BukuProgramICPIE_2019-13Sept2019

INTERNATIONAL CONFERE NCE ON PEDAGOGY AND INCLUS I VE EDUCATI ON I CPIE 2019
. REFORM IN EDUCATIONAL POLICY AND ITS LINK TO
SOCIAL CHANGE IN ENHANCING DEVELOPMENT:
THE MALAYSIAN EDUCATION CONTEXT
Hamidah Mohamad 1 & Sidek Baba 2
1 School of Humanities and Education, UNIRAZAK
(hamidah_mohamad@unirazak.edu.my)
2 Kuliyyah of Education, International Islamic University Malaysia
(sidek@iium.edu.my)
ABSTRACT
This concept paper explores the impact of the education system and
government policies in bringing about social change to a nation by
focusing on Malaysia as a point of reference. The exploration
included a look at Malaysia’s evolution of formal and informal
educational policies and reforms, which was broadly categorized into
three main phases: pre-colonial era, post-colonial period and the
current time. The analysis was guided by Sidek Baba’s Social Change
theory (2016) which describes social change as comprising forms
(policies, methods and framework) and substance (values and
aspirations). Among the key impacts produced by the educational
policies are national unity, secularization of knowledge and later,
Islamization of knowledge, and integration of new technologies with
soft skills, higher order thinking and spiritual domain into the
education system to create holistic future citizens. The analysis
concludes by recommending governing bodies to develop, implement
and enforce strategies through rigorous processes by updating
methodologies, curriculum and regulations to be in line with the
current and future social, professional and national growth needs.
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