Tuntutan KPGM-KPGMPTM terhadap Kedudukan Bahasa Melayu dalam Sistem Pendidikan Tanah Melayu, 1946-1960-an ( The KPGM-KPGMPT Demans on the Status of the Malay Language in Malaya's Education System, 1946-1960s )

Abstract

This article discusses the involvement of KPGMS (Federal Union of Teachers Malay Peninsula)-KPGMPTM (Federal Union of Malay Teachers' Federation of Malaya) as the forefront leader and their role as the voice of the people in expressing the wish to uphold the use of the Malay language in education when it was adopted as the national language through the National language act of 1963. After the Second World War, KPGMS-KPGMPTM were aware that the acquisition and the use of Malay as the language of instruction in schools should be given priority but also as the main language of the Malayan population. Accordingly ,various policies as the Barnes Report (1950), the Education Ordinance (1952), the White Paper on Education (1954), the Razak Report (1956), Rahman Talib (1960) and The National Language Act (1963) were introduced to ensure the demands are fulfilled. KPGMS-KMPGMPTM has reacted and requested that the Malay language and Malay education should also be enhanced. Various strategies were taken by KPGMS-KPGMPTM when their requests were not taken into serious consideration such as voicing out their concern in the ‘Mujallah Guru,’ sending memorandums to the Ministry of Education and also aggressively threatening to cut ties with UMNO. The main objective of this study is to examine the effect of demands made by KPGMS-KPGMPTM in the struggle for the use of the Malay language in education. This study uses qualitative methods, which are based on the records and documents provided by KPGMS-KPGMPTM. The study found that both organizations which represented Malay educators were pioneering the acceptance for the use of the Malay language in education and the pursuer for future young Malays’ education.