The Classrooms of Malaysia 🇲🇾: Language, Islamic Religious Education and Cultural Diversity

The CSA Fireside podcast once hosted Malaysia in Season 1 alongside Bangladesh and Pakistan to discuss whether “the student voice is taken seriously in Asia.” With the need to understand more about this diverse nation, Malaysia returned in season 2 where we discuss the language of instruction of their Education (Malay or English); its advantages and disadvantages and; its role in the struggle to decolonise education. We further learn about Islamic Religious Education and how it prepare students for life. We could not forget the cultural diversity of Malaysia. We discuss strategies it has used to cater for non Muslim Malay students and whether this diversity has caused conflicts in the education sector.