Abstract:

Malaysia is a modern multi-ethnic and multi-cultural nation. Malaysia has moved away from the Furnivall concept of a plural society where the dominant Malays are sharing with other communities creating a Malaysian partnership. The ultimate objective of educational policy in Malaysia must be to bring together the children of all races under a national educational system in which the national language is the main medium of instruction. However, to make Malaysia as an industrialized nation, Malaysia needs to build a world-class education system dedicated to producing a world-class workforce. In 1993, the government made a controversial move to allow the use of English in science, engineering and medical courses in universities and colleges. This moving was considered essential for economic and technological development of the nation. On the other hand, the medium of instruction policy in Malaysia was blocked many people to access the education. The English medium of instruction in secondary and tertiary education benefited non-Malays and urban dwellers. There are grounds for concern whether language medium policy will be greater national unity or disunity. This paper will also discuss the role of Fishman’s theory in Malaysia policy. According to him, Western languages should be used in ex-colonial countries to develop the country. Whereas, the indigenous language should be used to national unity and identity.

Keywords:

Government policy, education, language policy.