I would like to connect the title to my personal experience in pursuing a Masters research degree in Malaysia.
My interest has always been connecting education, politics, and public policy, but there is a lack of programs in Malaysia that directly connect those three in academic spaces. In Malaysia, when you think of education, it's always about pedagogy, curriculum instruction, and leadership. These aspects are essential for education, but they're disconnected from broader societal aspects where public policy is concerned. One program that offers such a perspective is the MSc in Education, Public Policy & Equity from the University of Glasgow, UK. However, this is a taught master's, not research.
But all hope is not lost, I think. I'm grateful to have found a program and a supervisor who could guide me on a topic that connects education, public policy, and politics. It's a master's research program that does not exclusively focus on education per se because the scope of research topics for the program is broad. So I used this to my advantage, but maybe the drawback is that there will be fewer academic researchers focused on connecting education, public policy, and politics.
I'm not sure whether there is still a taboo in connecting education with politics in Malaysian academic spaces or if it's because academic practices in Malaysia have not progressed despite realizing the significance of this connection in the Malaysian context. Please correct me if I'm wrong.
My experience stems from a previous university that I applied to for my research topic, but the supervisor wasn't keen on exploring the political dimensions of education, which was the direction I wanted to pursue for my research. As a result, I was disappointed. So I applied to another university under a different program. On the surface, the name of the program does not reflect anything on education, but when delving into the details, education is always related!
For your information, my research is about investigating the policy entrepreneurs and the strategies and actions they employed in reviving and sustaining the Kadazandusun language. The domains that I explored include those other than education which includes politics. I analyze the findings by applying the public policy cycle. To summarize, politicians, alongside the strategies and actions in the education domain have played significant roles in reviving and sustaining the language. Therefore, my research is reflective of interconnecting education, public policy, and politics.
As of writing this, I am 1-2 months away from finishing my Master's degree in research, and I am excited to have discovered something new while interpreting my findings. It serves as a stepping stone for the PhD topic that I have in mind - connecting education with Malaysian federalism. This perspective remains underexplored in academic spaces in Malaysia, although it's always being talked about by our leaders.
I am grateful for the path that I have taken and I am privileged to have acquired the knowledge and skills to undertake independent research in the future, particularly in connecting education, public policy, and politics.
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