English language education and educational policy in Malaysia and Brunei

Abstract

Abstract This chapter compares and contrasts the language policy and planning in two neighbouring Southeast Asian nations, Malaysia and Negara Brunei Darussalam. In both, people of Malay ethnicity are in the majority. In both, the role of English can be traced back to the colonial period: prior to the formation of Malaysia in 1963, Malaya, Sabah, and Sarawak were British crown colonies, while Brunei was a British protectorate from 1888 until it achieved independence in 1984. Following brief outlines of the historical background and the current language situation, this chapter reviews current language in education policies with particular reference to English. These are then compared and contrasted, and some pointers to future policy directions are discussed.