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Work– l i f e balance : preserv i ng your soul
Education
Schooling begins between the ages of 4 and 6, in nurseries
and kindergartens which are mainly privately run. The
curricula vary, leading to vast differences in the fundamental
knowledge and skills gained. Formal primary education
begins at the age of 7 and continues until the age of 12.
Childrenmay attend either government-operated or government-
funded primary schools – the national schools or the national-
type schools. National schools use Bahasa Malaysia as the
medium of instruction for all subjects taught, while national-
type schools use either Tamil or Mandarin as the medium for
instruction. Upon completion of the six years of primary
education, students attend secondary school for an additional
five years, at the end of which students sit for the Malaysian
Certificate of Education examination which is equivalent to
the British “O” Level exams. Based on the results achieved,
students who wish to enter the Malaysian public universities
do a further 1.5 years before taking the Malaysian Higher
School Certificate. Students wishing to pursue their further
education overseas also have the option of enrolling in the
numerous private colleges after secondary education.
Special education
According to statistics from the Social Welfare Department of
Malaysia (SWDM) (December 2007), a total of 211,467
individuals are registered with the SWDM. Of this number,
19,267 are visually impaired, 30,842 are hearing impaired,
70,716 are physically impaired, 82,446 have some form of
learning disability and 1,391 have cerebral palsy. A further
6,805 individuals are registered as disabled but are not able to
be classified under any of the earlier mentioned categories
due to the existence of more than one disability. The figures,
however, may underestimate the disabled population in
Malaysia. The World Health Organization estimates that
approximately 1% of the population in a country has some
form of disability, and Malaysia does not mandate the
registration of individuals with disabilities.
Presently, children with special needs are mainly being
served in special education schools. As more special education
programs are introduced in Malaysian schools, more children
with disabilities enrol in both primary and secondary
mainstream schools to gain access to education. Special
education teachers face annually increasing enrolments of
children from diverse backgrounds, but many teachers do not
feel adequately prepared for these challenges.
The concept of inclusive education was only introduced in
Malaysia in 1995 and is still in its infancy. Inclusive education
is regarded as functional integration of students with
disabilities with their non-disabled peers. Students are placed
initially in special education classrooms and transferred to
inclusive classrooms if they are able to adapt academically
and socially with their peers. The placement decision is made
by the school principal on recommendation of the special
education co-ordinator. In practice only two or three students
Brief history of the country
Malaysia (total land mass of 329,847 sq km) comprises
Peninsula Malaysia and East Malaysia and consists of
thirteen states and three federal territories. Kuala Lumpur in
Peninsula Malaysia is the capital, while Putrajaya, located
some 50 km from the Kuala Lumpur, is the seat of the federal
government and functions as the administrative capital of
the country. The Malay Peninsula was a trading point for
merchants of the East and West from the 16th to the 18th
centuries. During the late 18th and 19th centuries, Great
Britain established colonies and protectorates in the area of
current Malaysia. In 1948, the British-ruled territories on the
Malay Peninsula formed the Federation of Malaya, which
became independent in 1957. Malaysia was formed in 1963
when the former British colonies of Singapore and the East
Malaysian states of Sabah and Sarawak on the northern coast
of Borneo joined the federation. Malaysia has been successful
in diversifying its economy from dependence on exports of
raw materials, to expansion in manufacturing, services, and
tourism (Andaya & Andaya, 1982).
Population demographics
According to the Demographic Statistics Unit of the Statistics
Department of Malaysia (June 2007), the multicultural and
multilingual population of Malaysia stands at 27.17 million.
The Malays (Bumiputera) form the majority of the population
(50.68%) while there are sizeable Chinese (23.19%) and Indian
(6.92%) communities as well. Other Bumiputeras (natives),
expatriates and non-citizen residents make up the other
18.92%. Population distribution is uneven between the
Peninsula and East Malaysia with approximately 20 million
residents concentrated in the Peninsula.
Religions and languages
Islam is the official religion in Malaysia with approximately
61% of the population practicing it actively although it must
be stated that religious freedom and tolerance is widely
observed. Buddhism is practiced by 19.2% of the population,
9.1% practice Christianity and 6.5% practice Hinduism; the
remaining 5% of the population practice various other religions
including Sikhism, Jainism, Taoism and Shamanism
(generally practiced in East Malaysia) (Population and
Housing Census 2007).
Bahasa Malaysia is the official language; English, Mandarin,
various Chinese dialects (Cantonese, Hokkien, Hakka), Tamil,
Hindi and Urdu are also widely spoken. Although Bahasa
Malaysia remains the formal and official language for the
government, English continues to be the language of business
and is a compulsory second language in all educational
institutions up to secondary level. The language(s) of higher
education in Malaysia, including in the speech-language
therapy (SLT) degrees, is generally a combination of English
and Bahasa Malaysia, and students have the option of
answering exam questions in either language.
S
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Speech-language pathology in Malaysia
Shobha Sharma