Orang Asli left out of education policymaking, says think tank

 IDEAS says this leads to the formulation of education programmes that fail to meet their needs, which are dissimilar to those of other communities.

In 2022, it was reported that over 10% of Orang Asli children dropped out of school due to logistical issues, family problems and negative attitudes towards education.

KUALA LUMPUR:

 The Orang Asli tend to be excluded from education policy decision-making processes, leading to the formulation of plans and programmes that fail to meet their needs, according to a report by a think tank.

The Institute for Democracy and Economic Affairs (IDEAS) said policymakers needed to engage meaningfully with the Orang Asli community in the process of drafting policies.

This is because Orang Asli children grappled with unique educational challenges that their fellow Malaysians might not face, including poverty, cultural misunderstandings and no access to clean water, it said.

“The voices of Orang Asli communities need to be amplified for more inclusive and effective educational policies and practices to be implemented,” IDEAS said in its report entitled “Voices from the Ground: Towards Strength-Based and Culturally Responsive Education for Orang Asli Children”.

In 2022, it was reported that over 10% of Orang Asli children dropped out of school due to logistical issues, family problems and negative attitudes towards education.

There have also been testimonials from Orang Asli students about racial bullying that they face from other students. They said complaints to teachers often did not result in any action, leading some of them to quit before they could complete their secondary education.

IDEAS said educational programmes for the Orang Asli should incorporate indigenous pedagogies and adopt culturally responsive approaches.

It also said it was important to forge greater trust between the community and government agencies, especially the Orang Asli development department (Jakoa).

The think tank called for stronger multi-stakeholder partnerships between schools, Jakoa and the Orang Asli community to ensure sustainable and impactful educational interventions could be introduced.

“Policymakers and implementers must address systemic issues, tackling the root causes of educational disparities,” it said.

It added that these education interventions must be culturally sensitive and community-driven to ensure their effectiveness while respecting Orang Asli identities and contexts.

In 2022, former senator Isa Abdul Hamid, an Orang Asli, said existing Orang Asli education programmes were not being monitored and evaluated regularly, which meant that they failed to effectively resolve the community’s issues.

Isa said robust monitoring and assessments were essential to gauge the effectiveness of programmes and allow for adjustments to be made to better meet the evolving educational needs of Orang Asli students.

In August last year, the education ministry said it would establish 11 more comprehensive special model 9 schools, also known as K9 schools, to tackle school dropout rates among students in the interiors, including the Orang Asli. - FMT