The establishment of the modern national education system in Malaysia is one of the major effects of the post-colonial development within the nation (Zohar, 2004). During the British colonial rule in Malaysia, education system could be considered socially and academically narrow since it did not confine multicultural dynamics of the Malaysian society as well as the demographics of the nation. After the colonial period in the 1950s, the education system reform was implemented on the nation and segregated linguistic ethnic streams which comprise their population. The period of the end of the colonial rule in Malaysia also marks the end of the Second World War which results to the increase in the enrolment of students among schools.
The end of the colonial period also marks the development of modernization in the policies and educational institutions in Malaysia (Darmi & Albion, 2013). However, there have been issues regarding the reforms in the Malaysian education system which resulted to problems faced by the teachers. Some of the factors which led to these issues include cultural constraints and organizational discontinuity among educational institutions. These issues and problems could lead to challenges faced by the teachers which could influence their emotions as well as their emotional intelligence (Zohar, 2004). Some of the changes in the Malaysian education system which influence the teachers include reform in the English language curriculum, pedagogical transition and the issues in the multi-ethnicity in the Malaysian society.
The objective of this research paper is to assess the changes that occurred in the Malaysian education system and to evaluate its effects on the emotions of teachers. The paper also opts to discuss some of the methods to address these problems.
One of the main issues in Malaysia is the inclusion of English language in the education system. The National Education Policy which was implemented in 1950s retained the Chinese and Tamil language as the main language for instruction in teaching (Mustafa & Cunningford, 2008). Even if the national policy has already regulated the medium of instruction for primary and secondary schools, English-medium schools still existed in the 1980s (Darmi & Albion, 2013). However, due to the riots and national conflicts created by activists, English-medium schools have been replaced by national schools or Malay-medium schools. In addition, non-Malays have established Chinese schools in Malaysia in order to shape Chinese educated communities.
Most of the studies suggest that the attitude of the teachers is greatly affected by curriculum changes as well as changes in the workplace or school. The changes in the medium of instruction for teaching Science and Mathematics would be a challenge and a problem for teachers in Malaysia (Mustafa & Cunningford, 2008). Teachers would increase their effort to teach these subjects using the native language in order for the students to easily understand the topic and using the English language to prepare the students from the globalized world. However, increasing their effort would also result to stress at work since they have to train themselves regarding the changes in the curriculum especially for the language that should be used within the classroom.
At the start of the 21st century, modernization and globalization has greatly affected the Malaysian education system. In 2003, the Malaysian government announced that English language would be used as the medium of instruction for teaching Science and Mathematics. This policy would ensure that the nation would not be left behind in a globalized world. However, this policy was greatly criticized by the activists and the Malay linguist. The activists led the massive rally at Kuala Lumpur in 2009. The government responded by reversing the policy in 2012. These large amounts of changes resulted to too many challenges for teachers since they should adapt to the changes in the medium of instruction.
Shifting the medium of instruction from the native language to English then back to native language could result to increase in stress experienced by the teachers. In using the multilingual system, teachers have to be trained in teaching using two languages. They have to use their time and resources in order to train themselves due to the changes in the medium of instruction since the government fails to provide proper program for their training. This stress could lead to depression and anxiety especially if their students could not follow the changes in the curriculum (Darmi & Albion, 2013).
Another major transition or change in the Malaysian educational system in the modern times is the shift from the traditional teacher-centered approach to student-centered approach in teaching and learning. This transition is common among educational institutions around the world and it is considered as a healthy method of teaching for students to prepare them from a globalized world (Darmi & Albion, 2013). The teacher-centered approach focuses on the teachers as the expert and trying to teach students which are considered novice. On the other hand, the student-centered approach focuses on the students at the center of the learning process. In the student-centered approach, the learning system requires student’s own discoveries.
The policies and national agenda of Malaysia also require the education system to shift from the traditional teacher-centered approach to student-centered approach in teaching and learning (Darmi & Albion, 2013). This transition also shifts the learning process to become outcome-based. Students should improve their performance based on the new learning approach. However, this is not always the case. The new education policy could lead to more emotional stress for teachers especially if their students do not respect the teachers. Students must be the center of the learning process. However, this learning strategy must by a two-way process in which students will also participate in the learning process. Teachers must increase their patience in teaching hard-headed students.
This transformation of the Malaysian education system is part of the program called “Vision 2020”. It is national agenda in which specific long-term objectives are implemented in many sectors of the government as well as other major institutions. One of the major objectives of the Vision 2020 is to establish a scientific and progressive nation. It could be achieved when the educated portion of their population are participating in their objectives. This transformation of the Malaysian education system could be helpful for the nation. It is a global trend and it is better if Malaysia also follows the trend (Zohar, 2004). However, it would require specific and different training strategies for teachers to shift their teaching approach.
The use of student-centered learning system is shown to be effective in most of the developed countries. In this approach, the learning process depends on how fast the students learn. The evaluation of teaching is also outcome-based which means students become responsible for their learning. The shift in the learning process of students in Malaysia could be advantageous to teachers if they have proper training in handling various types of students. Using the student-centered approach, teachers have to increase their effort in evaluating the students and plan on how they should teach them. It could be stressful for teachers especially if their students are passive in their learning process.
Malaysia is a multiethnic society which comprises of various ethnic groups and indigenous tribes. The majority of their population is composed of the Malays and the indigenous tribe which is known as the Bumiputera which is about 59 % of their whole population. About 24 % of their population is Chinese and the remaining is composed of the Indians and the other minority groups. The multiethnic society of Malaysia is a common problem of teachers in the education system since they should consider cultural differences in the classroom and they should be properly trained in teaching culturally diverse groups of students.
In order to accommodate most of the ethnic groups in Malaysia as well as to avoid discrimination during enrolment, the government implemented the quota policy. In this policy, 55% of the university places should accommodate the Malay natives while the remaining 45% should accommodate Chinese and Indian students. However, this quota system made Chinese Indians unhappy which is the main reason for their low enrolment in public universities or schools. In 2010, the quota system were abolished and changed into matriculation policy. These changes greatly affected the racial distribution of students among schools and teachers should adapt to these changes.
Teaching multiethnic group of students could also be stressful to teachers. They should be careful to their statements and learning plans for students. As the teacher, they have no room for error. Racial discrimination is one of the problems in Malaysia. This problem could also be recognized in major institutions such as schools and universities. Changes in the racial distribution in the enrolment of schools could cause a lot of stress for teachers since they should change their teaching plans.
One of the main strategies to address these issues is for the government to provide a consistent policy for education system. It is true that change would always come to society and it is commonly beneficial to improve several sectors of the nation including the education sector. However, the Malaysian government is immediately changing education policies due to poor results. The Ministry of Education in Malaysia should implement changes that could improve the education system of the nation in the long term. In addition, it would be confusing for students as well as for teachers if the government is constantly changing their education policies.
The second method to address the issues of changing the Malaysian education system is to provide proper training method for teachers to implement these changes in schools and university. The government is providing policies for curriculum changes for Malaysian education system but the government does not provide enough programs for teachers in order to be trained to adapt these changes (Zohar, 2004). Teachers are required to be trained in teaching new curriculum but public schools have no enough resources to implement these training programs. The government could increase the budget for public schools or they could provide programs for local teachers using the local government funds or other public agencies. Lastly, teachers should expect increase in their salary due to the policy changes in school and universities.
The issues and problems resulting from the changes in the education could lead to challenges faced by the teachers which could influence their emotions as well as their emotional intelligence. Some of the changes in the Malaysian education system which influence the teachers include reform in the English language curriculum, pedagogical transition and the issues in the multi-ethnicity in the Malaysian society. Teachers in Malaysia are starting to lose interest in teaching primary and secondary schools due to the huge effort to change their teaching styles. The government should provide proper training method for teachers to implement these changes in schools and university. Teachers should also expect increase in their salary due to the policy changes in school and universities.
References
Darmi, R., & Albion, P. (2013). English language in the Malaysian education system: Its existence and implications. 3rd Malaysian Postgraduate Conference. Retrieved from http://www.academia.edu/4275280/English_language_in_the_Malaysian_education_system_Its_existence_and_implications.
Md-Yunus, S. (2013). Early Education and Development in Malaysia: Issues and Challenges in Providing a Framework for a Multiethnic Society. Retrieved from http://www.childresearch.net/projects/ecec/2013_04.html.
Mustafa, M., & Cullingford, C. (2008). Teacher autonomy and centralized control: The case of textbooks. International Journal of Educational Development, 28(1), 81-88.
Zohar, A. (2004). Elements of teacher’s pedagogical knowledge regarding instruction of higher order thinking. Journal of Science Teacher Education, 15(4), 293-312.
