The mLIltiracia1 pattern of Malaysian society dates back to the early period of British administration which had encouraged immigrants to enter the country to meet the labour shortage, especially in the tin mines and rubber estates. The different communities lived together but had little to do with each other. “A striking feature of Malayan society at that time (which continues today, slightly abated) was the voluntary cultural segregation the Malays lived in a cultural milieu that was institutionally confined in a local context . . . the migrant races were administered independently and led to an independent existence” (National Operations Council, 1969). The three major racial groups of Malay, Chinese and lndian could be identified as three separate socio-cultural entities, each virtually isolated from the other. This has posed and continues to pose a challenge to politicians in their quest for social equity in the country. Indeed, this pluralism presented a serious problem to the government which in the past found it compounded by the fact that prior to independence in 1957. Malaya had no national system of education at all. The British had left behind four different systems of schooling, divided along racial lines. Education, society and political development in Malaysia are closely inter-related and the history of education which mirrors the development of Malaysian society and politics, may be s~lmmarized under three main periods: first, 1786-1941; second, 194% 1962; and third, 1963 onwards.