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The debate over the medium of instruction for Science and Mathematics (the "PPSMI" policy back-and-forth) has been a national headache. Moving between Bahasa Malaysia, English, and vernacular languages creates a polarity. Rural students, who predominantly speak dialect at home, struggle with the formal Bahasa Malaysia of textbooks, while urban students often speak Manglish (Malaysian Colloquial English) and lag in formal proficiency.
Word Count: 300-350 words.
One of the most distinct features of the system is the variety of school streams available to parents: