The Smart School Policy initiative in 1999 was in line with the Malaysian Government's goals for technology utilization in the teaching-learning processes. The Malaysian policy was designed to ensure that the education system is set up for the citizens in the future as knowledge workers for the Information Age. It was also aimed at preparing Malaysians to be able to attain the country's vision of becoming an entirely developed nation by 2020. Establishment of the Smart School Policy can be considered as an effective policy for implementing change in the Malaysian Education System. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the four phases of the “policy cycle” including formulation, implementation, monitoring and evaluation in terms of the Malaysian Smart School Policy. Through analyzing the policy cycle, this paper also aims to evaluate the achievement status of the smart school policy in the Malaysian education system. The findings of this study showed that the major changes from formulating smart school policy was for the teachers and students in terms of ICT awareness and technology literacy. It also revealed that formulation of smart school policy in Malaysia is able to help the country not only to achieve its goals in producing human capital with ICT skills but also to prepare for the skilled knowledge-based society in the near future.

This book examines Malaysia’s educational landscape, providing a contemporary study of key themes that have emerged in this multicultural, multi-ethnic society, as it attempts to shift from a middle-income to a high-income nation. Combining contributions by scholars from various fields—such as economics, history, sociology, political science and, of course, education—the book provides richer insights into Malaysia. Offering a unique resource, it will be of particular interest to educators, researchers, students, policymakers and members of the public who want to be updated on the latest trends and challenges in Malaysian education.

Since independence in 1957, Malaysia has become a globally-recognised industrial trading partner. With a 60% Muslim population, it also enjoys the reputation of being a moderate and peaceful nation. However, with just a short time left to realising its Vision 2020 of developed nationhood, the pathway of nation building still seems ambiguous. There is a brewing tension in its race and ethnic relations which has permeated the various fronts, namely politics, society, economics and education. This book analyses the education policies that have been formulated and implemented in Malaysia since independence. It demonstrates how these policy enactments have influenced the nation’s growth and transformation, and the challenges faced in creating a model of equity and multicultural co-existence among its racially and ethnically diversified people. Shedding light on these issues, it points towards the major mending that is needed for Malaysia to become a truly developed nation. Chapters include: Education of ethnic minorities in Malaysia: Contesting issues in a multiethnic society Access and equity issues in Malaysian higher education Graduate employability in government discourse: A critical perspective This comprehensive book is a case study on Malaysia that will supplement researchers and advance students in their understanding of a multi-racial society’s perspective and attitude towards education.

The research paper was primarily motivated by the UNESCO's declaration of the Decade for Education for Sustainable Development. The second motivating factor emerges from the fact that recently, the Malaysian education system is being criticized and severely questioned in terms of its direction. Many proposals (and some changes) have been put forward in response to these criticisms but some of the changes and new initiatives are seen as unsustainable and quite ad-hoc in nature. Therefore, it is hoped that this research paper will propose appropriate policy recommendations and changes, specifically in terms of executing necessary actions to promote and improve the education system. The objectives of this research paper are therefore; to assess the present primary education system in view of its contributions to sustainable development and to propose approaches/methodologies to strengthen the system's contribution towards sustainable development.

This policy study builds on an empirical analysis of schooling trends and recent enrollment in Malaysia which was published as N-2011-AID. That analysis indicated that school attendance is heavily influenced by family income, school location, and availability of transportation. Using actual levels of Malaysian secondary-school attendance as the base case, the present study calculates what attendance levels would be if each of these family or community characteristics were changed, but all others remained the same. The study's results indicate that although economic growth, as reflected in family income, has done much to promote Malaysia's rapid growth in education levels, rising incomes may have only marginal effects in the future. Consequently, school location and transportation show more promise as policy options, but will not affect all subpopulations to the same degree.

This book draws on elements of critical social theory, research on globalization, neo liberalism and education, and Malaysian Studies to understand the interplay of globalization, nationalism, cultural politics and ethnicized neoliberalism in shaping the educational reforms in Malaysia. Using the Malaysia Education Blueprint 2013-2025 (MEB) as a case study, a catalyst and a context, this collection critically explores some of the complex historical and contemporary push-pull politics and factors shaping Malaysia's education system, its reform and the experience of Malaysians - and others - within it. The authors in this volume focus on the interplay of neoliberalism, nationalism, ethnic and cultural politics in shaping the educational reforms in Malaysia. Their work captures and seeks to understand the enduring, though changing, hierarchy of access and differentiated rights to educational, social and economic resources and opportunities experienced by different individuals and collectives, including those involved in the neoliberal enterprise of international education. It looks at how inequities have been re-configured in different educational spaces in Malaysia, and at how these inequities have been addressed through reform policies and practices. The book will be a shaper and critical contributor to the assessment of the Malaysian Education Blueprint and related policies. It will also have wider relevance globally as a critical approach to policy discussion.

Examines the understanding, practices and challenges that Malaysia's higher education institutions face in their efforts to internationalize. This issue is of great importance to academics, policy-makers and students in Malaysia, given the country's aspiration to become a hub for higher education.

The 2011 edition of Education at a Glance enables countries to see themselves in the light of other countries’ performance. It provides a broad array of comparable indicators on education systems and represents the consensus of professional thinking on how to measure education internationally.