The Education of Chinese Workers' Children on Malaysia's Plantation Frontier: Myths and Realities

Abstract

Malaysia's economy is primarily based on two raw materials, rubber and tin. During the past half century, its growing reliance on rubber has been dramatically illustrated by the rising exports of rubber. While the ratio of rubber to tin exported was 1:1 in 1916, by 1969 it was 9:1. Since 1965, rubber production has risen from 903,000 tons to more than 1.2 million tons. The export of rubber has increased from a cash return of M$ 1,353 million in 1968 to M$ 1,724 million in 1970 (Second Malaysia Plan, 1971). Of the 4.8 million acres currently under rubber cultivation in Malaya, approximately 1,575,000 acres.are found on large estates. Although .the scientific and economic aspects of rubber production have been studied in great depth from a managerial or profit-motive perspective, little attention has been paid to .the labor force which contributes so greatly to the prosperity of Malaysia's rubber economy in the modern world. It is the purpose of this article to shed light upon the conditions of the estate labor force with specific reference to the education of the children of estate laborers.' Education is the focus of this article because of the authors' belief that schooling has become the principle means either to insure one's socialization into .the estate culture of poverty, or juxtaposed, to liberate one from this environment by providing opportunity for greater social mobility.