Man’s fight for daughter’s school admission ends
KUCHING: After a prolonged struggle to enrol his daughter into SJK Chung Hua No. 2 due to bureaucratic issues, Henry Kung’s ordeal has finally come to a happy conclusion.
Thanks to the intervention of Minister of Women, Childhood and Community Wellbeing Development Dato Sri Fatimah Abdullah, Kung’s daughter will begin school this Friday.
Following a two-hour meeting convened by Fatimah with relevant departments, including the National Registration Department Sarawak (JPNS) and Sarawak Education Department, it was confirmed the child’s citizenship certificate had been despatched from Putrajaya to the JPNS director on March 18.
Fatimah assured that once the certificate was received, the approval letter for the child’s school enrolment would be promptly processed.
The parents would be able to collect the letter from the Education Department in Kuching tomorrow afternoon, enabling their daughter to commence school the following day.
Fatimah shared the positive outcome of the discussion, expressing her commitment to ensuring every child has access to education – as education is a fundamental right for all children.
She empathised with the anxiety faced by Kung and his wife Annie over their daughter’s admission uncertainties, and emphasised the importance of timely enrolment.
Prompted by their plight in the news published recently, the minister swiftly took action and emphasised: “Every single day a child doesn’t attend school, the child loses something.”
Kung, who diligently pursued citizenship approval for his daughter since May 10, 2023, expressed relief alongside his wife upon hearing the news during the meeting.
The couple’s perseverance, despite bureaucratic obstacles, ultimately paid off with the timely resolution facilitated by Fatimah.
Also present at the meeting were Fatimah’s deputy minister Datuk Rosey Yunus, her ministry’s acting permanent secretary Colliner Gohe, JPNS director Mahathir Bujang, Sarawak Education Department School Management assistant director Norzilawati MD Tajudin, and lawyer Dominique Ng.
Kung and his wife expressed their gratitude for Fatimah’s intervention and voiced their appreciation for the support and facilitation provided to expedite their daughter’s admission process.
His journey to secure his daughter’s enrolment had been marked by challenges, including the disappearance of submitted documents and administrative lapses, but despite the setbacks he remained resolute and ensured compliance with all requirements – only seeking assistance when necessary.
Despite their initial aim to enrol her for the orientation session when schools reopened on March 11, the Kungs are grateful that their daughter will be able to attend the last day of orientation this Friday before actual lessons begin on March 25.
This opportunity to participate in orientation will provide their daughter with a valuable introduction to the school environment and help her acclimate before diving into regular coursework.
The Kungs see this as a silver lining in their prolonged struggle, emphasising the importance of familiarising their daughter with the school system despite the administrative delays they faced.