$Unique_ID{COW02340} $Pretitle{245} $Title{Malaysia Social Services, Mass Media and Communications} $Subtitle{} $Author{Embassy of Malaysia, Washington DC} $Affiliation{Embassy of Malaysia, Washington DC} $Subject{malaysia services education television radio government country international national programmes} $Date{1990} $Log{Golf*0234001.scf Table 5.*0234001.tab Table 6.*0234002.tab Table 7.*0234003.tab Table 8.*0234004.tab } Country: Malaysia Book: Malaysia in Brief Author: Embassy of Malaysia, Washington DC Affiliation: Embassy of Malaysia, Washington DC Date: 1990 Social Services, Mass Media and Communications [See Golf: Courtesy Embassy of Indonesia, Washington DC.] SOCIAL SERVICES The Government gives top priority to education and next to defence receives the highest annual financial allocation. The average annual allocation for education is 5.8% of the Gross National Product or 17.2% of the national Budget. Federal Government development allocation for education and training for the 1986-90 period is $55,582.78 million. According to the 1980 National Census, literacy rate was 75.0% and steadily improving. EDUCATION STRUCTURE Formal school education comprises six years or primary beginning at the age of six, three years of lower secondary, two years of upper secondary and two years of pre-university education. Tertiary education, provided by 30 odd colleges, five polytechnics and seven universities, consists of courses extending from two to six years. The basic degree course covers three to four years for selected students with Higher School Certificate or advanced level qualifications. School education is free while tertiary education is provided at a nominal fee. The medium of instruction is Bahasa Malaysia with English as a compulsory subject. However, at the primary level education is also provided with either Chinese or Tamil as the medium of instruction and Bahasa Malaysia as well as English as compulsory subjects. Children from these schools spend an additional year in "bridge classes" to enable them to acquire sufficient proficiency in Bahasa Malaysia in order to effectively follow education at the lower secondary and subsequent levels in Bahasa Malaysia. The first three years of secondary education is comprehensive in nature. The curriculum consists of core courses in academic subjects and optional courses in vocational oriented subjects. At the end of the three years pupils sit for the Lower Certificate of Education Examination which serves as a selective criterion for entrance into upper secondary schools. General education is provided in academic schools at the upper secondary level where courses with an arts, science or technical orientation are offered. About 7.0% of upper secondary pupils attend vocational schools which provide technical and vocational courses. At the end of the two years pupils from academic schools take the Malaysian Certificate of Education Examination while pupils from vocational schools take the Malaysian Certificate of Education (Vocational) examination. About 15.0% of secondary school graduates are admitted for pre-university education which prepares them for the Higher School Certificate Examination or special matriculation examination. The participation for tertiary level education is about 5.0%. Enrolment for the different levels of education in 1988 are as follows: [See Table 5.: Enrolment for the different levels of education in 1988 are as follows] EDUCATIONAL MEDIA SERVICE This service co-ordinates the work of Educational Television (ETV) and the Schools Radio and Audio Visual Aids (AVA) Unit. Besides the printing and distribution of A V A materials to schools and institutions, regular radio and television programmes are broadcasted with the co-operation of the Ministry of Information. FURTHER AND ADULT EDUCATION Further education classes are sponsored by the Ministry of Education throughout the country for pupils who cannot continue their secondary education in the normal secondary schools. There are a number of private educational institutions providing general, vocational and technical education. Correspondence schools are popular in the major urban areas. HEALTH SERVICES The rapid development of the medical, dental and other health services has resulted in an extensive layout of facilities throughout the country as part of the socio-economic development programmes. Medical treatment is provided throughout the country by hospitals, dispensaries and clinics using up-to-date techniques, drugs and equipment. Mortality rates are steadily declining and every hospital in the country has been renovated and expanded with better facilities and medical care. The Health Services have been expanded throughout the nation and steps have been taken to upgrade the services progressively. The number of doctors increased from 3,858 in 1980 to 5,394 in 1986. The Government dental services devotes 70% of its work to school children and there are increasing numbers of dental clinics all over the country. The number of dentists improved from 691 to 1,130 from 1980 to 1986. Special public health programmes on a national scale for the eradication or control of major public health problems such as malaria, dengue fever, cholera, tuberculosis, leprosy, yaws and filariasis have been in effective operation. Besides, there are programmes on nutrition, family health, school health, environmental sanitation, industrial health, hygiene and water flouridation. There is also a National Pharmaceutical Control Laboratory to check on the quality of drugs locally manufactured or imported. To meet the increasing staff demand of the country's expanding health services, training schools for nurses, midwives, hospital assistants, public health radiographers, dispensers and inspectors, and laboratory technologists have been established. To meet the demand for doctors, three faculties of medicine have been established at the University of Malaya, the National University and the Science University of Malaysia. A faculty of Dentistry is now functioning at the University of Malaya while a School of Pharmaceutical Sciences has been established at the University Science of Malaysia. WELFARE SERVICES Social welfare is a joint responsibility of the Central and State Governments. These services cover the care of children, reformatory services for juvenile delinquents, handicapped persons, the aged, the chronically ill, beggars and vagrants, the protection of women and girls. The services also motivate and enlist the support of the people to participate in development programmes for their own and the community's betterment. State Governments are responsible for general welfare which includes general relief and other related matters. In the States of Sabah and Sarawak, reformatory services come under the jurisdiction of the Central Government. Other aspects of social welfare in the various states are maintained by the State Governments. There are about 50 welfare institutions which are solely maintained by the Government. Welfare services in Malaysia are supplemented by voluntary organisations many of which receive grant-in-aid from the Government through the Ministry of Welfare Services. SOCIAL SECURITY Social security measures in Malaysia take the form of an Employment Injury Insurance Scheme and an Invalidity Pension Scheme. The Employment Injury Insurance Scheme provides medical and cash benefits and is a vast improvement on the Workmen's Compensation Ordinance qualitatively and quantitatively. The Invalidity Pension Scheme provides protection to employees against invalidity due to disease or injury from any cause. The aim is to extend social security benefits eventually to the self-employed especially farmers and fishermen. Other supplementary Social Security measures which exist in the country are the Employees' Provident Fund, the pension scheme for Government employees, free medical benefits for all who are unable to pay and the provision of medical benefits particularly for workers under the Labour Code. Mass media OFFICIAL MEDIA The Ministry of Information with its headquarters at Angkasapuri in Kuala Lumpur operates and co-ordinates the mass media activities of government through the Information and Broadcasting Departments. DEPARTMENT OF INFORMATION The Department of Information disseminates Government policy programmes to the people and also obtains feedback reports on reactions to various Government measures. It is engaged in a programme of nation building through the promotion of loyalty, civic consciousness and racial harmony among Malaysians. The Department also handles press relations and prepares publicity material for internal distribution and ensures press, radio and television coverage for Ministries and Government agencies and statutory bodies whenever required. DEPARTMENT OF BROADCASTING The Department of Broadcasting consisting of Radio and Television Malaysia (RTM) is located in a modern and up-to-date complex at Angkasapuri. Radio Malaysia's National Network broadcasts round-the-clock. Its other networks (Blue, Green, Red, Capital City Broadcasts and FM Stereo and 2 Orang Asli Broadcasts) are on the air for 414 hours and 10 minutes a week. Siaran Radio Ibu Kota (Capital City Broadcasts) serves the special needs of the people of Kuala Lumpur. Special programmes are also broadcast in Senoi and Temiar - the two main aboriginal dialects. Radio Malaysia gears its programmes towards giving full and in-depth information on all Government policies and projects and stimulates public interest to achieve changes in line with Government policy. SUARA MALAYSIA The overseas arm of Radio Television Malaysia, Suara Malaysia (The Voice of Malaysia) launched in 1963, broadcasts daily:- [See Table 6.: Overseas arm of Radio Television Malaysia, Suara Malaysia (The Voice of Malaysia) launched in 1963, broadcasts daily] Programme details may be obtained free of charge on request from the following address: - Suara Malaysia, P.O. Box 11272, 50740 KUALA LUMPUR TELEVISION Television Malaysia was inaugurated on 18th December 1963 with black-and-white television programmes. Colour transmission was officially launched fifteen years later in 1978. Television Malaysia uses 625-line PAL colour system. Television programmes are telecast through TV Malaysia's Network I and II. Network III services for Sabah and Sarawak, was terminated in 1984 and programmes formerly produced in Kota Kinabalu are telecast from Kuala Lumpur. This is to enable viewers in Peninsular Malaysia to keep track of the developments in Sabah and Sarawak, in line with the national integration concept. Like radio programmes, all TV programmes are geared to serve the public with the Rukunegara as their guide. Local production take up more than 61 percent of the total air time. Malaysia's first private television network, TV 3 (Sistem Television Malaysia Bhd), went on air as a fully-commissioned station on June 1,1984. FILEM NEGARA At its studios in Petaling Jaya, Filem Negara Malaysia produces cine-magazine, documentaries, films, semifeatures and trailers for screening over television, in local cinemas and by mobile vans throughout the country. In one year Filem Negara produces about 115 films with a running time of 1,505 minutes. Films produced are aimed at keeping Malaysians both at home and abroad and the world at large informed of the progress and developments in Malaysia. COMMERCIAL DIVISION The commercial division of the Ministry of Information is responsible for radio and television advertisements. It sells radio and television airtime to advertisers. It creates radio commercials for those needing the services. A television licence costs M $24/-a year also entitles the holder to operate a radio set. A radio licence by itself is free whereas it costs M $5/- to operate a singleband (AM) radio. PRESS In 1988 there were 63 newspapers published in Malaysia, 17 in Bahasa Malaysia with two using the Jawi script, 12 in English, 25 in Chinese, four in Tamil, one in Punjabi, one in Malayalam and one bilingual (English and Bahasa Malaysia). All newspapers are serviced by BERNAMA, the National News Agency and other international news agencies. In addition to the daily newspapers and the Sunday editions, there are various magazines and journals published locally which cater for a wide variety of interests. Communication TELECOMMUNICATIONS The telecommunications system in Malaysia is among the most modern in Southeast Asia and provides not only telephone, telegraph and telex services but also communications facilities for broadcasting, civil aviation, police, customs and fisheries. The whole country is served by a microwave trunk telephone network linking all the towns. In 1988 there were about 1.2 million telephone subscribers in Malaysia. Internationally, Malaysia also has very good telephone, telegraph and telex connections with various countries via broadband submarine cable and satellites. These direct telecommunications links have facilitated the introduction of a limited International Subscriber Dialling (ISD). Photo-telegraph services are also available. These services are operated round-the-clock. Communications between Peninsular Malaysia and Sabah and Sarawak are via satellite and the troposcatter system and by submarine cable enabling the operation of nationwide Subscriber Trunk Dialling (STD) and the expansion of television broadcasting services throughout the country. Telex services have been automated in response to growing domestic and international demand and in 1988 there were about 12,000 telex subscribers. POSTAL SERVICES Malaysia's postal service is one of the most efficient in this part of the world. It transacts full postal business including postal remittance services and operates numerous agency services on behalf of Government departments and statutory bodies, such as National Savings Bank transactions, payment of pensions, collection of electricity and water charges and the issue of radio and television licences. Numerous post offices are located throughout the country. In the rural areas, postal agencies provide restricted classes of postal business. In addition a large number of mobile post offices with full postal facilities are deployed in the rural areas to supplement the services provided by the postal agencies. In all the larger towns, a twice daily house-to-house delivery service is standard but in the smaller towns a one daily delivery service is provided. The Postal Department handles an average of 1,000 million mail traffic annually. CIVIL AVIATION There are four international airports and fifteen other aerodromes at which regular public air transport is operated. These airports and aerodromes have full support facilities for such operations. Kuala Lumpur, Pulau Pinang, Kota Kinabalu and Kuching International Airports can be used by large jets. General aviation makes use of the many airstrips available throughout the country. Several radio navigation installations are functioning to assist in aerial navigation on both domestic and international air routes. Air traffic and communications services are provided on a continuous basis from the Kuala Lumpur Air Traffic Control Centre. About twenty international airlines operate through Kuala Lumpur linking Malaysia with the rest of the world. Malaysia Airlines is the national airline. In addition to operating domestic flights within Peninsular Malaysia as well as between Kuala Lumpur and Sabah and Sarawak and linking remote towns in the latter two States, Malaysia Airlines flies to international destinations in Asia, Australia, Europe and America. As of 21st June 1989, Malaysia Airlines' international network covered the following destinations weekly: [See Table 7.: Malaysia Airlines' international network covered the following destinations weekly] Besides having offices at the above destinations (except Amman and Denpasar) Malaysia Airlines also has offices in Chicago, New York and San Francisco (United States), Adelaide and Brisbane (Australia), Kuala Belait (Brunei Darussalam), Osaka (Japan) and Auckland (New Zealand). [See Table 8.: The Malaysia Airlines fleet of 37 aircraft comprises] SHIPPING The major ports of Malaysia are Port Kelang, Labuan, Pulau Pinang, Pasir Gudang, Kuantan, Kota Kinabalu, Sandakan, Kuching, Sibu and Bintulu. The Malaysian International Shipping Corporation (MISC), the national shipping line formed in 1968, operates a fleet of vessels, (1,211,954 total deadweight tonnes) including conventional liners, container ships, parcel tankers, crude oil tankers, bulk carriers and coastal vessels. MISC sails the major routes of the world, regularly calling at leading ports like Yokohama, Kobe, Fusan, Bangkok, Manila, Hong Kong, Singapore, Melbourne, Sydney, Barcelona, Le Havre, Marseilles, Lisbon, London, Liverpool, Genoa, Bilbao, Rotterdam, Antwerp, Hamburg and Brunei. The coastal vessels operated by MISC carry more than 50% of the trade between Peninsular Malaysia and Sabah and Sarawak. RAILWAYS Malayan Railway operates efficient and comfortable day and night services linking major towns in Peninsular Malaysia and connecting with trains to Bangkok. The railway system in the West Coast extends for 782 km north from Singapore to Butterworth and from Bukit Mertajam it continues to connect with the States Railways of Thailand at the border town of Padang Besar. The East coast line runs 526 km north from Gemas to Tumpat and also connects with the Thai railway. There are Express trains connecting Singapore and Butterworth and international express service between Butterworth and Bangkok. ROADS Malaysia's road system is extensive and is among the finest in Asia. It covers a distance of about 39,000 kilometre. Excellent local and long distance bus, taxi-cab and tourist coach services operate throughout the country. The total number of motor vehicles, registered at the end of 1988 was about 5 million. The East-West Highway is a major project connecting Butterworth in Pulau Pinang to Kota Bharu in Kelantan in Peninsular Malaysia. The Highway serves as part of the Asian Highway System linking Thailand with Malaysia. The completed portion covers 115 km. The construction of the interurban North-South expressway and new Klang Valley expressway in the largest road transportation infrastructure programme currently being undertaken by the government at an estimated cost of $4.15 billion. The 839-kilometre expressway will link major industrial areas and urban centres in the country commencing from Bukit Kayu Hitam in the Northern Kedah State and Johor Bahru in the state of Johor in the south. The national motoring organisation is the Automobile Association of Malaysia (AAM) with offices in most of the states of Malaysia. Free reciprocal membership of the organisation is given to tourists who are members of motoring organisations affiliated to AAM. METEOROLOGICAL SERVICE There is an efficient and well-equipped Meteorological Service which provides a wide range of facilities to users of meteorological data particularly aviation, agriculture, fishing and shipping. This department is under the Ministry of Transport. There are 30 principal meteorological stations, 173 climatological stations, 8 upper air stations and 9 pilot balloon stations. A weather satellite tracking station, storm warning radars and a number of upper-air radio-wind/radio-sonde stations are some of the forecasting aids that lend further support to the main Meteorological Office at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport. The Climatological Division of the Service provides essential background data for industrial and rural development projects and its climatological publications are disseminated both locally as well as internationally through bilateral exchange arrangements. Their service assists in the implementation and enforcement of laws pertaining to the environment, particularly in the sphere of atmospheric pollution.