The politics of ethnic identification involving the three major ethnic groups of Malay-Muslims, Chinese and Indians have resulted in power imbalances and hierarchies along the various social, educational and economic dimensions. These power dynamics have in turn produced a Malaysian education and schooling system that is highly politicised and ethnicised.
This chapter examines the ways in which British colonial history, Malaysian state policies, contemporary ethnic politics and globalisation are played out within the Malaysian schooling and education system in relation to the inter and intra dynamics of the three major ethnic groups of Malay-Muslims, Chinese and Indians. Practices of social exclusion and inclusion within the education and schooling system will be discussed in relation to state policies such as the 1970 National Economic Policy (NEP), 1990 National Development Policy (NDP), 2001 New Vision Policy (NVP), and the National Education Policy. The ways in which the different types of Malaysian schools are ethnicised will be also examined. These schools vary in terms of Government funding, ethnic community support, resources and future educational opportunities. These schools are also used strategically by the Government and the ethnic collectives in the social and political positionings of these ethnic groups in contemporary Malaysia.
The chapter begins with an overview of the politics of ethnicity in contemporary Malaysia as this provides the historical and socio-cultural context of this chapter.
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Joseph, C. (2008). Ethnicities and Education in Malaysia: Difference, Inclusions and Exclusions. In: Wan, G. (eds) The Education of Diverse Student Populations. Explorations of Educational Purpose, vol 2. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-8204-7_10
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