Introduction

Over the month of July 2025 I was fortunate to be selected to work with Teach for Malayisa (TFM) , an NGO dedicated to ensuring that every child in Malaysia has access to high-quality education . I was part of an international team of students from the UK (Warwick University) , Malaysia and Australia (Monash University).

To guide us through our research project we were also partnered with a TFM representative (Nadhirah Syalin Koh) and a University Contact (Dr.Ho Kok Hoe).They mentored and guided us through our the duration of the project by verifying our work , clarifying our doubts , refining the scope of research and much more.

The outcome of this research project was two fold :

• Research and collect high quality data about the Malaysian education sector to help TFM
• To gain experience while working with a diverse and vast international team

At the conclusion of our research project, we presented our findings to Teach For Malaysia and submitted a comprehensive report. This report is intended to serve as a foundational resource for TFM’s future initiatives and to support further research by subsequent teams.

Objective(s)

The primary objective of the research project was to collect information about all the major actors in the Malaysian education sector .

Apart from collecting the information , it was also necessary to map out the various actors(via a network map) and identify any patterns or relationships that could inform future strategic decisions for TFM.

Methodology

Given the limited one-month timeframe to collect, analyze, and present our data, we chose to keep our overall process as streamlined as possible , guided by the principle of “KISS” (Keep It Simple, Stupid). This approach allowed us to focus on delivering high-quality, meaningful outcomes within the constraints of the project.

The methodology we agreed on followed this workflow:

Desk Research

In desk research we did something similar to a literature review where we gained an understanding on how the overall education system works in Malaysia and its intricacies . Here we also came to understand how the British colonial rule had an effect on the education system which is still present today.

British colonial authorities developed the parallel school system in the 1900’s where three separate elementary school systems existed side-by-side - national schools , Chinese and Tamil vernacular schools . This meant there was a divide in education along ethnic and linguistic lines, which contributed to limited social integration and unequal access to educational and economic opportunities.

After gaining independence in 1957, the newly formed Malaysian government sought to reduce the educational divide and promote national unity for current and future generations.

Initially the government tried to standardize the curriculum and mandate the use of Bahasa Melayu and English in all schools across the nation , but this started to backfire as they faced opposition from ethnic minority communities, who viewed the proposals with suspicion.

To satisfy all communities , the Education Act of 1961 was introduced , where under this system, two parallel systems of elementary education would operate side-by-side: a national school system that used Bahasa Melayu as the medium of instruction, and national-type, or vernacular, school system, using either Mandarin Chinese or Tamil, or English. Although teaching in different languages, both national and national-type elementary schools would be united by a common curriculum (Faek, 2023)

But while policymakers succeeded in increasing enrollment, they have had little success improving educational quality. Malaysia’s performance on international assessments, such as the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) and the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS), has long trailed that of comparable countries. (Faek, 2023)

Fast forwarding to the 21st century, the legacy of this divide still exists , where students continue to struggle accessing education either due to their economic statius (B40) or due to their ethnicity.

The government along with a plethora of private , NGO’s ,public organizations/initiatives have set up programs to help such students to access quality education . But still hundreds of children still struggle not now knowing what to do next.

In the desk research phase of the project, we also collected information about various policies, initiatives, programs, and plans on how the government is planning to improve the overall quality of education in Malaysia.

Stakeholder Tracker/Database

While we started the desk research , we also in simultaneously started working on the stakeholder database , which was used to store information related to the actors present in the education sector . We also collected information about their partners so that we could map them out in a network map for further analysis

We employed three different strategies to gather the required data for our research:

1. Desk Research This involved reviewing existing reports, publications, and academic articles related to the Malaysian education sector. We focused on government documents, educational studies, and policy reports to get a foundational understanding.

2. TFM-Specific Research The second approach involved exploring resources provided by Teach For Malaysia (TFM). This included:

   • Analyzing impact reports published by TFM
   • Reviewing their partnerships, both past and present
   • Gathering insights from their publicly available data and initiatives

3. External Research To expand our scope, we also looked outside of TFM, focusing on social media and online platforms. This included:

   • Google searches
   • Facebook and Instagram posts related to Malaysian education
   • LinkedIn profiles of relevant stakeholders in the education sector

All the data was compiled into the database in a standardized format so that we can maintain the overall quality oif the research .

We established a standardized format for our database by categorizing each actor based on a set of defined parameters.

• Organisation Type
• Primary Issue/Focus Area
• Secondary Issue/Focus Areas
• Role in Education
• Region / Coverage Area
• Organisation size
• TFM Engagement

Survey

After initially collecting and storing information in the database, we selected a subset of organizations, with guidance from our TFM mentor, to send out surveys. The goal was to gain contextual insights and perspectives from these organizations on various aspects, including their awareness of Teach For Malaysia (TFM) and potential collaboration opportunities.

Unfortunately, due to time constraints, only a few organizations responded. However, the insights they provided were crucial and helped identify some key patterns that we were previously not privy to. Additionally, their feedback contributed significantly to improving our database, refining the information we had collected.

Data Analysis and Visualizations

Once all the data was collected, we proceeded to analyze it in order to uncover any patterns or trends that could be valuable for Teach For Malaysia (TFM) in making strategic decisions.

Simultaneously we also mapped out the data to a network map while also creating visualizations to better understand the data

Tools used

Tool	Purpose/Use
Google Sheets	Used as the main stakeholder database
Google Docs	Used for compiling desk research
Google Meet	Communication and video conferencing
Google Colab	Data analysis and visualization
Gephi	Creation of the stakeholder network map
Draw.io	Designing process flowcharts
Google Forms	Creating and distributing surveys

Findings

Our Research findings are as follows

Desk Research

• 72% of Teachers feel that their admin duty leads to burnout , which inturn reduces their overall quality of education they can provide. This can be remediated by reducing the administrative tasks of teachers and transferring those duties to dedicated staff , which should result in teachers spending most of their efforts on teaching their students
• B40 Parents lack the confidence in supporting English based education for their children , either due their limited exposure to English as they may feel unprepared to support their children in homework or due their economic status preventing them access to english based textbooks or education. This can be remediated by educating families on the advantages of ESL programs or supporting them financial , thus allowing them to help their children obtain access to higher quality education.
• Only 48% of students achieve minimum reading proficiency by end of Primary 5 , thus restricting them from obtain higher education , which in turn limits their options from future endeavors. This can be remediated by intervening earlier and conducting necessary support classes , giving them access to better libraries nd also via improved community engagement.

Survey

• From the survey responses, we deduced that although Teach For Malaysia (TFM) is widely known and respected, its engagement with partner organizations appears limited in a deeper, more relational sense. Many respondents expressed only a mixed familiarity with TFM’s programs, particularly regarding aspects such as trustworthiness and transparency.

• This gap could be addressed by introducing a structured feedback loop, where TFM actively and constructively seeks feedback from its partners and co-host organizations. This feedback could focus on areas such as:

  • Program design
  • Delivery methods
  • Communication processes
  • Overall partner experience

  Once feedback is collected, TFM could implement the necessary improvements. After a reasonable period, a follow-up round of feedback could help evaluate whether the changes were effective or if further interventions are needed.

  Implementing this feedback cycle would not only help enhance the quality of TFM’s programs, but also strengthen relationships with partners by promoting transparency, accountability, and collaboration.

Stakeholder Database

Analysis of the data collected from both via the desk research and the database reveled that around majority of the organizations (45%) primally focus on providing access to education to the general public or to marginalized comminutes as shown in the below pie chart.

Half of the organizations that we researched have a direct effect on the comminutes as they either help them via events or programs (26%) or help them financially via scholarships or financial aid (25%) so that families can have access to high quality education

Turning our attention towards NGO/Non Profit organizations , they also show that they primally focus on providing education access to the general public or to marginalized comminutes as shown in the following pie charts.Even when education access isn’t their primary focus , 12% of organizations have it as their secondary focus , this shows how much effort and resources are directed towards providing education to the children of Malaysia.

When visualized on the map of Malaysia, it becomes clear that most organizations operate at the national level , evident from the central bright blue heat spot with the globe marker. However, there are also organizations that focus on specific regions or cities. This indicates that while the country is generally well covered, there are still some areas—particularly those between major coverage zones or in more remote districts—that may receive limited or no coverage.

Network Map

Visualizing the organizations and their partners in a network map enables us to see how well these entities are connected, identify potential collaborators, and recognize major players in the sector. Additionally, we can calculate centrality metrics, which provide insight into the relative importance and influence of each organization within the network.

From our database, we have mapped over 180+ organizations connected by 193 relationships (edges), as illustrated below.

The following image illustrates the network based on between-ness centrality metrics, which measure how often a node acts as a bridge along the shortest paths between other nodes. Nodes with higher between-ness centrality values are larger in size. To highlight differences, nodes with the highest between-ness are colored green, the smallest nodes appear bright orange, and those with intermediate values are shaded in orangish-brown.

As we can see, TFM is well connected and has a deep reach within the network.

The following network map illustrates TFM’s neighbors, shown in purple, and their neighbors in green. The grey nodes represent organizations that TFM can potentially reach through their existing partners, enabling them to forge new connections and partnerships for future collaboration and network growth.

Conclusion and Recommendations

During our research we noticed that vast majority of organizations that we examined either have no current collaborations with TFM or do not publicly display their partnerships on their websites or social media channels. As shown in our data analysis below, most organizations fall into this category.

This indicates that while TFM is well-recognized among the general public and students, there remains a significant opportunity to deepen engagement with other actors in the education sector. We believe that increasing collaboration with grassroots organizations, as well as current and upcoming student-led initiatives, would not only amplify TFM’s impact but also lead to more efficient use of resources and reduce duplication of efforts.

Another key recommendation that we can offer is that TFM together with its major partners and possibly in collaboration with the government to consider forming a united coalition or body. This centralized platform could help align efforts across the sector, streamline initiatives, and drive greater collective impact.

Lastly, it is crucial to increase the visibility of TFM’s programs, partnerships, and impact beyond traditional media by building a strong and engaging presence across digital and social platforms. This would not only raise awareness but also attract new partners, funders and supporters, especially among the younger generation.

To conclude, our findings offer a snapshot of a much larger and more complex ecosystem. TFM has already made a tremendous impact by transforming the lives of thousands of students. Moving forward, deeper collaboration, stronger grassroots engagement, and wider visibility will help unlock even greater potential across the education landscape.

Personal Reflections

Before I sign off, I would like to sincerely thank my teammates (Suhani Reddy , Jian Shin Liew, Edmund Lian Chuan Gan, Anton Pimonovs , Yashasvi Sinha and Hayden Donald) and both of my mentors from TFM (Nadhirah Syalin Koh) and Monash University (Dr.Ho Kok Hoe). Without their unwavering support and dedication, completing this research within such an extremely tight timeframe would not have been possible.

I hope our research project serves as a strong foundation for future studies at TFM and contributes to more informed strategic decisions—ultimately benefiting the students and families of Malaysia.

Reference / Further Reading

Faek, R. (2023, October 6). Education in Malaysia. WENR. https://wenr.wes.org/2023/01/education-in-malaysia-2 https://teachformalaysia.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/TFM_logo_red.png