In primary school, classes are held in the student's native tongue, which may be Malaysian, Chinese, or Indian. In public middle school, classes are taught in Malay, and textbooks are also in Malay.
小學以母語（包括馬來語、華語、印度語）教學，到了公立中學，則上課講馬來語，課本用馬來文；華人子弟如要接受母語教育，可以念私辦的獨立中學。