THE United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (Unesco) is concerned that laws and policies in certain countries are failing migrant and refugee children. Malaysia is one such country. The New Straits Times quoted Unesco on Wednesday as saying Malaysia was “slow in inclusive learning”.
Unesco’s Global Education Monitoring Report 2019, titled Migration, displacement and education: Building bridges, not walls, has one clear message: “Investing in the education of those on the move is the difference between laying a path to frustration and unrest, and laying a path to cohesion and peace.” We agree. As one of the 193 UN member states that signed the New York Declaration for Refugees and Migrants in September 2016 that calls on signatories to strengthen responsibility sharing mechanisms, Malaysia needs to do more. We may want to pay heed to the wise words of UN secretary-general António Guterres: “Education is a human right and a transformational force for poverty eradication, sustainability and peace. People on the move, whether for work or education, and whether voluntarily or forced, do not leave their right to education behind.”
The UN High Commissioner for Refugees’ (UNHCR) statistics show the size of work needed to be done by Malaysia. Up until the end of October, there were about 162,430 refugees and asylum seekers registered with UNHCR in Malaysia. Myanmar, a nation which stands accused of genocide by the international community, has contributed the highest number of migrants and displaced people: 140,760. Of this, 80,010 are Rohingya, 27,860 Chins, 9,810 Myanmar Muslims, 4,020 Rakhines and Arakanese, and other ethnicities. Malaysia is also home to 21,670 refugees and asylum seekers from other countries, including 5,880 Pakistanis, 2,970 Yemenis, 2,920 Somalis, 2,880 Syrians, 1,810 Sri Lankans, 1,730 Afghans, 1,480 Iraqis, 790 Palestinians, and others. Of this, some 43,180 children are below 18.
UNHCR data indicate that only 11,000 children have access to 133 learning centres in Malaysia. As Unesco has urged, Malaysia must join countries like Chad, Uganda, Lebanon and Turkey, which have introduced drastic changes to make education more inclusive.
Recent though these bold steps may be, they have brought migrants and refugees into the national education system. Others have opted for a parallel education. But, in the experience of Unesco, the parallel route is not without problems. Qualified teachers are hard to come by and certification of examinations is an issue. Another path open to Malaysia is the road taken by countries such as Canada, Finland, Sweden, Ireland and New Zealand, where multiculturalism form part of the countries’ curricula.
South Africa’s model, too, is an interesting one: it passed laws guaranteeing the right to education for all children irrespective of legal status. This has prevented overzealous government and school gatekeepers from denying access to schools.
The slow pace in making learning inclusive for migrant children may be due to policy constraints faced by Malaysia. Or resource limitations even. But whatever the issue, education is a universal right. Migrants and refugees leave their troubled homes looking for dignity, safety and a better future. As a host, Malaysia must help these young children find them. Otherwise we will add to the four million refugee children out of school in the world.