‘No need for school as the jungle has all the resources’

KUALA PILAH: “What was the point of you studying till university if all you want to do is stay in the kampung? Might as well not go anywhere.”

These words are still ringing in the ears of Majid Suhut (pic), 57, who was made fun of by his kinsmen and neighbours when he decided to return to his village at Kampung Orang Asli Guntur in

Batu Kikir, about 12km from here, after withdrawing from his computer science course at the then Universiti Pertanian Malaysia (now Universiti Putra Malaysia) due to health reasons.

Majid was the first person in his village, mainly inhabited by the Temuan orang asli community, to go to university.

He was in his third year when he was forced to opt out, leaving him heartbroken as he wanted to set an example to his community on how important it was to have a good education.

After he returned to his village, he shrugged off the sarcasm aimed at him and did odd jobs to earn a living.

Interviewed recently at his home in Kampung Guntur, Majid said during the 1980s when he pursued his higher studies, it was tough to convince the orang asli to send their children to school as they believed that education was not essential for their survival “as the jungle had all the resources.”

“Most of them lived in interior areas and the lack of transport was one of the excuses they gave in not sending their children to school.

“I was lucky because I had the desire to study although I met with all kinds of challenges,” said Majid, who is the former president of the Peninsular Malaysia Orang Asli Association.

He said he was no longer dejected that he was unable to complete his tertiary education – five of his nine children are graduates.

Eldest daughter Suriani, 31, has a degree in pharmacy from Universiti Malaya; son Suhairi, 29, holds a business degree from Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM); daughter Suzarima, 27, has a degree in international economics from Universiti Malaysia Sarawak; and son Suhazri, 26, has a degree in environmental engineering from Universiti Malaysia Pahang.

His fifth son Suhaizi, 23, recently completed his course at the Ampuan Afzan Teachers' Training Institute while sixth daughter Suzaina, 22, is currently pursuing her medical studies at UiTM Sungai Buloh.

The three youngest children are Sufiza, 18, who is taking a matriculation course in Kuala Pilah; and Suhairizal, 16, and Suhazmi ,14, who are both studying in SM Sains Tuanku Jaafar, a fully residential school in Kuala Pilah.

Saying his children's qualifications were not something to rave about, Majid said he only wanted to drive home the point that the orang asli can also achieve academic excellence.

He said during his visits to several orang asli villages, he found that most of the people he met were not aware of the importance of education. Dr Norwaliza Abdul Wahab, a lecturer at Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris' Faculty of Human Development, said awareness on the importance of education was low among orang asli parents.

“They don't care if their children don't go to school because they feel it would be more useful to teach them skills to survive in the jungle.

“As far as these people are concerned, they can earn a living by selling the products they get from the jungle," she added.

A study she carried out in Kuantan in 2014 on the role of orang asli parents in guiding their children on education, Norwaliza found a low level of awareness. The study found that some parents sent their children to school merely to get aid, such as free meals, from the Department of Orang Asli Development.

“Most of the Orang Asli parents don't have education goals for their children. And, when the children go to secondary school, their low self-esteem prevents them from mingling with students of other races and they drop out of school eventually,” she said