KUALA LUMPUR – The government has been urged to allow Iskul Sama DiLaut Omadal in Sabah to continue operating as an alternative learning centre for stateless children.
In a statement, today, the Malaysian Human Rights Commission (Suhakam) opined that the continued operation of the learning centre reaffirms its commitment to the fundamental right to education for all and its role in humanising and developing individuals.
“Suhakam, alongside the Indonesian National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) and the Commission on Human Rights of the Philippines (CHRP), aligned with the tripartite MoU on Statelessness in Sabah had visited the centre on September 8, 2023.
“During this engagement, Suhakam has observed first-hand the significant impact of Iskul’s efforts in providing literacy training to the stateless children,” it said.
Recognising the vital role Iskul plays in addressing educational gaps for these stateless children, Suhakam’s office in Sabah convened a meeting in November to explore avenues of support for Iskul’s continued operations and its application to be registered as an alternative guidance centre (PBA).
“While Suhakam commends the establishment of Sekolah Bimbingan Jalinan Kasih (SBJK) which aims at providing access to equal education for all young people, including dropouts, street kids and undocumented children in Sabah, we hope Iskul will be allowed to continue its operations and in addition to this, we also hope the existing SBJK will be provided with proper facilities to ensure the children will receive quality and equitable inclusive education.”
Additionally Suhakam also called on the government for more concrete collaborative efforts between the Education Ministry, local community leaders, non-governmental organisations and other relevant stakeholders to address the educational needs of Pulau Omadal’s children, regardless of their background.
“(This is part of) the government’s commitment to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development that no child is left behind in the pursuit of quality education.
“Suhakam firmly believes that providing a safe space for children to access education will eventually promote lifelong learning opportunities and underscores the importance of due diligence and non-discrimination on access to education for all children in Malaysia.”
The commission added that it is ready to cooperate and assist the government to address this matter.
Suhakam’s response comes after the MoE had recently stated that operation approval for Iskul requires further discussions across ministries and relevant agencies as it is subject to government policy decisions.
In a statement on Tuesday, the ministry said it also considers the views of relevant agencies, including the National Security Council, Eastern Sabah Security Command, Royal Malaysia Police and the Immigration Department, before taking any further action.
On October 30, the Bajau Laut Education Association applied for the establishment of a private educational institution in the PBA category to the Sabah Education Department.
However, according to the ministry, Malaysia is not a party to the 1951 Refugee Convention or the 1967 Refugee Protocol under the United Nations, and the provision of PBAs is a humanitarian initiative by the government to provide education access to refugee children to prepare them for resettlement in a third country. – December 28, 2023
