Father confirms girl who wrote letter to PM accepted back to school

 

A 10-year-old child who wrote a letter to Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim to be allowed to continue schooling has been accepted back to her school.

When contacted, R Shivaani’s father P Rajheswaran confirmed the matter to Malaysiakini.

“On Dec 28, the Negeri Sembilan Education Department (JPNS) asked us to go to its office.

“We were told Shivaani can return to school in the next school session. This is because the current school session is about to end in a month.

“So, I accepted the JPNS proposal,” he said.

Rajheswaran (above, right) said JPNS also promised to resolve the citizenship issue that his child is facing.

Earlier today, the Education Ministry issued a statement saying it was weighing several options on how to solve Shivaani’s plight, adding that JPNS held a meeting with the girl’s family on Dec 28 to discuss the matter.

“The session was held to find a solution to the problem so that the student can continue to go to school as usual.

“Several suggestions have been made regarding the student’s citizenship documentation requirement while JPNS is committed to assisting with her school registration.

“The meeting was held harmoniously and achieved a positive outcome,” read the statement.

On Dec 28, Malaysiakini reported on Shivaani’s letter to Anwar seeking his help so she could go to school again.

She was a student at Sekolah Kebangsaan Taman Sri Pagi in Senawang, Negeri Sembilan, studying from Standard One to Three.

Shivaani’s letter to the prime minister

However, the school informed the family in March last year (2023) that she could not continue to Standard Four due to citizenship documentation issues.

Documentation issues

According to Rajheswaran, 44, his daughter 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.

Meanwhile, United Social Welfare Organization President P Manivanan who handled Shivaani’s citizenship issue thanked the prime minister and the Education Ministry, while also issuing a reminder that there are many such cases out there.

“Shivaani’s case is only a small part of a very big problem and there are hundreds of similar cases out there that need to be solved,” he said. - Mkini