THESE ESSAYS INFORM US OF THE EDUCATIONAL status and the knowledge focus of the Malays before the advent of colonialism and the struggle they faced after being colonised by Western powers which in the Malay world meant the Portuguese, the Dutch and the English. It became more crucial when these powers stayed for a long period of several hundred years and began to establish their own English or Dutch schools, commercial companies and also the civil service to serve their governments. During the earlier period of colonisation, th struggle took the form of arm struggle between the local chiefs and the colonial forces. But the exile of those who fought with arms or physical force and the colonisers' physical superiority forced the Malays to abandon their struggle. With the introduction of Western education, initially by the Christian missionaries, their schools were looked upon suspiciously by the indigenous Malays who were Muslims and consequently avoided them for fear of being converted to Christianity. These English or Dutch schools posed a threat to the existing pondok or pesantren. Although the Malays shunned these Western schools ultimately many were obliged to send their children since every governmental and commercial enterprise gave priority to graduates of these schools