The document summarizes education reforms in Malaysia since the 1990s. It discusses the government's emphasis on education under its national development plans. It outlines achievements in access to education like near universal primary education and efforts to achieve full enrollment from pre-school to secondary levels by 2020. It also describes the education system structure, curriculum framework, and priorities for further transformation like ensuring proficiency in Bahasa Malaysia and English and developing values-driven citizens.

1. EDUCATION REFORM IN
MALAYSIA SINCE 1990S
BY
EPRD MALAYSIA

2. • Education is one of the priorities of the Federal Government of Malaysia and it is
committed to providing quality education to all children in the country. The 10th
Malaysia Plan (10MP) from 2011 to 2015 has placed great importance on education,
training and lifelong learning. In line with the government’s emphasis on human
development, the total development allocation under the 10MP is RM230 billion, of
which the Federal Government development allocation by physical development is
60% versus non-physical development of 40%. The allocations for 10MP by sectoral
shares are 55% for the economic sector, 30% for the social Guidebook to Education
Systems and Reforms In Southeast Asia and China 121 sector, 10% for security, 5% for
general governance. About 25% of the total budget allocation has been channeled
towards education and training development

3. • The 11th Malaysia Plan (11MP) 2016-2020 which was launched in May 2015
indicates a strong financial outlook for the country over the next five years. The
Federal Government revenue is expected to increase from RM1.050 trillion RM in
10MP to RM1.408 trillion RM in 11MP. Human capital development continues to
be a critical enabler for driving and sustaining Malaysia’s economic growth and
supporting the transition of all economic sectors towards knowledge-intensive
activities

4. • The Ministry of Education (MOE) provides equal access to all Malaysians in
education. As stipulated in the National Education Philosophy in 1996, every child
has a right to education and is given equal opportunities to develop his or her
potentials. Malaysia has achieved near universal primary education and the
education system is currently intensifying efforts to ensure universal access and
full enrolment of all children from pre-school to upper secondary level by 2020.

5. • As of 31 January 2014, there were 7, 751 primary and 2,366 secondary schools
under the Ministry. A total of 194,225 students were enrolled in the pre-schools,
while the enrolment for primary and secondary schools was 2,698,883 and
2,234,621 respectively. (Table 5A.7, Table 5A.8) The teaching force under the MOE
was 420,854 strong in 2014. A total of 1,221,508 students are enrolled in higher
learning institutions. The rate of enrolment in all registered primary and
secondary schools in Malaysia (schools under MoE and private, international,
religious, and other categories) in 2013 is higher than 90%, with 96.59% at
primary and 91.12% at secondary levels.

6. • The administrative system of Malaysia is centralized and structured into four distinct hierarchical
levels, namely the federal, state, district and school levels. The agencies involved are the MOE at
the federal level, the State Education Departments, the District Education Offices and the schools
at their respective levels. The MOE is responsible for the effective implementation of the national
education policy and the administration
• There are currently 32 divisions and two agencies under the jurisdiction of the Education Sector
and 11 divisions, three departments and two agencies under the Higher Education Sector.
Another six Divisions are placed directly under the control of the Secretary-General of the MOE.
The functions of divisions and agencies under the Education Sector can be clustered into the
following categories: Policy and Educational Development; Educational Operations; Professional
Development; Educational Development; and Management of the entire education system

7. • However, in July 2015, the Government decided to establish Ministry of Education (MOE) and
Ministry of Higher Guidebook to Education Systems and Reforms In Southeast Asia and China
125 Education (MOHE) to enhance the nation’s education sector, by enabling the MOE to fully
focus on basic education while the MOHE will focus on the higheMalaysia’s diverse cultural and
religious background has resulted in an education system that is distinct and unique in nature,
compared to other systems in the world.
• One of the objectives of the education system is to preserve the Malaysian identity which is
fundamentally based on the philosophy of integrating the diverse ethnic groups in the country,
while preserving each group’s cultural and religious heritage. This is reflected in the National
Education System which espouses National Schools to use the national language as the medium
of instruction and implement the National Curriculum to prepare all students to sit for a
common public examinationr education sector.

8. • Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programmes in Malaysia are divided into
two levels. Pre-school education is provided for children aged between 4+ and 5+
whereas daycare centres have been established for younger children. Children spend
one year in pre-school before they begin their formal education at primary level. Pre-
school education provided by the Ministry of Education is based on the National Pre-
school Curriculum which aims to equip young children with basic communication and
social skills before they begin their formal primary education. The Government aspires
to give every child an equal head start by ensuring that they have access to quality
education and positive learning environments. In order to achieve this goal, the
Ministry is currently expanding pre-school education by increasing the number of
schools and classes and aims for universal pre-school enrolment by 2020.

9. • Primary education is compulsory and a child is expected to start formal education
at age 6+. Children are required to complete six years.
• A child in Malaysia begins secondary education at age 12+. Secondary education
can be divided into two phases: three years of lower secondary and two years of
upper secondary. Basically, the Malaysian Education System provides five years of
secondary education. Lower secondary education is provided mainly by public
secondary day schools but there are also other categories of schools such as
religious schools, special education schools, sports schools, arts schools, and fully
residential schools. ars of primary education before moving on to secondary
education.

10. • The MOE offers several choices for students who successfully complete their upper
secondary education. Students can continue to Form Six for the Malaysian Higher
School Certificate or the Malaysian Higher Religious Education Certificate which is
recognized by public universities.
• The Matriculation Programme is another post-secondary option offered by a number
of matriculation centres in the country. This programme focuses on science,
mathematics, accounting, and technical education and students who complete this
programme are also accepted for admission into public universities in Malaysia and
some overseas institutions. Secondary school leavers who are interested in making a
career in the vocational field have the option of pursuing their studies at Vocational
Colleges, Public and private skills training institutes that offer courses at the diploma
level. rsities as well as many overseas universities.

11. • The MOE facilitates the establishment of educational institutions by the private
sector for all levels of education. According to the National Education Act 1996,
all non-public educational institutions have to be registered with the MoE and are
subject to all the rules and regulations stipulated in the Act. As of June 2013,
there are 389 registered primary and secondary private schools in the country.
This includes private schools, international schools, religious schools, expatriate
schools, special education schools, correspondence schools and independent
Chinese schools. These private schools provided access to 175,713 students in
2013.

12. • The Education Act of 1996 stipulates the provision of education at all levels under
the national education system which covers pre-school to secondary school
education. The Act specifies the use of a National Curriculum by all national
schools in Malaysia. National Curriculum is defined as:
• An educational programme that includes curricular and co-curricular activities
which encompasses all the knowledge, skills, norms, values, cultural elements and
beliefs to help fully develop a pupil based on physical, spiritual, mental, and
emotional aspects as well as to inculcate and develop desirable moral values and
to transmit knowledge.

13. • The government is continually improving the quality of public higher learning
institutions through performance based funding by expanding the rating system for
the Malaysian Higher Education Institution (SETARA) to cover private universities and
college universities, and at faculty level. A central enrolment system has been
introduced in stages for all students, including international students with a flexible
with a flexible credit accumulation framework.
• In November 2007, the following three quality assurance bodies were replaced by a
new agency, called the Malaysian Qualification Agency. The quality assurance bodies
are: Guidebook to Education Systems and Reforms In Southeast Asia and China 141 ●
Lembaga Akreditasi Negara (LAN) (established under Act 556), for private higher
educational institutions ● The Quality Assurance Division of MOE, for public
universities ● The Quality Assurance Division of MOE, for polytechnics & community
colleges Tedit accumulation framework.

14. • Higher education in the academic and professional fields is provided by:
- Public-funded higher educational institutions which include public u university
-Private-funded higher educational institutions which include private universities,
private colleges and foreign university branch campuses.
MOE is directly responsible for the operations and performance of public HEIs,
whereas the private HEIs are guided by MOE’s policy guidelines and objectiveses,
polytechnics, community colleges and public colleges; and

15. • Education Transformation 2013 – 2025 = Most Recent
• A comprehensive and extensive review of the education system in Malaysia was
undertaken in 2011 to gauge the efficiency of the existing system and its significance
to the current needs of the nation. In order to produce a review which was credible
and impartial in nature, the MOE sought the expertise of various international
agencies such as UNESCO, the World Bank, and the OECD, as well as education
experts from local universities, District and State Education Departments, various
divisions of the Ministry, as well as school leaders, teachers, parents, students and
other stakeholders in education. This exercise was carried out over a period of 15
months and resulted in the launch of the Malaysia Education Blueprint 2013 – 2025

16. • The MOE is aware of the fact that Malaysian children will be facing new
challenges, especially in the 21st century. In order to ensure that students are
fully equipped to face these challenges, individual student aspirations have also
been outlined in the Blueprint, based on the National Education Philosophy’s
vision of a holistic and balanced education which takes into account intellectual,
spiritual, emotional, and physical development of students. In order to achieve
this vision, every child is given the opportunity to develop the following
attributes:

17. • Knowledge – students will be able to master core subjects and encouraged to
develop their knowledge and skills in other areas such as the arts, music, and
sports.
• Thinking skills – to instill the spirit of lifelong learning and inquiry based
learning in every child, including skills such as reasoning, problem-solving,
creative thinking, and innovation.
• Leadership skills – the education system will help individuals to reach their full
potential by providing opportunities for them to assume leadership roles. The
concept of leadership within the education system includes entrepreneurship,
resilience, emotional intelligence, and effective communication skills.

18. • Bilingual proficiency – Every child will be able to master at least two languages,
Bahasa Malaysia which is the national language and the language of unity and
English Language which is considered the international language of
communication. Students, however, will be encouraged.
• Ethics and spirituality – strong ethics and spirituality will be inculcated in every
child to prepare them to overcome challenges that they will face as adults by
relying on peaceful solutions to conflicts and sound judgment and principle in
critical situations. Besides, the system also intends to produce caring individuals
who are able to contribute positively towards nation-building. aged to learn an
additional language.

19. • National identity – to instill in every child an unshakable sense of national pride
and identity, a feat which requires a strong sense of inclusiveness.
• The Ministry has also identified 11 shifts that need to transpire so that necessary
steps can be taken to ensure the outcomes envisioned in the Blueprint become a
reality by 2025. Collectively, the shifts encompass all five system aspirations and
represent a change in strategy, direction as well as operations at school and
Ministry levels. s which can be achieved by embracing diversity

20. • Providing equal access to quality education of an international standard; 2.
Ensuring every child is proficient in Bahasa Malaysia and the English Language.
Children are also encouraged to learn an additional language; 3. Developing
values-driven Malaysians; 4. Transforming teaching into the profession of choice;
5. Ensuring high performing, 6. Empowering state and district education offices
and schools to customize solutions based on need; 7. Leveraging ICT to scale up
quality learning across Malaysia; 8. Transforming the ministry’s delivery
capabilities and capacity; 9. Partnering with parents, the community and the
private sector; 10. Maximizing student outcomes for every ringgit; and 11.
Increasing transparency for direct public accountabilitying school leaders are
placed in every school;

21. THANK YOU