Federal Education Policy and the Role of Muhammad Yusof bin Ahmad, 1951–1955

Abstract:Muhammad Yusof bin Ahmad, an Unofficial Member of the Federal Legislative Council (FLC) from 1951 to 1955, served on the Special Education Committee when education policy for an independent Malaya was being hotly debated. The Education Ordinance, 1952 revamped the education system, offering a unified curriculum taught in a single common language, but various constraints prevented the government from implementing its provisions. Muhammad Yusof pressed on, taking a special interest in the formulation of language policy in 1954, but in the end, the government abandoned the principles of the 1952 law. A new Education Ordinance passed in 1957 represented a triumph of racially based politics. This article revisits the events of this period as seen by a member of the FLC when Malaya stood on the cusp of independence.