Multicultural Education
International Journal of Humanities and Social Science
Vol. 2 No. 1; January 2012
The Malaysian Experience in Developing National Identity, Multicultural Tolerance and Understanding through Teaching Curricula: Lessons Learned and Possible Applications in the Jordanian Context
Dr. Fakhri R. Khader Chairman Dept of Educational Sciences Petra University Amman - Jordan
Introduction
Malaysia is a federal constitutional monarch located in the heart of Southeast Asia. It covers an area of 329,847 square kilometers and the total population is over 28.3 million. It has about 5,407,865 students and about 405,716 teachers, with an illiteracy rate of about 5%. Ninety nine percent of children between the ages of seven and twelve are enrolled in schools nationwide. This can be attributed to the provision of proper infrastructure which lead to easier accessibility in rural and remote areas. A total of approximately 15 billion US dollars (about 21% of the total budget allocation) has been allocated for the expenditure on education and training development. During the 18th century, Malaysia became subject to the British Empire and achieved independence in 1957. After Malaysia 's independence, the ruling party decided that Bahasa Malay was to be the main medium of instruction in all national schools. This was done with the belief that this would promote national unity and a Malaysian identity (Andaya and Andaya,1984). Until the beginning of the nineteenth century, Malaysia was quite homogenous as far as the demographic distribution was concerned. It was a singular society of Malay, the indigenous people. The history of ethnic pluralism began with the British who colonized the country in 1726, and their "divide and conquer" policy laid the foundation for communal division in Malaysia. Under colonial rule, from 1874 – 1957, primary and secondary school education was almost entirely ethnically segregated (Abd Rashid, 2002). During the British colonial rule, they encouraged
Vol. 2 No. 1; January 2012
The Malaysian Experience in Developing National Identity, Multicultural Tolerance and Understanding through Teaching Curricula: Lessons Learned and Possible Applications in the Jordanian Context
Dr. Fakhri R. Khader Chairman Dept of Educational Sciences Petra University Amman - Jordan
Introduction
Malaysia is a federal constitutional monarch located in the heart of Southeast Asia. It covers an area of 329,847 square kilometers and the total population is over 28.3 million. It has about 5,407,865 students and about 405,716 teachers, with an illiteracy rate of about 5%. Ninety nine percent of children between the ages of seven and twelve are enrolled in schools nationwide. This can be attributed to the provision of proper infrastructure which lead to easier accessibility in rural and remote areas. A total of approximately 15 billion US dollars (about 21% of the total budget allocation) has been allocated for the expenditure on education and training development. During the 18th century, Malaysia became subject to the British Empire and achieved independence in 1957. After Malaysia 's independence, the ruling party decided that Bahasa Malay was to be the main medium of instruction in all national schools. This was done with the belief that this would promote national unity and a Malaysian identity (Andaya and Andaya,1984). Until the beginning of the nineteenth century, Malaysia was quite homogenous as far as the demographic distribution was concerned. It was a singular society of Malay, the indigenous people. The history of ethnic pluralism began with the British who colonized the country in 1726, and their "divide and conquer" policy laid the foundation for communal division in Malaysia. Under colonial rule, from 1874 – 1957, primary and secondary school education was almost entirely ethnically segregated (Abd Rashid, 2002). During the British colonial rule, they encouraged
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