The Impact of the Change in Medium of Instruction in Malaysia on the Chinese Community and Mother-Tongue Education

Abstract

This chapter aims to unravel the socio-political reasons underlying the shifts with a focus on the Chinese community’s responses to the changes in MOI. In addition to an introduction about the history of mother-tongue education in Malaysia, it discusses some of the challenges that vernacular schools face. This will be carried out by examining the discourses of the debate contested by members of the Chinese community, juxtaposed against the reasons for the changes, set forth by the State, as articulated by the former Prime Minister of Malaysia, Mahathir Mohamad. Furthermore, this chapter discusses how compromises were made and the effect they had on the Chinese schools’ curriculum.