chancellor. The College of Medicine became
the Medical Faculty. Raffles College became the Faculty of Arts and Science.
The plans which had been formulated regarding the role of the University of
Malaya to meet the highest academic needs of the country, suddenly necessitated
a wholesale change when, in 1957 the Malay Peninsula procured its political
independence whilst Singapore was to remain under British rule. Malaya's
decision to have its own university resulted in the founding of a separate University
of Singapore.
HIGHER EDUCATION IN MALAYSIA
As in many developing countries, Malaysia is placing Appropriate stress
on the development of higher education facilities to supply the technical and
administrative cadres needed to develop the country. Up to 1957, the higher
education needs of Malaya were served by the University of Malaya located in
Singapore. Subsequently after Malaysia achieved her independence in August
1957, a division of the University of Malaya in Singapore was established in
Kuala Lumpur and this became the University of Malaya. The Singapore division
was thereafter renamed the University of Singapore.
With the ever-increasing number of students obtaining pre-university
qualifications, it has been found necessary to establish more institutions of
higher learning. Hence, other universities and colleges have been set up.
University Sains in June 1969, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (The National
University of Malaysia) in 1970, Universiti Pertanian Malaysia (Agricultural
University of Malaysia) in October 1971, and the National Institute of
Technology was upgraded to the status of university, Universiti Technologi
Malaysia (University of Technology, Malaysia) on April 1, 1975. In addition,
the Mara Institute of Technology was established to provide education and training
in a wide range of professional and semi-professional courses to Bumiputras. A
number of other private institutions have also been set up to meet the
country's skilled manpower needs.
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