To understand the current system, one must look to its origins. Pre-independence education was segregated along ethnic lines: Malay schools focused on basic literacy, Chinese schools were community-funded and political in nature, and Tamil schools were situated within rubber estates. The Razak Report (1956) and subsequent Rahman Talib Report (1960) laid the foundation for a national education system, establishing Malay (Bahasa Malaysia) as the medium of instruction while allowing for the continuation of vernacular schools.