A Chinese independent high school () is a type of private high school in Malaysia. They provide secondary education in the Chinese language as the continuation of the public primary education in Chinese national-type primary schools or . The main medium of instruction in these schools is Mandarin Chinese using simplified Chinese characters. The United Chinese School Committees Association of Malaysia (UCSCAM), also known as the Dong Zong (), coordinates the curriculum used in the schools and organises the Unified Examination Certificate (UEC) standardised test. Despite this, the schools are independent of each other and are free to manage their own affairs.
Chinese independent high schools represent a small number of high schools in Malaysia. The number of Chinese independent high schools differed among sources, ranging from 60 to 63, due to the ambiguous status of SM Chong Hwa Kuantan and whether branch campuses count as separate schools. In 2020, UCSCAM adopted the "60+2+1" formula in describing the number of Chinese independent high schools: 60 Chinese independent high schools originated from the aftermath of school conversions in the 1960s 2 branch campuses of Foon Yew High School (Kulai branch and Bandar Seri Alam branch) 1 private school allowed to participate in the UEC examinations (SM Chong Hwa Kuantan)
Being private schools, Chinese independent high schools do not receive consistent funding from the Malaysian federal government, although they did receive some funding from some state governments such as Johor, Penang, Sabah, Sarawak, and Selangor as well as in the 2019 and 2020 budgets under the Pakatan Harapan federal government. However, in accordance with their aim of providing affordable education to all in the Chinese language, their school fees are substantially lower than those of most other private schools. The schools are kept alive almost exclusively by donations from the public. Until 2017, there is a total of around 60 Chinese independent high schools around Malaysia. Throughout the country's formation, a total of 104 Chinese independent high schools had disappeared due to conversion into either English or Malay-medium ( or ) high schools. Despite struggles with national Bumiputera policy, Malaysia was the only country within Southeast Asia that successfully developed a Chinese-medium education system outside the Sinosphere territories of Mainland China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan.
Background and early foundation history
The history of Chinese independent education in Malaysia dates back to the conclusion of British Malaya and Borneo in the early 19th century, founded by the Chinese settlers since the 18th century to provide education in their mother tongue dialects and languages. Through the British-administered system, the independent schools also survive the push made by British administrators for them to convert into English-medium schools. The establishment of the Federation of Malaya in 1948 prompted multiple proposals for educational policies aimed at unifying the diverse ethnic communities within the federation, culminating in the Barnes Report and the Fenn-Wu Report in 1951; the first proposes the instruction of both English and Malay in national schools, whereas the second endorses a more permissive stance on the matters. Following the Razak Report and subsequent Malaya independence in 1957, the federal government instructed all independent schools to surrender their properties and be assimilated into the National School system to bring together the children of various races under one system with the use of Malay language as the main medium of instruction. This subsequently caused a strong objection among the Chinese community over the policy where their schools would instead become "National Type" schools, which contradicts their interests, as they believe that their culture and education are unseparated and closely intertwined and their ethnic language education is their "last bastion" in preserving both their ethnic and national identities within the federation.
Despite the objections, more than half of the Chinese independent high schools at the time complied with the national policy to convert into English-medium schools due to financial constraints, with only a few remaining until 1962. Based on the plan of the National Educational Policy, the federal government will be in charge of the school curriculum and teaching personnel while the lands still belong to the schools; although if they required further full assistance from the federal government, the independent high schools needed to surrender their land titles to the government, where their status would be changed to fully-aided schools (). While Chinese primary schools were allowed to retain Chinese as the medium of instruction, Chinese secondary schools are required to change into English-medium schools. This plan was viewed as an unacceptable compromise amongst some Chinese, and a minority of the Chinese schools refused the proposal and became private high schools or Chinese independent high schools as they were later called. This concept slowly gained popularity and, during the 1960s and 70s, many of the National Type high schools reopened their independent high school branch. Their numbers continued to grow until a period when the political situation in Malaysia made it impossible to set up additional independent Chinese high schools. Despite the 1969 events affecting the interrelations between Chinese and Malay, a surge of enrolment in Chinese independent schools followed by the Revival Movement in 1973 as a response to post-1969 escalating policies favouring Malay-medium education towards English-medium schools, further prompting numerous English-educated parents to enrol their children in Chinese independent schools in large numbers. The rising population of Bumiputera students in Chinese independent high schools, totalling approximately 100,000, exacerbates the classroom shortage coupled with problems caused by the federal government policy restrictions.
Currently there are 63 independent Chinese high schools across Malaysia in both West and East, including Foon Yew High School, which is the largest secondary school in the country with over 10,000 students. Foon Yew High School was the first school to refuse the government's proposal, as well as the first high school to have two branch campuses (located in Kulai and Bandar Seri Alam). The second largest is Chong Hwa Independent High School, Kuala Lumpur, which is known for its excellent academic performance as well as award-winning performance in inter-school competitions. Over 60 schools converted to become National Type schools, including famous schools like Chung Ling High School, Penang Chinese Girls' High School on Penang Island, Jit Sin High School in Seberang Perai part of Penang as well as Ave Maria Convent High School and Sam Tet High School in Ipoh, Perak. While the medium language for most subjects is switched to English as according to the proposal, the teaching and learning of Mandarin remained compulsory in these schools, with most of them dedicating at least one seventh to one fifth of their teaching time per week to Mandarin studies. Since the 1970s, Chinese independent high schools have been part of Malaysian education systems.
West Malaysia
Chinese independent high schools in West Malaysia were founded during the British colonial period by local Chinese communities, with some of the earliest institutions, such as the Confucian Private Secondary School (CPSS) in 1906, located in the capital, Kuala Lumpur. Other schools including the Foon Yew High School (1913) in Johor Bahru, Pay Fong High School (1913) in Malacca, Chung Hwa School (1913) in Seremban, Shun Jen School (1914) in Kuala Lumpur, and Chung Ling High School (1917) in Penang. The 1911 Revolution (Xinhai Revolution) indirectly promoted a strong requirement over the importance of education, leading to the rapid development of Chinese independent schools during this era. The schools were, however, halting their operations throughout the Japanese occupation in 1941 and subsequent British Military Administration (BMA) in 1945 before resuming in the post-war period. In 1951, the United Chinese School Teachers' Association of Malaya () was established. Another committee was formed in the year of 1954 to oversee Chinese education, named the United Chinese School Committees' Association of Malaya (). The two closely worked together on the development of Chinese education and to protect their interests within the Federation of Malaya.
Throughout the Malayan Emergency period, many rural Chinese residents who were located within conflict areas were relocated into new villages where their schools had to be rebuilt and start in new locations to separate them from the influence of the communists. A special scheme for aid was provided by the federal government of Malaya, which is available for the first two years after their resettlement into the village, with the British colonial authorities' policy towards Chinese schools beginning to change after the release of the Fenn-Wu Report. In 1961, the Chinese independent high school managements were given the option of either being absorbed into the national language system and receiving financial aid from the federal government in exchange for switching their medium of instruction in line with the federal policy. Due to financial constraints facing by many of the schools, around 54 Chinese independent high schools from the total of 71 in the Federation of Malaya accepted the offer with their medium of instruction changed to English and subsequently became known as . The remaining 17 maintained their independent position and became the present remaining Chinese high schools. The escalating demands and financial limitations to enhance facilities, coupled with a lack of federal support, are leading to the closure of certain schools due to a decrease in student enrolment. Through subsequent internal reforms in management, seminars, and contributions from Chinese educational leaders, independent schools have effectively maintained the Chinese language as their primary medium of instruction, despite facing challenges.
East Malaysia