| Abstract: | This article examines the relationship between educational development and the role of the State in Malaysia. The focus is on the major shift in educational policies towards democratisation, decentralisation and privatisation of the Malaysian education system in the post-NEP (New Economic Policy) era. The article argues that the nature of the State has changed over historical periods depending on the condensation of power among the competing groups in this multi-ethnic society. The recent political developments in Malaysia show the emergence in the 1990s of a “developmental State” which perceives education as a means of human resource development as it strives towards rapid urbanisation, industrialisation and globalisation of the Malaysian economy. |
