Groups alarmed by 10-year-old being denied entry to school

 

Muda has deemed as 'deeply troubling' a situation in which a young Malaysian girl had to resort to writing to Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim just to be allowed to attend school.

In a statement today, the youth-based political party lamented that despite constitutional guarantees, children are still being denied access to education due to citizenship documentation issues.

"The Federal Constitution unequivocally emphasises that every child has the right to education. Furthermore, it provides a timeline for citizenship application for children, extending until the age of 21.

"No child, irrespective of their documentation status, should be deprived of this fundamental right," said Muda.

It added that it was deeply troubling that a child such as Shivaani, who has the aspiration and right to education, is being denied this opportunity due to bureaucratic hurdles.

"Muda calls upon the Education Ministry to review its policies and ensure that they are in alignment with the principles enshrined in the Federal Constitution.

"We demand an immediate resolution for Shivaani and other children facing similar challenges. In a modern society, we must prioritise the welfare and future of our children.

"Discrimination based on documentation issues contradicts the very essence of our nation's values and aspirations. Muda remains committed to advocating for equal opportunities in education for all Malaysian children," it said.

‘Provide clarification’

Similarly, the Development of Human Resources for Rural Areas (DHRRA) Malaysia, an organisation dedicated to working with stateless children, expresses concern regarding Shivaani's case.

"The Malaysian parent has highlighted that the child faced barriers to education due to a policy within the Education Ministry.

"We urge the ministry to provide clarification on any new changes and whether stateless children born to Malaysian parents will be denied access to schooling.

"The alarming increase in the population of stateless children in Malaysia is attributed to a discriminatory nationality law," said the DHRRA.

It said this law prohibits Malaysian fathers from transmitting citizenship to their children born before a legal marriage.

"DHRRA's database indicates that a significant number of recorded stateless individuals are children born to Malaysian fathers who face challenges in obtaining citizenship.

"According to DHRRA’s database, over 8,223 recorded stateless persons are children born to Malaysian fathers and adopted children of Malaysians.

"We hope this innocent stateless child will not be targeted due to Malaysia’s discriminatory practices which unfairly denies children access to basic rights like education and healthcare," it said.

Shivaani's letter

Today, Malaysiakini highlighted Shivaani's letter to the prime minister after she was denied entry to school by the Education Ministry in March this year.

Shivaani was a student at Sekolah Kebangsaan Taman Sri Pagi in Senawang studying from Year One to Year Three. However, the school informed the family in March this year that Shivaani could not continue to Year Four due to citizenship documentation issues.

According to P Rajheswaran, 44, who introduced himself as Shivaani's father, his daughter has always had a citizenship documentation problem.

"After I got married, I did not register at the National Registration Department. After my child was born in 2013, my wife separated from me.

"When I tried to get a birth certificate, the NRD said my child could not be granted citizenship status because there was no information on the mother and father.

"My name also could not be entered as the father because our marriage was not registered. So, I took the child's birth certificate with only the mother's name written on it," he said.

He said he suffered a stroke four years ago, making it difficult to leave the house to settle the citizenship issue.

In May, Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail told the Dewan Rakyat that the use of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) test results cannot be used as conclusive evidence to grant Malaysian citizenship.

He said it could only be used as supporting evidence to confirm blood relationships between an individual and other family members, particularly between children, their mother or father, or siblings.

Saiduffin added that an individual’s citizenship was determined by the marriage status of one’s biological parents.

Malaysiakini is trying to contact Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek for comment on the matter.