In the end, the Barnes Report's recommendations for English-medium "national schools" were implemented by the 1952 Education Ordinance,[1] over vocal Chinese protests, who were upset by the lack of provision for non-Malay vernacular schools.
Before the end of British rule in 1957, the educational system in Malaya was reorganised along the lines of the Barnes Report of 1951.
The British government wanted a policy that would be relevant to the political and socio-economic goals of the people, Malaya's three principal ethnic communities—Malays, Chinese and Indians.
The Barnes Report recommended a national school system, which would provide primary education for 6 years in Malay and English, hoping that over time, the demand for separate schools in Chinese and Tamil would wane and disappear.
While the community agreed with the basic recommendation that Malay be treated as the principal language, it felt that there should be some provision to recognise Chinese and Tamil as important components of a new definition of Malaya's national identity.