Orang Asli pupils to get transport home every 2 weeks

The school from where 7 Orang Asli children went missing in August, located in Pos Tohoi, Gua Musang, Kelantan. Orang Asli children from such schools will now be given transport back to their homes to join their families every 2 weeks. – The Malaysian Insider file pic, October 14, 2015.The Orang Asli Development Department (Jakoa) will provide transportation service for Orang Asli pupils at 94 primary schools with hostels nationwide to enable them to return home every fortnight. 

Rural and Regional Development Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob said this was part of the improvement measures taken by the Jakoa in a bid to prevent Orang Asli pupils from leaving the hostels to return home without the knowledge of teachers.

"At present, there are 16,905 Orang Asli pupils staying in school hostels across the country. We have to understand that Orang Asli settlements differ from normal residential areas. They live in small groups, scattered and very far.

"Orang Asli children began staying in hostels from as young as seven and they only return home during long school holidays, but some of them may miss their families too much to the extent of deciding to return home on their own."

He said this to reporters after visiting the two Orang Asli girls who were found safe after being missing for 48 days in thick jungle in Pos Tohoi, at the Raja Perempuan Zainab II Hospital in Kota Baru today.

Also present was Jakoa director-general Datuk Hasnan Hassan.

Miksudiar Alui, 11, and Norieen Yaakob, 10, were found by the search and rescue team last Friday.

They were among the seven Orang Asli pupils from Sekolah Kebangsaan (SK) Tohoi who were reported to have escaped from the school's hostel on August 23, allegedly for fear of facing punishment after going for a swim in a river without permission.

Two other pupils, Sasa Sobrie, 8, and Ika Ayel, 9, were confirmed dead, while three others, Linda Rosli, 8, Haikal Yaakob, 8, and Juvina David, 7, were still unaccounted for.

Meanwhile, Ismail Sabri said the Jakoa would bear the cost of education for Miksudiar and Norieen up to the tertiary level.

The minister also rapped certain quarters for accusing the government for not taking serious action pertaining to the missing children.

"This is a baseless accusation because we had begun searching for the children since the very beginning, with many public and security agencies being asked to help in the search and rescue operation," he added.

Meanwhile, Deputy Education Minister P.Kamalanathan said the Education Ministry would investigate the allegation that there had been something wrong on the part of the teachers in the case involving the seven pupils.

He said the ministry would also probe into the allegation that the parents were not promptly notified about the disappearance of their children.

"The case is still under police investigation. We will not hesitate to take action if the allegations were found to be true," he told a press conference in Kuala Lumpur.

A news portal reported that the school was slow in notifying the parents on the disappearance of their children and that the parents only came to know about it from a security guard there and by word of mouth from other Orang Asli villagers. – Bernama