THE POLITICAL FORCES

INFLUENCING
EDUCATION AND THE SCHOOL
 DEFINITION
• Parties, personalities, pressure groups that strongly
POLITICAL FORCES influence the economic and political stability of a
country through their actions and pronouncements.

• an effect of one person or thing on another

INFLUENCING • the power of a person or thing to have such an effect

• Is the process by which society deliberately transmits its

EDUCATION accumulated knowledge, skills, and values from one
generation to another

SCHOOL • An institution for educating children

 POLITIC AND EDUCATION

 Education has been regarded as the main agent for the political
socialization of the young into the national political culture.
 Education and the preservation of the status Quo : National
integration and stability.
 Education is the primary agent for the selection and training of
political elites.
 Education and the preservation of the elite’s power: controlling,
organizing and regulating education.
Political influence on education

NEP/DEB & the push for equality

Racial harmony and integration

Overview of multiculturalism
(unity), pluralism and dualism
 NEW ECONOMY POLICY
 program launched by the Malaysian government in 1971 under the Prime
Minister Tun Abdul Razak.
 special rights for the Malays and indigenous tribes in Sabah and Sarawak.
Malay and indigenous tribes Other races
• Islam as a official religion • National
• Bahasa melayu as a official
language
• The power of sultan in the
constitution of Malaysia
• Special right for malay
including
~scholarship
~quota for university
~quota in civil service
~permit
 Bumiputera held only 2.4% of the economy, with the rest in Chinese and foreign
hands.

NEP stated goal

i. To reduce and eradicate poverty regardless of ethnicity;
ii. To restructure the society - eliminate community identification through
economic sectors.
 The initial target -move the ratio of economic ownership in Malaysia from a
2.4:33:63 ratio of Bumiputra, Other Malaysian, Foreigner ownership to a
30:40:30 ratio.
 To accelerate the process of national integration and unity.
 Implementation of NEP
Fifth Malaysian Plans( 1956-1990)
First Stage ( 1956-1970) Second Stage (1971-
1990)
First Malaya Plan Second Malaysian Plan
(1956-1960) (1971-1975)
Second Malaya Plan Third Malaysian Plan
( 1961-1965) ( 1976-1980)
First Malaysian Plan Forth Malaysian Plan
(1966-1970) ( 1981-1985)
Fifth Malaysian Plan
(1986-1990)
 MALAYSIA PLAN (1971-1975)

SPECIAL PROGRAMMES AND MEASURE IN EDUCATION :-

1. Bahasa Malaysia as Main Medium of Instruction

 All subjects except English and other languages, will taught in Bahasa Malaysia at the
primary level in all English medium primary school.
 Secondary education including Form Six also will be in Bahasa Malaysia.
 All courses, other than languages, for new admission to Universities will be conducted in
Bahasa Malaysia.
 Plan for the greater use of Bahasa Malaysia in schools have also been drawn up in Sabah
and Sarawak.
2. Improved Educational Opportunities

• It is a promotion of equal opportunities for people of all races to

participate in and get benefits from the modernizing of the economy.
• More emphasis will be given to improving the quality of education
available to rural children and the poor.

3. Provision for Ten Pilot Residential Secondary Science School

• Each school will have an enrolment of 1200 students, predominantly from the
rural areas.
• Selection will be made on the basis of Standard Five Assessment Test.
• The main subjects will be emphasis on science, mathematics, and other technical
subjects.
• The programmes will be kept flexible and the curriculum will be adjusted to suit
its objectives and requirements
4. The Improvement of Rural School

• The improvement is through the construction of new schools and

additional hostel facilities, replacement of sub-standard schools and
supply of workshop and laboratory equipment.
• The teacher supply to rural areas will also be improved
Ministry of Education programmes:-

PRIMARY EDUCATION

nine years of schooling the quality of primary education.

SECONDARY EDUCATION

upper and post-secondary education has been expanded rapidly.

Upper Secondary Technical and Vocational Education

Six new secondary technical

seven new vocational school
schools

Higher Education

provided for the expansion

establish institutions
program of the University Malaya.
POLITICAL FACTORS INFLUENCING EDUCATION

Governance institutions, political ideologies, and competing interests,

both within and outside of the education community, influence the
content, form, and functioning of schooling

Public Policy

In France, everything to do with education is controlled from the

centre (metropole) which is the central government.

In the case of USA and Japan, their education systems are highly
decentralized, and are often based on the democratic influence and
the capitalistic political philosophy of these countries.
There is also a close relationship between the national character and the
national system of education.

1) Democratic
The national character of USA is democratic as such its education system is
democratic in most of its aspects

2) Dictatorship
Education in Mexico, Bulgaria and Cuba. The common features of their
education system include monopoly of the state control on education,
secularism, physical and military training political indoctrination in and out of
school

3) Nationalism
Nationalism could be defined as a psychological feeling within a group which
believes they have common outlook and traditions based on myth of common
ancestry. Eg: Malaysia and Singapore
 RACIAL HARMONY AND INTEGRATION
In a multi-racial and multi-cultural landscape, one of the key aims of character
and citizenship education is to educate students to instill racial harmony and
integration. This is realized through :

Civics and Moral Education

•Emphasise the values of respect, responsibility, care and harmony in fostering

racial and religious harmony.

•Equip knowledge of the different religious beliefs, festivals and practices as

well as skills for identifying their own stereotyping and prejudices.

•Ways to demonstrate respectful behaviour in their actions and wordS.

Social Studies and History

•Study the history and incidents related to racial integration in the past

• Learn the significance of the various customs and practices

•Instil the sense of nationality and citizenship

Independence and National Day

•Schools celebrate the Independence and National Day

•Instil the feeling of love and care towards the nation

•Expose and educate the students on the history of achieving both events
Campaigns

•1 Malaysia concept introduced by the Malaysia’s 6th Prime Minister, Datuk Seri
Najib Tun Razak

•Includes all races and religions.The involvement of stakeholders and community

groups

National School

•Aims to build social cohesion and provide opportunities for interaction between
students

• The usage of national language as the medium of interaction

•Standardized syllabus

•Through curricular as well as co-curricular activities such as societies and sports

OVERVIEW OF MULTICULTURALISM (UNITY), PLURALISM
AND DUALISM

MULTICULTURALISM
 multi = many/more than one
 culture = customs, belief, way of life, groups
 Multicultural (adj) : including people of different races, religions, languages and
traditions.
(oxford advanced learner’s dictionary 7th ed.)

“the social characteristics and problems of governance posed by any society in which
different cultural communities live together and attempt to build a common life while
retaining something of their original identity” (Hall, 2000).
Multiculturalism (noun) :
1. the practice of giving importance to all cultures in a society
(oxford advanced learner’s dictionary 7th ed.)
2. the recognition of different cultural identities within a unified society (multiple
group identities in a society).

 generally being taught in schools at a young age.

“the strategies and policies adopted to govern or manage the problems of

diversity and multiplicity which multicultural societies throw up” (Hall, 2000).
 MALAYSIA AS A MULTICULTURAL
COUNTRY
 Three major ethnic groups:
1. Malays
2. Chinese
3. Indians

 Challenges of the Multicultural education:

- to provide equal opportunities for the numerous ethnic and religious groups
while at the same time creating an integrated Malaysian country.
- to cope with the fast developing field of science and technology and also
information and communication technology (ICT).
 WAYS IN PROMOTING
MULTICULTURALISM

 Fostering the Malay language as the national language.

 NEP (1970) – total usage of Malay language in all national
schools.
 Establishment of Vision school (Sekolah Wawasan).
 PLURALISM
 (noun) the existence of many different groups of people
in a society.
 the belief that it is possible and good for different
groups of people to live together in peace in one society
(oxford advanced learner’s dictionary 7th ed.).

 a society in which members of various ethnic, racial,

religious and social groups maintain participation in and
development of their traditions and special interests
while cooperatively working toward the nation's unity
(Joan t. 1992).
 Colonial-pluralism in Malaya
- divide and rule:
- Malays (agricultural work)
- Chinese (mining industry)
- Indians (Rubber plantation sector)

 the lack of interaction between these different ethnic groups lead to each
ethnic group’s lack of knowledge of each other.

 also caused each ethnic group to identify itself more with its motherland
rather than Malaysia.

 May 13 riot (1969)

 DUALISM
 (noun) the theory that there are two opposite principles in
everything (oxford advanced learner’s dictionary 7th ed.)
 the condition of being double of duality.
 Dualism in education - there are two different education
systems;
- Traditional Islamic education system and
- Secular education
EDUCATIONAL DUALISM IN
MALAYSIA
 Muslims’ Dilemmas over the national system :
1. The teaching of Islamic religious knowledge is ineffective in
the national schools.
2. Islamic knowledge to be inadequately taught for modern
era.
3. The government’s education policy is being over-concerned
with physical and material development and manpower
training.
4. Not optimistic in implementing the NEP and the KBSM.
 Dilemmas over the Islamic educational system:
1. The content of the curriculum is limited and outdated.
2. The methodology employed in instruction does not
encourage or stimulate inquiry and critical thinking.
3. Islamic schools are poorly financed and largely depend
on resources from the various states religious
departments and private endowment.
 Dilemmas over both system:
- Graduates do not possess the integrated personality of an
ideal Muslim.
- National system – can pursue professional careers + broad
educational opportunities for higher education but lack a
strong foundation in Islamic in terms of moral values and
religious attitudes.
- Religious system – dedicated in their belief but lack of higher
educational opportunities.
 Muslims started to recognize the importance of both secular
and religious sciences for the full growth of the human
personality which will contribute towards the development
of the country.
 The need for an integrated curriculum instilled with the
Islamic spirit that would allow students to acquire all kinds
of knowledge, including natural sciences.
 A third educational system that unifies Islamic and modern
aims and resources.
REFERENCES
Crystal Joan Peter, C. J. , Rohana Hamzah & Amirmudin Udin (2011). The Impact Of Dualism In Education On
Sustainable Development Through TVET. Journal of Edupres, (1), 23-28
Gudeman, R. H. Multiculturalism in Malaysia: Individual Harmony, Group Tension. Retriever November 22,
2013 from http://digitalcommons.macalester.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?art icle=1274&context=macintl
Higbee, J. L., Lundell, D. B. & Duranczyk, I. M. (2003). Multiculturalism in Developmental Education.
Retrieved November 22, 2013 from, http://www.cehd.umn.edu/crdeul/pdf/monograph/4-a.pdf
Joan, T. (1992). Pluralism and Education: Its Meaning and Method. ERIC Digest.
http://www.ericdigests.org/1992-2/method.htm
Rozita Ibrahim (2007). Multiculturalism and Education in Malaysia. Culture and Religion: An Interdisciplinary
Journal, 8(2), 155-167.
Rosnani Hashim (2004). Educational Dualism in Malaysia: implications for theory and practice. Kuala
Lumpur: The Other Press .