ACQ Vol 10 No 2 2008

Work– l i f e balance : preserv i ng your soul

Brief history of the country Malaysia (total land mass of 329,847 sq km) comprises Peninsula Malaysia and East Malaysia and consists of thirteen states and three federal territories. Kuala Lumpur in Peninsula Malaysia is the capital, while Putrajaya, located some 50 km from the Kuala Lumpur, is the seat of the federal government and functions as the administrative capital of the country. The Malay Peninsula was a trading point for merchants of the East and West from the 16th to the 18th centuries. During the late 18th and 19th centuries, Great Britain established colonies and protectorates in the area of current Malaysia. In 1948, the British-ruled territories on the Malay Peninsula formed the Federation of Malaya, which became independent in 1957. Malaysia was formed in 1963 when the former British colonies of Singapore and the East Malaysian states of Sabah and Sarawak on the northern coast of Borneo joined the federation. Malaysia has been successful in diversifying its economy from dependence on exports of raw materials, to expansion in manufacturing, services, and tourism (Andaya & Andaya, 1982). Population demographics According to the Demographic Statistics Unit of the Statistics Department of Malaysia (June 2007), the multicultural and multilingual population of Malaysia stands at 27.17 million. The Malays (Bumiputera) form the majority of the population (50.68%) while there are sizeable Chinese (23.19%) and Indian (6.92%) communities as well. Other Bumiputeras (natives), expatriates and non-citizen residents make up the other 18.92%. Population distribution is uneven between the Peninsula and East Malaysia with approximately 20 million residents concentrated in the Peninsula. Religions and languages Islam is the official religion in Malaysia with approximately 61% of the population practicing it actively although it must be stated that religious freedom and tolerance is widely observed. Buddhism is practiced by 19.2% of the population, 9.1% practice Christianity and 6.5% practice Hinduism; the remaining 5% of the population practice various other religions including Sikhism, Jainism, Taoism and Shamanism (generally practiced in East Malaysia) (Population and Housing Census 2007). Bahasa Malaysia is the official language; English, Mandarin, various Chinese dialects (Cantonese, Hokkien, Hakka), Tamil, Hindi and Urdu are also widely spoken. Although Bahasa Malaysia remains the formal and official language for the government, English continues to be the language of business and is a compulsory second language in all educational institutions up to secondary level. The language(s) of higher education in Malaysia, including in the speech-language therapy (SLT) degrees, is generally a combination of English and Bahasa Malaysia, and students have the option of answering exam questions in either language. S peech P athology in the A sia -P acific R egion Speech-language pathology in Malaysia Shobha Sharma

Education Schooling begins between the ages of 4 and 6, in nurseries and kindergartens which are mainly privately run. The curricula vary, leading to vast differences in the fundamental knowledge and skills gained. Formal primary education begins at the age of 7 and continues until the age of 12. Childrenmay attend either government-operated or government- funded primary schools – the national schools or the national- type schools. National schools use Bahasa Malaysia as the medium of instruction for all subjects taught, while national- type schools use either Tamil or Mandarin as the medium for instruction. Upon completion of the six years of primary education, students attend secondary school for an additional five years, at the end of which students sit for the Malaysian Certificate of Education examination which is equivalent to the British “O” Level exams. Based on the results achieved, students who wish to enter the Malaysian public universities do a further 1.5 years before taking the Malaysian Higher School Certificate. Students wishing to pursue their further education overseas also have the option of enrolling in the numerous private colleges after secondary education. Special education According to statistics from the Social Welfare Department of Malaysia (SWDM) (December 2007), a total of 211,467 individuals are registered with the SWDM. Of this number, 19,267 are visually impaired, 30,842 are hearing impaired, 70,716 are physically impaired, 82,446 have some form of learning disability and 1,391 have cerebral palsy. A further 6,805 individuals are registered as disabled but are not able to be classified under any of the earlier mentioned categories due to the existence of more than one disability. The figures, however, may underestimate the disabled population in Malaysia. The World Health Organization estimates that approximately 1% of the population in a country has some form of disability, and Malaysia does not mandate the registration of individuals with disabilities. Presently, children with special needs are mainly being served in special education schools. As more special education programs are introduced in Malaysian schools, more children with disabilities enrol in both primary and secondary mainstream schools to gain access to education. Special education teachers face annually increasing enrolments of children from diverse backgrounds, but many teachers do not feel adequately prepared for these challenges. The concept of inclusive education was only introduced in Malaysia in 1995 and is still in its infancy. Inclusive education is regarded as functional integration of students with disabilities with their non-disabled peers. Students are placed initially in special education classrooms and transferred to inclusive classrooms if they are able to adapt academically and socially with their peers. The placement decision is made by the school principal on recommendation of the special education co-ordinator. In practice only two or three students

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S peech P athology A ustralia