Citizens or not, let children learn

Education is a human right. Every single individual, especially children, has a right to an education. It should be provided without any discrimination.

It doesn’t matter if you are Malay, Chinese, or Indian, you should have a right to an education. Whether a child has an identification card or not, personally, I still think that he or she has a right to an education.

Recently, 10-year-old R Shivaani was denied entry into school because of citizenship issues. According to her father P Rajheswaran, she had been attending Sekolah Kebangsaan (SK) Taman Sri Pagi, Senawang from Standard One to Three, but was then told that she couldn’t continue to Standard Four.

Her citizenship issues stem from her parents’ unregistered marriage and also separation.

But after a letter to Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and a meeting with the state education department, Rajheswaran has confirmed that his daughter has since been allowed to continue her schooling.

This is great news and I wish Shivaani all the best in her schooling and future. I also hope that she gets her citizenship issues settled so she won’t face such problems anymore.

The ending for Shivaani’s tale might be a positive and happy one, but there are many out there whose education issues are still ongoing and with no solution nearing.

The Iskul issue

Another story that surfaced is the one surrounding Iskul Sama DiLaut Omadal, a community-run school on Omadal Island, Semporna in Sabah. The school has been providing lessons to the Bajau Laut community on the island.

However, several parties started objecting to Iskul’s operations and now their status is in limbo. Of course, most of the Bajau Laut community in that region are undocumented, hence there are problems when it comes to their children gaining access to formal education in the country.

This is exactly the community that Iskul has been reaching out to, and if I may add, has been doing a great job at.

Founded in 2015 by Chuah Ee Chia, Iskul has been providing education to the community consistently and progressively for eight years now and has been receiving all kinds of accolades.

Last year, they registered with the Registry of Societies (ROS) as Pusat Bimbingan Alternatif Omadal, Semporna. They have even managed to train their former students to act as teachers to teach newer students.

Iskul has released a joint statement along with the CSO Platform for Reform (Sabah Chapter) calling on the government to stay true to its commitments to the sustainable development goals that every child in Malaysia should never be left behind and have a right to education.

Contrary to misconception, Iskul was not formed with permission from the then JKKK of Omadal and the Semporna District Officer.

The Education Ministry has confirmed they have received an application from Iskiul to establish a private education institution under the alternative education centre category, otherwise known as Pusat Bimbingan Alternatif (PBA).

They will now gather information and discuss with other ministries and agencies to decide whether to allow Iskul to continue its operations.

Don’t deny their rights

The government needs to bear in mind the context of the Bajau Laut who have been living in the region for generations. If they have issues with documentation and citizenship, the responsibility lies with the government to solve it and grant them what they need.

Do realise that the Bajau Laut tribe has existed long before the establishment of the nation and the government.

If anything, innocent children should not suffer due to politics and administration. As and while the administration works things out (and this could take a long time unless it is expedited), the children need to have access to an education so they do not get left behind.

It doesn’t matter if they are Bajau Laut, migrants, or refugees, children should not be the ones suffering and we need to protect them and their rights.

If it is a matter of national security (which tends to be the most used argument when it comes to this issue), it makes it even more pressing to educate the children so that they won’t become susceptible and fall prey to negative influences.

They can even have the potential to become outstanding citizens and contribute to the betterment of the nation and society.

There have been many migrants and refugees who are successful global citizens and have contributed so much to the world such as physicist Albert Einstein, musician Bob Marley, politician Madeline Albright, entrepreneur Steve Jobs, human rights activist Malala Yousafzai, basketball player Giannis Antetokounmpo, and, probably the most famous migrant of all, Prophet Muhammad.

So let’s not deny our children their potential and future. - Mkini

---

ZAN AZLEE is a writer, documentary filmmaker, journalist, and academic. Visit fatbidin.com to view his work.

The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of MMKtT.