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In Malaysia, compulsory is 11 years and free schooling
from the children is 6 years. There are also private
schools. These do not receive public support. Malay is the
language of instruction, while English is compulsory as a
first foreign language. Chinese and Tamil are the language
of instruction in some primary schools. All children start
in primary school, and almost 90% continue in high school.
The upper secondary school is 7-years, where in the last 4
years you can choose between professional or general
theoretical subjects. In 2002, there were 15 public
universities as well as several private universities and
institutes, especially in the field of technology. In 1994,
Malaysia opened for foreign universities to have departments
in the country. In 2002, three international university
campuses were established in Malaysia. According to UNESCO,
approx. In 2000, 12% of the adult population was illiterate. Check topschoolsintheusa for test centers of ACT, SAT, and GRE as well high schools in the country of Malaysia.
Nationalism, rebellion and independence
Until World War II, social unrest was very limited, and
no stronger nationalist movement was developed. There was an
illegal Communist Party set up in 1930, but it was confined
to the Chinese population and did not have much influence.
However, this changed during the Japanese occupation
(1942-45). Then the Communists developed a guerrilla
movement, which became a driving force in the resistance
struggle. Not least because the Japanese carried out a harsh
racist persecution of the Chinese, while at the same time
treating the other ethnic groups fairly. After the war, a
Malay nationalist movement, the Union of Malaya National
Organization (UMNO), developed. The initiative came from the
Sultans, it was controlled by the ruling class, but also had
popular Malay support. It was more aimed at the Chinese than
at the British and was politically conservative.
In 1948, the Malayan Communist Party (MCP) went into
armed revolt against the colonial regime. It had its bases
in the jungle, and waged an effective guerrilla war that
threatened the regime's foundation. This war - known as "The
Emergency" - continued through the '50s and ended with the
guerilla being largely crushed. The reason was partly the
superior tactics of the British forces. For the first time,
entire villages were moved from "unsafe" to "safe" areas - a
tactic the North Americans would later take up in Vietnam
but with much less luck. Another important reason for the
guerrilla defeat was that the MCP never managed to break
down the racial boundaries: it was a party of Chinese and
was unable to appeal to the poor Malays. A third reason was
that Malaya became fully independent with the British in
1957 - under a system that ensured that the Malay people
came to dominate politically. Although the MCP was a party
of Chinese, it obviously did not appeal to the rich Chinese
who controlled the country's economy and who had nothing to
gain from a social revolution.
Already in the early 50s, an attempt was made to create a
multi-ethnic party when journalist and activist Dato Onn
withdrew from UMNO to form the Party of Malay Independence,
but it was beaten when UMNO and the Association of Malay
Chinese up to the municipal elections in 1952 formed an
alliance. The alliance was later expanded with the
Indian-Malay Congress and won the elections in 1955
nationwide.
At the independence of 57, Prince Tengku Abdul Rahman was
appointed prime minister. A federal state was formed with a
parliament and a monarch, elected every 5 years from among
the 9 sultans. The various ethnic groups entered into an
agreement whereby the non-Malay people were granted
citizenship, while the Malay people were regarded as
indigenous people with special rights in education and
public office. At the same time, Malay was made the official
language of the new state. Economically, the market economy
was preserved, and foreign capital that had been dominant
during the colonial period retained its dominance.
Also after independence in 57, the British retained its
territories on Borneo, far less developed than Malaya. The
segregated British colony of Singapore gained its
independence in 1959. In 1963, these 3 territories merged
into a new state, Malaysia. Only the British protectorate of
Brunei on Nordborneo did not join this state and became an
independent sultanate - with less than a million
inhabitants. The state of Malaysia was immediately strongly
attacked by Sukarno in Indonesia, who called it a product of
British colonialism- British troops were still stationed.
The confrontation was primarily diplomatic, but also
included military action along the Borneo common border.
Due. ethnic problems Singapore withdrew from Malaysia in
1965 and established itself as an independent state. The
confrontation with Indonesia only ended when Suharto came to
power there in 1966.
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