HISTORY OF EDUCATION

Razak Report

The Razak Report is a Malayan educational proposal written in the 1956[1]. Named after the
then Education Minister, Tun Abdul Razak, its goal was to reform the education system in
Malaya[1]. The report was incorporated into the Section 3 of the Education Ordinance of 1957
and served the basis of the educational framework for independent Malaya and
eventually Malaysia. Private schools were nationalized, education was expanded at all levels
and was heavily subsidized, and indeed the growth in enrollment rate again accelerated.

The Razak Report is a compromise between the Barnes Report (favoured by the Malays) and
the Fenn-Wu Report (favoured by the Chinese and Indians). The Barnes Report was formerly
passed into law as the Education Ordinance of 1952. While the Razak Report forwards
the Malay languageas the main medium of instruction, it allows the retention of other
language medium schools.

The Report provides for Malay, English, Chinese and Tamil schools at the primary school
level, and Malay and English schools at the secondary school level. Malay-medium schools
are referred to as "national" schools while other schools are referred to as "national-type"
schools. All schools are government-funded and use a common national curriculum regardless
of school type.
Other provisions include:

 Formation of a single system of national education

 Commencement of a Malayan-orientated curriculum
 Conception of a single system of evaluation for all
 Recognition of the eventual objective of making Bahasa Melayu the main medium of
instruction