Drastic Change in the Medium of Instruction: From Bahasa Malaysia to English

Abstract

This chapter discusses the sudden change in the medium of instruction for the important domains of Science & Mathematics from Bahasa Malaysia to English (PPSMI), instituted by the then Prime Minister, Mahathir Mohamad, in 2002. This change was in line with his Vision 2020 when Malaysia was to achieve developed nation status. The factors impacting this drastic change in language policy such as the impact of globalization & the English language on the knowledge economy, human resource development & tertiary education, the access to science & technology, the declining standard of the English language etc. are examined. Since the change in language policy was a top-down government decision, there were various reactions from the dominant ethnic group and the two minority groups. The different responses by educationists from these three groups are also discussed.