ABSTRACT
This chapter illustrates the stratification and intricacies of Malaysian geopolitics and the unique ethnoscapes that contribute to the contemporary Malaysian condition. It provides a critical snapshot of Malaysia, represented by differential access to educational opportunities and economic prosperity along ethnic lines. The Ethnic social stratification during the colonial era was further intensified by inequalities in education, job opportunities and access to capital. The New Economic Policy resulted in greater state intervention in exercising a favourable increase in the intakes, or quotas, for Bumiputeras in governmental employment, in educational training programmes and in the private sectors of the economy. Socio-economic disparities and inequities within and between the Malaysian states have major consequences for the provision of education and educational opportunities. The chapter provides some background and an overview of some of the competing influences and policy complexities of Malaysian education and education reform as embedded in the Malaysia Education Blueprint 2013–2025.
