Post-independence Malaysian

English Language Curriculum until

1970
PET225
DR MOHD JAFRE
NUR SYAHIRAH BINTI ABDULLAH 122698
LAU KAI YUAN - 122205

Definitions

Curriculum
From Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary:
a set of courses constituting an area of

specialisation
From edglossary.org:
curriculum refers to lessons and academic content

taught in a school or in a specific course or

program

Curriculum typically refers to the knowledge and

skills students are expected to learn, which

includes:
the learning standards or learning objectives
the units and lessons that teachers teach
the assignments and projects given to students
the books, materials, videos, presentations, and readings
used in a course
the tests, assessments, and other methods used to
evaluate student learning

Syllabus
From Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary:
a summary outline of a discourse, treatise, or

course of study or of examination requirements

From Dictionary.com:
an outline or other brief statement of the main

points of a discourse, the subjects of a course of

lectures, the contents of a curriculum, etc.

Difference between Curriculum and Syllabus

A curriculum is a more generalised or an overview

of the subjects or topics that the students are

meant to learn
A syllabus is a more detailed overview of the

subject of study
It can be said that a syllabus is a subset of

curriculum

Background

Formalising National Education Policy (NEP)

After independent, Malay language declared

national language

Under article 152(1) of federal constitution

English continued to be official language

Under clause (2) of same article

for a period of ten years after Merdeka and thereafter
until parliament otherwise provides, the English language
may be usedand for all other official purposes

Formalising NEP (cont.)

English language teaching remained the medium

of instruction for ten years after independence or

until parliament decides otherwise
Use of the national language (Malay language) as

sole medium of instruction began with the

termination of English language teaching

Rahman Talib Report, 1960

Reviewed the implementation of NEP as set out in

recommendations of Razak Report

Upheld recommendations of Razak Report
Accepted quadrilingual medium of instruction at primary
level
Called for bilingual medium of instruction at secondary
level

Purposes of the report:

Put an end to education system based on racial lines
Unite races through bilingual education system

Rahman Talib Report, 1960 (cont.)

Was established through administration of general

exams only in Malay language and English

language
Transition between primary education in

vernacular languages and secondary education in

bilingual medium took place via Remove class

students spent one extra year learning English or Malay

after primary education

Education Act, 1961

Was formed through the recommendations of

Razak Report and Rahman Talib Report

Preamble to the Act embodied NEP

Included eventual implementation of national education

system
Usage Malay language as main medium of instruction
Usage of common content syllabus
English language remained as a compulsory subject

Education Act, 1961 (cont.)

Defined different medium schools

Malay medium schools were termed national schools

Vernacular and English medium schools were termed
national-type schools

Underlying implications

Teaching of English ceased with gradual conversion of

national type English schools into national schools
As Malay language will be medium of instruction
English taught as compulsory school subject

Transitional Period, 1961-1969

NEP was not fully implemented until 1970
Pluralistic education system continued to operate
Attempts to implement NEP delayed by political

and economic disparities among Malays and nonMalays

Economy dominated by non-Malays, mainly Chinese
Malay-dominated ruling coalition was powerless to
implement NEP
Resorted to politics of bargaining
Resulted in opposition to attempts by government to
implement NEP

Transitional Period, 1961-1969 (cont.)

For the government, Malay language was seen as

playing political role to help create a culturally

homogeneous polity

English language was merely expected to play

functional role given its value as an international

language of communication

Those who opposed viewed that such move may

adversely affect nations ability in being globally

competitive

Transitional Period, 1961-1969 (cont.)

Malayan Secondary School Entrance Examination

(MSSEE) was abolished in 1964

Automatic promotion system to secondary schools
introduced in 1965

Abolishment recommended by Education Committee in

1963 and approved by Malaysian Cabinet in 1964

Purpose:

Integrate all students into regular secondary school

system
Create free universal basic education for nine years; six
years of primary school and three years of secondary
school

Use of Separate English Language Teaching

(ELT) Syllabus in School System
ELT was not taught based on common content

syllabus
Separate sets for national-type English schools and
non-English medium schools including national
schools
Use of structural syllabus called The Suggestive
Syllabus in English for use in Primary Schools
where the Medium of Instruction is not English
until 1965 (Sarogeni, 1969)

Use of Separate ELT Syllabus in School

System (cont.)
Attempt to issue a common content ELT syllabus

through Syllabus for Primary Schools (all languages

media) and Remove Forms (English and Malay
media): English in 1965
Contents of syllabus included materials for teaching
English in all primary schools

Implied use of structural situational method or oral method

Whole syllabus contained content for teaching of

English in three stages

National schools only covered Stages I and II

National-type English primary schools covered all three stages

Use of Separate ELT Syllabus in School

System (cont.)
Secondary level students continued to learn English at

a different pace
Two different syllabi

Syllabus for Secondary Schools (Malay Medium):

English (1966)
Syllabus for Secondary Schools (English Medium):
English (1968)

Two sets of examination syllabi for Form Five

Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM)

Overseas Examination Certificate

Two English examination papers

Syllabus 121 for national-type English secondary schools

English Y for national schools

Characteristics

Main Features of English Language Teaching

(ELT) after Independence
Very teacher-centred, students were passive

learners
Mostly focused on grammar and oral mastery of

the English language

Used a lot of drilling methods (repetitious exercise

as a mean of teaching and mastering the English

language)

Structural Syllabus

Oral Approach and Situational Language

Teaching
Developed by Palmer, Hornby, and other British

applied linguists from 1920.

Main Characteristics (Richards, Rodgers, 1986)

Language teaching begins with the spoken language.

Material is taught orally before it is presented in written

form.
The target language is the language of the classroom.
New language points are introduced and practiced

situationally.
Vocabulary selection procedures are followed to ensure

that an essential general service vocabulary is covered.

Main Characteristics (Richards, Rodgers, 1986)

(Contd)
Items of grammar are graded following the principle

that simple forms should be taught before complex

ones.
Reading and writing are introduced once a sufficient
lexical and grammatical basis is established.

Underlying Learning Theory

Behaviourism

Habit formation
Imitation and Repetition
Teacher-centred

Vocabulary Control
Vocabulary is an essential part to reading

proficiency.
The Interim Report on Vocabulary Selection
(Faucett, West, Palmer, and Thorndike 1936) is a
guidebook to syllabus designer.

Contains words with frequent appearance in written work.

Grammar Control
Grammar as the underlying sentence patterns of a

language.
Substitution tables are to help learners internalise
the rules.

Instruction Techniques
Speech Works
Example: drills, dialogues, presentation, reading aloud,
reinforcement
Reading Activities
Example: Vocabulary lesson (eg flash card), reading aloud,
carry out teachers
command, comprehension
Writing Activities
Example: Spelling exercises, structured questions, personal
diaries

Speech Work
Minimal Pairs Drills

Speech Work
Minimal Sentences Drills
I saw a white sheep this morning.
I saw a white ship this morning.

Dialogues
Final

sounds: /g/ and /k/

Ali : Will you pick up the bag, please?
Abu: I cant pick it up. Its too big.

Reading Works
Silent reading
Comprehension
Vocabulary work

Vocabulary work

Written Work
Spelling exercises
Structured questions
Guided composition

Adapted from: The Teachers Handbook

for the English Syllabus for
Tingkatan/Forms I-III of Secondary
Schools in Malaysia

Lesson Plan (Pittman, 1963)

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

Pronunciation
Revision (to prepare for new work if necessary)
Presentation of new structure or vocabulary
Oral practice (drilling)
Reading of material on the new structure, or
written exercises

Sample Lesson Plan

TAKEN FROM:
TEACHERS HANDBOOK FOR THE POST-1970 PRIMARY SCHOOL
ENGLISH SYLLABUS

Sample Lesson Plan

Substitution Tables

Sentences Table
(if-clause & Past Perfect Tense)

Substitution Table
(Singular & Plural)

Sentences Table
(completing the sentence)

Advantages
Emphasizes on oral practice, grammatical rules and

syntax.
Gradation of grammar rules may help learners to
master the knowledge of one aspect before going into
the next harder level.
The learners are expected to produce sentences in
correct syntax and pragmatics.

Disadvantages
Teacher-centred.
Students are passive learners.
Students who are not from English background

might be hard to catch up if they enter the syllabus in

the middle.

Conclusion
English curriculum at the period of post-

independence until 1970 were focused on achieving

oral proficiency.
English was being regarded for its functional role.
The materials in the syllabus are based on situational
language teaching.
This type of curriculum eventually phased out due to
its content-oriented nature and was replaced by
KBSR and KBSM.