The Evolution Of Chinese Education Within Malaysia And Singapore

The Chinese community has always been an integral part of Malaysia and Singapore.When Malaysia and Singapore separated in 1965,the Chinese societies in both countries could be seen as inherently the same.Especially in the field of Chinese education,they were very closely related and mutually dependent on each other.However,ever since the separation of the two countries,Malaysia and Singapore have taken different political and economic paths.Owing to such differences,the development of Chinese education and culture in both countries met with different fates,resulting in a gain in one and a loss in the other.The contrast is clearly seen in the flourishing and decline of Chinese cultures in Malaysia and Singapore respectively.Singapore,with its Chinese population of 76%,is basically a Chinese society.It used to be the “bastion” of Chinese education in the Southeast Asia,with its perfected system of primary and secondary schools.It also once housed the only Chinese-medium university in Southeast Asia—the Nanyang University.The Nanyang University was a milestone in the development of Chinese education overseas,the acme and meeting point of overseas Chinese ethnic consciousness.Singapore’s system of Chinese primary to secondary schools to university had evolved almost to perfection through the years.However,with the cessation of the last Chinese-medium school in 1986,and the use of the English language as the standardized medium of instruction in 1987,the Chinese language has been relegated to the status of “second language” in Singapore.Chinese-language schools in Singapore are now a thing of the past.The standard of Chinese in Singaporean students has dropped alarmingly,and now lags far behind that of Malaysia.Chinese culture,its development and dissemination,has reached a bottleneck there,even a possible retrogression.Malaysian Chinese constitute a mere 23% of the country’s population,and yet despite the unitary ethnic policies the Malaysian government has adopted,and the various suppressions of Chinese education and culture,the Malaysian Chinese community has reacted positively through its strong racial self-awareness and its refusal to compromise.They have broken through such government policies to set up an integrated Chinese educational system,from primary schools to independent secondary schools to universities.In this way Chinese culture is passed down continuously from generation to generation.Malaysian Chinese maintain a strong pride in their ethnic identity and refuse to be facelessly assimilated,vigorously protecting their ethnic culture and its education.Such is their uniqueness amongst global Chinese communities.Their promotion of Chinese learning and culture has made them something of a marvel outside China,Taiwan and Hong Kong.Following the rise of China,overseas Chinese education now faces new challenges and opportunities.Chinese is no longer a marginalized language and has regained its position of extreme importance in world culture.The wish for Chinese education to be integrated globally,for Chinese culture to regain its former splendour,and for it to influence and contribute to the world,has become a lasting goal for ethnic Chinese people worldwide.