Help jobless Orang Asli youths use their skills, govt told

 

Orang Asli youths find it difficult to attend school as they are 70km-100km from their homes. As such, many don’t have professional skills. (Bernama pic)

PETALING JAYA: The government needs to be more consistent in finding solutions to help Orang Asli youths in their economic development, especially during this Covid-19 pandemic, says the Orang Asli Network of Peninsular Malaysia.

Speaking at a webinar titled “Youth empowerment in times of Covid-19”, the movement’s youth chairman Mazerol Way Ah Lon said that due to the pandemic, Orang Asli youth were facing many economic challenges.

Mazerol said many of these youths had lost their jobs due to the pandemic. With limited employment opportunities, it was hard for them to look for jobs that specifically catered to their skills.

Even if they landed a job, they received really low wages, he added.

“The government should help these youths by conducting suitable courses using their specific labour skills.”

He said many Orang Asli youths lacked basic formal education and therefore had to depend on whatever basic skills they possessed.

“In order for them to go to school, they need to travel 70km-100km. The government should make it easier for them to get a proper education for them to venture into professional fields,” he said.

Mazerol added that the relevant agencies should facilitate access for Orang Asli youths to obtain grants or loans from the government for entrepreneurial projects.

He said the customary land and territories of the Orang Asli should also be recognised to enable them to carry out agricultural projects, without outside interference, and continue their livelihoods. - FMT