Malay Education was funded by the British government, was encouraged and provided for free. English was not taught in the village schools as the British deemed early training in the child’s mother tongue as an absolute necessity. The objective of Malay education was to make them better fishermen and peasants than their forefathers.As for Chinese schools, The Chinese schools were entirely funded by private enterprises. The Chinese community was largely responsible for setting up their own schools. The teachers, nearly all China-born, taught using textbooks imported from China. The students in these Chinese schools were very emotionally attached to the political happenings in China.Lastly for Tamil schools, Tamil language was taught in the Indian vernacular schools. Most Indian schools were small private schools. Similar to the Malay and the Chinese schools, the Indian schools are all primary grade.Last of all, English schools opened to all children on fee-paying basis. English schools were supported by private enterprise but assisted by the government. English is the primary medium of instruction. Over time, the government began to manage and finance some schools. Schools started by missionaries were given financial aid but left to the management of the missionaries. [ What can I infer about people's lives before independence?]

Answer 1

Seems to be a conglomeration of ethnicities, each keeping their own culture, and expectations. No one was making a national culture, or national ethic or socioeconomic culture.