KUCHING: The government should change the education guidelines and requirements to enable stateless children to attend school, said Dayak Iban Association (SADIA) Rajang branch chairman Bill Jugah.
The association recently uploaded a special form on its portal for undocumented children to receive formal education. The form has been downloaded more than 250 times since Jan 25.
“We will pressure the relevant authorities to accept the form as no one should be denied the right to education,” said Bill.
Meanwhile, Welfare, Community Wellbeing, Women, Family and Childhood Development Minister Datuk Seri Fatimah Abdullah said there was still no response to a letter written to the Minister of Education to allow stateless children to go to school.
She said the issue of statelessness should not be a reason to prevent children from receiving formal education.
“The former Education Minister allowed stateless children to attend school under special arrangements,” Fatimah told New Sarawak Tribune on Friday (Feb 4).
“The ‘Education for All’ policy is no longer applicable under the current government. That is why we are appealing to the present minister to let these children receive formal education.”
According to Fatimah, the school authorities would not be able to accept these children until the Minister of Education changed his policy and consequently the director-general of the ministry issued a new circular schools.
“Children who are not legally documented may attend private schools but how many parents can afford the pay.
“As long as these children are denied their basic right to education, their future is bleak,” she said.
