Slapping case Orang Asli kids get only 3 days at school

Despite the rusty-red mud path into Sekolah Kebangsaan Bihai and a playground that gets flooded every time it rains, schooling is a luxury for many Orang Asli children in Gua Musang, Kelantan.

Unlike villages in many other remote parts of the peninsula, where children must travel many kilometres on bumpy, laterite roads to school, the two three-storey SK Bihai buildings are located by the entrance to Kampung Tenrik, one of nine villages in Pos Bihai.

Pupils living in other villages, which can be several kilometres apart, are provided accommodation in two three-storey hostels located beside the school, which also comes with a pre-school.

But the exclusively Orang Asli school, which is located more than two hours away from the nearest town, Kuala Betis, on a four-wheel drive vehicle, has become the centre of attention after four non-Muslim pupils wereslapped by a teacher on Oct 23 for not reciting the doa after having their lunch.

When met at Kampung Tenrik, Arom Asir (right) - who is viewed by locals as their representative after the previous tok batin(village chief) died and no replacement has been appointed - said the education woes of children in the Pos Bihai villages amount to more than the slapping incident.

Arom said the pupils of SK Bihai, numbering around 200, are only taught for three days in a schooling week, which in Kelantan is from Sundays to Thursdays.

"The teachers only come in on Sunday and therefore cannot teach, so they teach from Monday to Wednesday, and by Thursday noon, they are already preparing to go back home. The students are asked to return to their hostels," he said.

Long travel back to town

Arom, who is SK Bihai Parent-Teachers Association deputy chairperson, explained that this was so because all 12 teachers in the school were outsiders and all made their lengthy journeys back to their respective hometowns in Kelantan during the weekend.

On top of the limited school days, Arom said, it was very frustrating for the parents to find, following the slapping incident, that their children have been given lessons on religion over other critical subjects.

None of the villagers in Kampung Tenrik, he stressed, are Muslims.
Relating the incident, Hassan Achoi, 34, the father of one of the girls who was slapped, said his daughter had ran out of the school in tears after the incident.

"They cried all the way home, and when we found out that the teacher had slapped our children, the villagers went to the school. I was angry, and there was a lot of shouting," Hassan said.

Another father, Atar Pedik (centre in photo), 38, said the teacher had since apologised over the incident but the villagers were still in the dark over what remedial action would be taken.

Chipping in, Arom said the villagers would still send their children to school when it reopens next month after the year-end holidays, but he hoped for a discussion on the matter, regardless of whether the teacher is transferred out or not.

"We want such irresponsible teachers to be moved out. We only want true educators, so that our children can become smart and go to university.

"But now, many of our Year Six pupils sent to the secondary school in town still cannot read and write. This causes the teachers there to say the Orang Asli are stupid, but the fact is that they are not properly taught here," he said.

Complaints 'fall on deaf ears'

Arom said that even during days when the teachers are around, they often do not go to the classrooms. The parents also do not receive any report card for their children.

He believes that "problematic teachers" who are sidelined are deployed to schools in the interior, such as Pos Bihai, as a result of which the children suffer.

"We have complained about the teaching being provided for only three days a week on many occasions, but the answer from the school is always that it will be looked into. But nothing happens," Arom said.

When contacted, Kelantan Education Department director Hussain Awang said he was not aware that the pupils were only being taught three days a week.

"Thus far, there has not been any complaint. If there is, the district education officer will investigate and only then will we get a report. But for now, we have not received any report," Hussain said.

He also denied that problematic teachers were deployed to schools in the interior areas.

"That is not true. We give the best teachers, not problematic ones. This (claim) is hurtful for teachers in the interior. The selection of teachers for the towns and interior areas is the same," Hussain said.

No transport, no school

Downhill in Pos Kuala Betis, Gua Musang, which is less remote and is about 30 minutes to Kuala Betis town by a four-wheel drive vehicle, the community is served by the SK Kuala Betis.

While there were fewer complaints involving SK Kuala Betis, the children there face a different challenge.

Every morning, vans from the Orang Asli Development Department (Jakoa) ferry the pupils to school, village by village, along Sungai Nenggiri, most of which are located only a few kilometres apart.

While this service is provided to villages such as Kampung Betis, Kampung Jias A, Kampung Jias B, Kampung Jias C and Kampung Langsat, villages further down the road, such as Kampung Guling, Kampung Kinjing and Kampung Depak, are not provided transportation.

"The vans stop at Kampung Langsat, but the fact is that Depak, Guling and Kinjing are not very far away.

"By right, they should provide the service for us as well," Awer Awie, 24, told Malaysiakini when met outside his home at Kampung Kinjing, a village that also does not have piped water or electricity.

"We have written to the Jakoa several times, but there has never been a response," he said.

He said that while SK Betis, about 20km away from his village, provides hostel facilities for pupils who live far away, the children are too young to be sent there to stay alone.

"The children are all only six or seven years old. There will be nobody to look after them if they are sent to live in the hostel," Awer said.

As a result, none of the children in these three villages, numbering more than 50, go to primary school at all.