He said the new education policy aims to ensure that all Malaysians have fair access to education.

“We need to correct the perception that this is a form of coercion. What we’re looking at is the creation of opportunities for every Malaysian to access education,” he said.

Zambry said detailed discussions on teaching Bahasa Melayu and History in independent schools have already begun at the education ministry, including initial talks with three key groups.

“The focus now is on accreditation and ensuring that students’ qualifications meet recognition requirements for university applications,” he said.

Zambry said further discussions are scheduled for next week.

The government would not rush its decisions or base them solely on individual opinions, but would follow a comprehensive consultation process before finalising anything, he said.

The new policy was announced by Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim last week. He said it applies to all schools, including independent Chinese-medium schools offering the Unified Examination Certificate.