The national language and a compulsory subject.

To address these challenges, the Malaysian government has introduced reforms, including:

Secondary school reunites students under a common language (Bahasa Malaysia), but streaming begins early. After three years of lower secondary (Form 1–3), students choose streams: Science, Arts, or Technical/Vocational.

While the curriculum is national, the schools are often segregated. Vernacular schools (Chinese and Tamil) are criticized by nationalists for "slowing integration." As a result, many Malay students never interact with Chinese or Indian peers until university (if at all). Conversely, some Chinese Independent Schools (outside the national system) teach in Mandarin and ignore Malay culture.

School life in Malaysia is highly structured and often described as rigorous and exam-oriented.