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Education Inequality in Malaysia
Nurul Hanisah Binti Abd Manaf
Hanisah is the Chairperson of Badan Perhubungan Warwick & Coventry. She strongly believes in the power of education to lift families out of poverty
Free education under the Malaysian school system might satisfy the egalitarian view on education. But taking a detailed look, it is impossible for such equality to be fully achieved. Even within the existing public school system, there exists a degree of educational inequality.
It is first important to note that the term ‘education inequality’ in itself carries various definitions, with William Tyler summarising five different definitions that sociologists use in this respect. For the purposes of this writing, I shall look at the definition in which he describes education inequality to have stemmed from the background of students and their schooling-environment.Here I will also recognise the argument of education inequality in Malaysia being somewhat attributed to race, but I shall refrain from focusing on this factor with focus being placed solely on the inequality in the areas aforementioned. To give a detailed argument on such a topic would require one to trace the history of the New Economic Policies, assess the constitution and the history of the Bumiputera institutions, as well as the implications of changing the status quo of the Bumiputera in Malaysia.
Born into a family with generations of teachers, my upbringing revolved around academic achievement and no hesitation came from my parents when it comes to spending on academic matters. During high school I had never realised the bundles of PMR and SPM revision books I had was testament to my privilege. However, this is also where the difference in socioeconomic backgrounds come into light. Attending tuition classes and getting revision books can be seen as a norm to most of us, but there are those that are only able to rely solely on their schools to support their studies. A few years back, RISDA funded school teachers to conduct extra classes for low-income students in rural schools, spending more than RM10, 000 on each school. However, only a limited number of schools were involved due to the monetary constraints involved. This goes to show that it is indeed possible to provide students from low-income backgrounds with similar advantages as middle-class students, but the main obstacle still lie within limited funding.
One would argue there already exists boarding schools and aids for low-income students. Despite of that, how many low-income students are actually able to get into these boarding schools? When considering the rise of over 2, 000 registrations in each level for private schools offering the national syllabus, this will further widen this inequality in resources and opportunities. Regrettably, such educational inequality in terms of opportunities obtained from one’s socioeconomic background can never be fully curbed as different income levels among households will continue to persist. This is where government policies come in and try to bridge this gap.
Under Belanjawan 2020, the largest portion of the budget was allocated to Education, with an increase of more than RM4 billion than in 2019. However, most of this allocation is going towards school maintenance and repairs. Indeed, it is important for facilities in schools to be upgraded. However, it is interesting to note that a study done showed that the schooling environment has no major significance in a person’s life chances. This also indicates that the quality of a particular school may not significantly affect the academic performance of a student. Instead, what affects performance are the materials and resources available to the schools.
Therefore, in my opinion, there should also be a greater allocation for the funding of additional materials such as revision books and reading materials, for low-income students. Previously under the 2019 Budget, RM2.9 billion was allocated for education assistance, but such allocation is no longer available for 2020. I have also heard of low-income families who wish for their children to work in the blue-collar sector straightaway after SPM rather than pursuing tertiary education. This is influenced by the mindset that it is better for one to work in the blue-collar sector rather than face the risk of unemployment and inability to repay PTPTN loans. For that reason, it is essential for government bodies to rigorously continue aid for low-income students (i.e. not just those in rural areas, as urban poverty also exists).
In addition to this, there are also monetary incentives on academic performance, such as the now-abolished New Deals (Bai’ah) award, which will allow some schools to extensively fund the school’s academic and cocurricular activities. Undeniably, this incentive will certainly boost a school’s motivation to achieve the best academic performance, but it can also result in the disparity between high-performing public schools and other public schools.
Simply put, education requires money, regardless whether in the public or the private sector. If the nation’s economic situation improves and appropriate funding is allocated within the public school system, there are possibilities that more students are able to get equal additional opportunities in education, thus addressing the problem of education inequality.
Education Inequality in Malaysia
NB: This article reflects the opinion of the writer, and does not reflect the stance of UKEC
By Nurul Hanisah Binti Abd Manaf, Chairperson, Badan Perhubungan Warwick & Coventry
IMAGE SOURCE: THE INDEPENDENT
Free education under the Malaysian school system might satisfy the egalitarian view on education. But taking a detailed look, it is impossible for such equality to be fully achieved. Even within the existing public school system, there exists a degree of educational inequality.
It is first important to note that the term ‘education inequality’ in itself carries various definitions, with William Tyler summarising five different definitions that sociologists use in this respect. For the purposes of this writing, I shall look at the definition in which he describes education inequality to have stemmed from the background of students and their schooling-environment.Here I will also recognise the argument of education inequality in Malaysia being somewhat attributed to race, but I shall refrain from focusing on this factor with focus being placed solely on the inequality in the areas aforementioned. To give a detailed argument on such a topic would require one to trace the history of the New Economic Policies, assess the constitution and the history of the Bumiputera institutions, as well as the implications of changing the status quo of the Bumiputera in Malaysia.
Born into a family with generations of teachers, my upbringing revolved around academic achievement and no hesitation came from my parents when it comes to spending on academic matters. During high school I had never realised the bundles of PMR and SPM revision books I had was testament to my privilege. However, this is also where the difference in socioeconomic backgrounds come into light. Attending tuition classes and getting revision books can be seen as a norm to most of us, but there are those that are only able to rely solely on their schools to support their studies. A few years back, RISDA funded school teachers to conduct extra classes for low-income students in rural schools, spending more than RM10, 000 on each school. However, only a limited number of schools were involved due to the monetary constraints involved. This goes to show that it is indeed possible to provide students from low-income backgrounds with similar advantages as middle-class students, but the main obstacle still lie within limited funding.
One would argue there already exists boarding schools and aids for low-income students. Despite of that, how many low-income students are actually able to get into these boarding schools? When considering the rise of over 2, 000 registrations in each level for private schools offering the national syllabus, this will further widen this inequality in resources and opportunities. Regrettably, such educational inequality in terms of opportunities obtained from one’s socioeconomic background can never be fully curbed as different income levels among households will continue to persist. This is where government policies come in and try to bridge this gap.
Under Belanjawan 2020, the largest portion of the budget was allocated to Education, with an increase of more than RM4 billion than in 2019. However, most of this allocation is going towards school maintenance and repairs. Indeed, it is important for facilities in schools to be upgraded. However, it is interesting to note that a study done showed that the schooling environment has no major significance in a person’s life chances. This also indicates that the quality of a particular school may not significantly affect the academic performance of a student. Instead, what affects performance are the materials and resources available to the schools.
Therefore, in my opinion, there should also be a greater allocation for the funding of additional materials such as revision books and reading materials, for low-income students. Previously under the 2019 Budget, RM2.9 billion was allocated for education assistance, but such allocation is no longer available for 2020. I have also heard of low-income families who wish for their children to work in the blue-collar sector straightaway after SPM rather than pursuing tertiary education. This is influenced by the mindset that it is better for one to work in the blue-collar sector rather than face the risk of unemployment and inability to repay PTPTN loans. For that reason, it is essential for government bodies to rigorously continue aid for low-income students (i.e. not just those in rural areas, as urban poverty also exists).
In addition to this, there are also monetary incentives on academic performance, such as the now-abolished New Deals (Bai’ah) award, which will allow some schools to extensively fund the school’s academic and cocurricular activities. Undeniably, this incentive will certainly boost a school’s motivation to achieve the best academic performance, but it can also result in the disparity between high-performing public schools and other public schools.
Simply put, education requires money, regardless whether in the public or the private sector. If the nation’s economic situation improves and appropriate funding is allocated within the public school system, there are possibilities that more students are able to get equal additional opportunities in education, thus addressing the problem of education inequality.