Industrialisation and internationalisation of education in the context of Economy 4.0: A case study of Penang

The globalisation of science, industry and commerce has resulted in the internationalisation of education. In this context, ‘a global citizen’, representing the Humboldtian educational model, has to have universal cognitive skills and cultural competences formed by an international/global education. However, Malaysia’s unique situation, as seen in the case of Penang Island, shows a multicultural education that effectively adapted to the global market. Most of the schools were transformed to national schools after Malaya’s independence from the United Kingdom, yet some retained their international nature. This article shows how national schools in Penang Island preserved their culture after independence, resulting in cultural pluralism (multiculturalism) in the educational system and, at the same time, maintained their global value for Economy 4.0. This multicultural and industry-oriented approach contrasts with the Humboldtian universalistic model, and yet contributes to the growth of science and a global economy. In this regard, it is argued that for the sustainable development of science, technology and society in Penang, the ‘epistemological pluralism’ with cross-disciplinary thinking in diverse cultural contexts should be promoted in educational and global policies.