Ministry of Education (MoE) helps provide education for foreign and stateless children
ACCORDING to Section 5 of the Education Act 1996 (Act 550), children must be Malaysians to enroll in government schools or government-aided schools in Malaysia. The Section does not explicitly say that non-Malaysian children can be accepted into government or governmentaided schools.
In order to make room for nonMalaysian children and children without identification documents to receive education, the MoE Daily School Management Division deputy director Pesol Md Saad said four categories of children, who are nonMalaysians, can go to schools in Malaysia.
First, children whose parents are presently serving the various embassies in Malaysia; Second, children whose parents are not Malaysians but working for the government or possessing work permit to work in Malaysia; Third, children whose parents are permanent residents of Malaysia; and Fourth, children who are selected by the government through the signing of memorandum of understanding between Malaysia and their country of origin.
He explained that nonMalaysian children who are seeking to be admitted into schools are required to submit application form ‘Jadual Pertama P.U.A (275)’ along with a copy of the child’s birth certificate or identification document and the passports of the child and the parents.
If the parents are working in Malaysia, they are required to submit their work permit, ‘family permit’, employment-related documents, student permit issued by the Immigration Department and pay the tuition fee at the respective State Education Departments.
“If the parents of non-Malaysian children possess the work permit issued by the authorities but are presently not serving either the government or any other organisations, these children can still go to school in Malaysia.
“Their parents need to present two types of work permit, one is showing that their salary exceed RM10,000 and are on an employment contract of at least two years and the other shows salaries between RM5,000 and RM9,999 with an employment contract of at least two years. Parents who possess these two types of work permit are allowed to bring along their family members to Malaysia,” he told an interview in Kuala Lumpur on Wednesday.
Among those present were MoE Daily School Management Division assistant director Badrul Hisam Abdul Ghani and School Management Sector assistant director Dr Jafri Abu. Pesol pointed out that these children would also be allowed
to enroll in
government and governmentaided schools in Malaysia:
1) non-Malaysian children being adopted by Malaysian parents or the father is Malaysian but the mother is non-Malaysian and the child was born without having complied with the marriage regulations in Malaysia.
2) Children without identification document but either one of their parents is Malaysian.
“Non-Malaysian children who are adopted by Malaysian parents are required to present the certificate of adoption issued by the National Registration Department (JPN), the child custody order by the court and the letter of confirmation by the Social Welfare Department.
“As for children who were born to parents who did not comply with the marriage regulations in Malaysia, their parents are required to present the certificate of adoption issued by JPN, the child custody order by the court and the letter of confirmation by the Social Welfare Department, or they can approach their respective elected representatives, community leaders or heads of villages to issue the letter of acknowledgement,” he said.
Children who are without identification document but one of the parents is Malaysian are expected to present the Malaysian parent’s identification document as well as the letter of acknowledgement from their respective elected representatives, community leaders or heads of villages.
A two-year grace period for application and proof of the children’s identity
Pesol reminded parents, family members and guardians of the grace period of two years to apply for the essential document from the JPN and submit the necessary documents to prove the identity of their children.
A copy of all identification related documents and applications must be forwarded to the respective State Education Department for the purpose of records. If they fail to do so within the two-year grace period, their children will have to quit school.
Parents who intend to apply can visit the respective State Education Department offices and JPN to obtain the application form ‘Jadual Pertama P.U.A (275). Each child is to pay RM120 for primary school education and RM240 for secondary school education every year; these fees must be paid to the respective state Education Department’s finance divisions.
If the parents of non-Malaysian children possess the work permit issued by the authorities but are presently not serving either the government or any other organisations, these children can still go to school in Malaysia. — Pesol Md Saad, MoE Daily School Management Division deputy director