The aspiration for educational rights in educational policies for national integration in Malaysian pluralistic society

AbstractThe contested discourses of different ethnic groups in Malaysian pluralistic society are discussed in regard to their aspirations for education policies and language rights in the Malaysian educational system. Research for this discussion focused on issues in Malaysian educational policy and ethnicity. These issues are important to the Malaysian educational-policy process that aims to achieve ethnic integration through education. Using a qualitative research approach, semistructured interviews were conducted with individuals from different ethnic and professional backgrounds who were directly and indirectly involved in the production of Malaysian education policies. The results showed that Malaysian pluralistic society remains a contested landscape of ideologies and aspirations for educational rights in the process of national development. © 2010 Published by Elsevier Ltd