The Education Ministry will discuss with other ministries and relevant agencies whether to allow Iskul Sama Dilaut Omadal - a community-run school on Omadal island, Semporna in Sabah - to continue its operations.
This comes following a polemic that surfaced over the school's existence, which had received objections from certain quarters.
In a statement, the ministry said it has received an application from the Bajau Laut Education Association (Iskul) to establish a private education institution under the alternative education centre category, otherwise known as Pusat Bimbingan Alternatif (PBA).
"PBA is a humanitarian initiative by the government to provide education to children of refugees, to prepare them before they are sent to a third country.
"Establishing PBA is subject to government guidelines, which consider aspects such as compliance with our laws in regard to refugees as per the National Security Council's Directive Number 23, and our national security.
"Thus, the ministry will consider feedback from other ministries and agencies before taking any further action on this case, whether to allow Iskul Sama Dilaut Omadal's operations, which is subject to the government policy decision," read the statement.
Among the agencies that the ministry is engaging on the matter include the National Security Council, Eastern Sabah Security Command (Esscom), police and the Immigration Department.
According to the ministry, they are also considering another alternative for the school, which is to register it as a Sekolah Bimbingan Jalinan Kasih (SBJK).
SBJK is a programme under the Education Ministry that provides formal education to children who are homeless, undocumented, or orphans who live under the care of registered shelters, among others.
Yesterday, the CSO Platform for Reform (Sabah Chapter) and Iskul Sama Dilaut Omadal issued a joint statement urging the government to make good its commitment to providing education for all children.
They urged Putrajaya to protect and support alternative education space for children following a Facebook post that surfaced recently objecting to the establishment of the community school.
Iskul was founded in Aug 2015 and serves 150 stateless households in Omadal, by providing basic education and meals to children and access to basic healthcare to the community. - Mkini
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