THE Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (Suhakam) expressed concern that many Orang Asli children remain illiterate as they have no access to schools near their homes.
“The Commission, through its active engagement with the Orang Asli community over the years, has found that many Orang Asli children have no possibility of attending primary school because there were no primary schools or teachers where they lived,” said Suhakam acting chairman Datuk Dr Khaw Lake Tee in a statement.
She said although education was formally recognised as a human right and Malaysia was party to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), Orang Asli children continued to be deprived of access to quality education that was relevant and responsive to their specific cultural context and needs.
In most villages, she said, the nearest functioning school was several hours away.
“In this regard, the Commission regrets the decision of the Ministry of Education to close a number of primary schools in a few Orang Asli villages seemingly, because they were not economically feasible.
“Those schools were built within a close range of several nearby villages so as to ensure that the young children would not have to be physically removed from their families and their communities and placed in residential schools,” she added.
She said the Education Ministry should immediately allocate education resources to ensure that underserved populations, such as the Orang Asli children, had equal access to education.
“This includes erecting additional nearby schools and assigning additional teachers who are able to appreciate, understand and respect the Orang Asli culture and beliefs,” she added.
She said Suhakam continued to receive complaints of teachers who abuse, bully and/or mistreat Orang Asli children in their care.
“The Commission stands firm that discipline among children must be administered in a manner consistent with both the child’s dignity and the right to protection from all forms of violence.”
As such, she said the School Inspectorate and Quality Assurance Division of the ministry that monitored the implementation of curriculum and ensured the quality of teaching and learning, should explain its findings.
“The Orang Asli have cultures that are in many ways distinct from those of other Malaysian races and cultures, and this has implications in education policies. Therefore, education policies affecting the Orang Asli children must adapt to and be in line with their culture and beliefs, with Orang Asli community members being involved in the planning of all policies,” Dr Khaw said.
She said schools, including residential schools had an obligation to be sensitive to the communities they serve, to care for and protect the children entrusted to them, and to be accountable to the local community they serve.
She reiterated that the right of every child to education on the basis of equal opportunity and without discrimination on any ground must be fully respected.
“In achieving this goal, as well as those of the 2030 UN Sustainable Development Goals, the Ministry of Education must ensure that education must be available, accessible and inclusive of all children so as to ensure that all children in Malaysia have an equal start in life.”