Dawn of hope for stateless children
Children without M’sian citizenship can enrol up to secondary schools in the future by producing their birth certs
We will also allow them to sit for public examinations such as Ujian Pencapaian Sekolah Rendah (UPSR) and Sijil Tinggi Persekolahan Malaysia (STPM).
KUCHING: Stateless children in the country will now have the opportunity to be enrolled in the national schools beginning the new school year next January.
Deputy Minister of Education Teo Nie Ching disclosed this at a press conference after the opening ceremony of the SMJK Kuching High’s Gate of Alumni here yesterday.
“The different kind of documents required had presented a great challenge in enrolling stateless chi ldren into the count ry education system.
“As a result, the ministry sought to simplify the registration process for these children so that they can enrol into the national schools and receive education.”
She s a id wit h t he new development, stateless children will now be able to be enrolled up to secondary schools in the future by merely producing their birth certificates even if they have not been granted citizenship.
“We will also allow them to sit for public examinations such as Ujian Pencapaian Sekolah Rendah ( UPSR) and Sijil Tinggi Persekolahan Malaysia (STPM),” she added.
In cases where the children were adopted or have no birth certificates, she said that court orders or certificates of adoption can be produced when they enrol in the national schools.
“By producing one of the three documents namely birth certi ficates, court orders or certificates of adoption, it will be enough for the stateless children to be enrolled into the national schools.
“If the children really do not have any kind of document, then they need the authentication from the village head or the people’s representatives.
“However, the stateless children without any documents will need to furnish the required documents within two years as the parents are encouraged to take necessary steps for the sake of their children’s education.
“You cannot live in Malaysia without any kind of documents and parents should take the initiatives to furnish the required documents within two years,” she said.
She also disclosed at the press conference that there were 300,000 stateless children in the country below the age of 18 based on the statistics given by the then Home Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi two years ago.
According to her, the main reason there were many stateless children in the country was because the parents did not register their marriages before the children were born.
Meanwhi le, when asked to comment on Teo’s announcement Minister of Welfare, Community Well Being, Women, Family and Childhood Development Dato Sri Fatimah Abdullah said it is not good enough to permit stateless children to enrol in government schools while expecting them to acquire the official document in two years.
She added that these children would still drop out in the event that the federal government did not grant the official document within the stipulated period.
“Unless there is an assurance for cit izenship application under Article 15A of the Federal Constitution by the Home Ministry within two years, these children will still be denied of their basic rights to education.”
Fatimah said the deputy minister ‘must understand the predicament faced by Sarawakian students who could not attend school or drop out from school’.
Ac cordi ng to t he Da lat a s s emb l ywom a n , m a ny Sarawakian children did not even possess birth certificates while some had the birth certificate but their ‘citizenship had not been determined’.
She said there were even cases where the children were categorised as ‘ not citizens’ although their fathers are Malaysian citizens.
Those under the ‘ not citizens’ category are those born out of wedlock and their mothers foreigners, and hence the children assume the citizenship of their mothers, Fatimah said.
She added that poverty was another factor that caused many stateless children in Sarawak not being able to go to school or drop out of school.
She asserted that the Education Ministry should col laborate with the Home Ministry and strategically work together with Sarawak to address the issue.
“My ministry and the Sarawak Education Department and National Registration Department have done our best but the decision and policy are done at federal level.
“The ball so to speak is at their feet,” said Fatimah.
Teo Nie Ching, Deputy Minister of Education