Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

The Development of Social Work Education in Malaysia

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
The Palgrave Handbook of Global Social Work Education

Abstract

This chapter examines the challenges faced by social work academia and profession in Malaysia. Social work was seen fit to produce the human resource that addresses social ills and lead to the creation of a caring society. As a developing nation, Malaysia is becoming more aware of the need to train professional social workers in order to enhance its citizens’ quality of life. In responding to this need, the social workers in Malaysia often face many challenges on how to apply their social work knowledge, skills, and values particularly when they have to intervene with their clients. Even though social work profession in Malaysia is developing positively, nevertheless there is no guideline of specific criteria being established for selection of social work undergraduates into Higher Education Institutions.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 299.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 379.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 379.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • ASEAN Social Work Consortium Kicks Off. (March 4, 2011). Retrieved from https://asean.org/asean-social-work-consortium-kicks-off/Jakarta.

  • Baba, I. (1992). An effort towards building a caring society. In K. S.Cho & M. S. Ismail (Eds.), Caring society: Emerging issues and future directions. ISIS: Kuala Lumpur.

    Google Scholar 

  • Baba, I. (2011). Kerja sosial di Malaysia: perkembangan, halatuju dan cabaran [Social work in Malaysia: Development, and challenges]. In E. Suharto & A. Azman (Eds.), Pendidikan dan praktik pekerjaan sosial di Indonesia dan Malaysia [Education and social work practice in Malaysia and Indonesia] Yogyakarta: Samudra Biru.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bodde, L., & Duke, J. (2009). Registration in New Zealand social work: The challenge of change. International Social Work, 52(6), 785–797.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Davis, A., Doling, J., & Zainal, K. (2000). Britain and Malaysia: The development of welfare policies. In J. Doling & R. Omar (Eds.), Social welfare East and West: Britain and Malaysia. Aldershot, UK: Ashgate.

    Google Scholar 

  • Department of Social Welfare. (n.d.). History of the department of social welfare Malaysia 50 Years 1946–1996.

    Google Scholar 

  • Doling, J., & Omar, R. (2000). Social welfare east and west: Britain and Malaysia. Aldershot, England: Ashgate.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fuziah, S. (2006). British colonial policy on social welfare in Malaya 1946–1957: Child welfare services (PhD thesis). University of Warwick, Coventry, United Kingdom. Retrieved from http://go.warwick.ac.uk/wrap/4113.

  • Fuziah, S., & Baba, I. (2013). Internationalization of social work education in Malaysia. In Internationalization of social work education in Asia. Joint International Joint Research Project. Social Work Research Institute Asian Center for Welfare in Society (ACWeIS), Japan College of Social Work, and Asian and Pacific Association for Social Work Education (APASWE). Retrieved from http://id.nii.ac.jp/1137/00000206/.

  • Hardiman, M., & Midgley, J. (1982). The social dimensions of development: Social policy and planning in the third world. New York: Wiley.

    Google Scholar 

  • Harper, T. N. (1991). The colonial inheritance: State and society in Malaya, 1945–1957 (PhD thesis). University of Cambridge, UK.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hodge, P. (1973). Social policy: An historical perspective as seen in colonial policy. Journal of Oriental Studies, XI(2), 207–219.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hugman, R. (1991). Power in caring profession. London: Macmillan Education.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Lee, P. N. (2011). Development of medical social work practice in Malaysia: A historical perspective (Master thesis). Universiti Sains Malaysia, Pulau Pinang, Malaysia.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ling, H. K. (2007). Indigenising social work: Research and practice in Sarawak. Petaling Jaya: Strategic Information and Research Development Centre.

    Google Scholar 

  • MacPherson, S. (1982). Social policy in the third world: The social dilemmas of underdevelopment. Sussex: Wheatsheaf.

    Google Scholar 

  • MacPherson, S., & Midgley, J. (1987). Comparative social policy and the third world. Sussex: Wheatsheaf.

    Google Scholar 

  • Malaysia National Archives. (1946). Malayan Union Secretariat 2247/46 Labour and social policy.

    Google Scholar 

  • Malaysia National Archives. (1950). Federal Secretariat 12857 Social welfare training school.

    Google Scholar 

  • Malaysian Population. (2019). Retrieved from http://www.worldpopulationreview.com.

  • Midgley, J. (1981). Professional imperialism: Social work in the third world. London: Heinemann.

    Google Scholar 

  • Midgley, J. (1984). Diffusion and the development of social policy: Evidence from the third world. Journal of Social Policy, 13(2), 167–184.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Midgley, J. (1990). International social work: Learning from the third world. Social Work, 35, 295–301.

    Google Scholar 

  • Midgley, J. (1997). Social welfare in global context. Thousand Oaks: Sage.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Proposed social workers act gets the govt’s nod. (2010, May 5). The Star, p. 6.

    Google Scholar 

  • Robertson, J. M. (1980). Problems related to practical training in social work. In P. Hodge (Ed.), Community problems and social work in South East Asia. Hong Kong: Hong Kong University.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rodney, W. (1972). How Europe underdeveloped Africa. Dar-es-Salaam: Tanzania.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sinnasamy, M. (2006). Human resource development on social work: A study of Malaysia (Working paper series, WP-2006-01-E). Nihon Fukushi University. Retrieved from http://www.n-fukushi.ac.jp/gp/coe/report/pdf/wp-kuno.pdf.

  • Social work can’t be for ‘just anyone’. (2010, September 19). New Straits Times, pp. 32.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sushama, P. C. (1992). The caring society: Institutional history and prospects. In K. S. Cho & M. S. Ismail (Eds.), Caring society: Emerging issues and future directions. ISIS: Kuala Lumpur.

    Google Scholar 

  • Teoh, A. H. (2014). Social work education in Malaysia: The past, present and future. In L. Q. S. Hee, R. Balan, D. Edward Kissey, & J. S. E. Lee (Eds.), A decade of achievement of voluntary welfare services in Sabah (2005–2014) (pp. 3–11). Kota Kinabalu, Sabah: Sabah Council of Social Services.

    Google Scholar 

  • The Straits Times, 22 September 2012, Singapore.

    Google Scholar 

  • Yasas, F. M. (1974). A report to the government of Malaysia on the establishment of a professional course in social work and community development training at the bachelor’s level at the Universiti Sains Malaysia, Pulau Pinang. In co-operation with United Nations Economic Commission for Asia and the Far East.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Applied Psychology, Social Work and Policy, College of Arts and Sciences, Universiti Utara Malaysia, Sintok, Malaysia

    Fuziah Shaffie & Teoh Ai Hua

  2. School of Social Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM), George Town, Malaysia

    Ismail Baba

Authors
  1. Fuziah Shaffie
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Teoh Ai Hua
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Ismail Baba
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Fuziah Shaffie .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi, Delhi, India

    Sajid S.M.

  2. Paul Baerwald School of Social Work and Social Welfare, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel

    Rajendra Baikady

  3. Department of Social Work, Shandong University, Shandong, China

    Cheng Sheng-Li

  4. Department of Social Welfare, Ryukoku University, Kyoto, Japan

    Haruhiko Sakaguchi

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2020 The Author(s)

About this chapter

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this chapter

Shaffie, F., Hua, T.A., Baba, I. (2020). The Development of Social Work Education in Malaysia. In: S.M., S., Baikady, R., Sheng-Li, C., Sakaguchi, H. (eds) The Palgrave Handbook of Global Social Work Education. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-39966-5_6

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-39966-5_6

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-030-39965-8

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-030-39966-5

  • eBook Packages: EducationEducation (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation