Dropout Prevention Initiatives for Malaysian Indigenous Orang Asli Children

The International Journal on School Disaffection © Trentham Books 201142

DropoutPreventionInitiatives forMalaysianIndigenousOrang AsliChildrenProfessor Dr. Sharifah Md Nor, Associate ProfessorDr. Samsilah Roslan, Department of FoundationEducational Studies University Putra Malaysia;Aminuddin Mohamed, Dr. Kamaruddin Hj. AbuHassan, Dr. Mohamad Azhar Mat Ali, and JaimahAbdul Manaf, Institute of Teacher EducationMalaysia

Abstract

This paper discusses dropout prevention initiatives bythe Malaysian government for the disadvantagedindigenous Orang Asli people in the rural villages ofPeninsular Malaysia. The roles of the Ministry ofEducation (MOE) as well as the Institutes of TeacherEducation (ITEs) are highlighted pertaining to effortsat improving the quality of education for elementaryschool Orang Asli children. The out-reach programsand in-service courses for teachers in Orang AsliSchools are highlighted. Challenges faced in theimplementation of these initiatives are also discussed.

Key words: Dropout Prevention, ElementaryEducation, Orang Asli, Out-Reach Programs

Introduction

‘There is nothing so unequal as the equal treatment ofunequal people’. These words of wisdom by ThomasJefferson are very relevant regarding education ofdisadvantaged children in general. Often, attempts atreducing inequalities and facilitating social integrationin the society by most education system have not beenfully successful due to educational efforts andapproaches that are not sensitive to the needs of thesechildren. This is especially true in regards to theeducation of the Orang Asli children. They havespecific needs that requires due consideration if weare serious in resolving their educational problems.

This paper looks at the educational experience ofOrang Asli children in Malaysia, where there isconcern about their drop out from school. In 2008,only 30 per cent of Orang Asli students managed tocomplete their secondary education (JHEOA 2008).This is in contrast to the national figure of 71.7 percent (Ministry of Education (MOE), 2007). Many of theOrang Asli students drop out of school at the end ofgrade six and before sitting for the MalaysianCertificate of Education Examination (SPM), taken atform five (grade eleven). For example, for the Year 2000cohort, Year 6 to 7 had the highest dropout rates, at47.23 per cent, followed by grade 7 to grade 9 (23.26%)and grade 9 to grade 11(24.27%) (JHEOA 2008).

It seems that the public examinations are scaring theOrang Asli students out of school. It is probable thatthey feel academically unprepared for theseexaminations and that dropping out, staying homeand/or looking for jobs are the more appealing andless stressful alternatives. Other reasons for droppingout often cited by their teachers are their lack ofinterest in schooling, low academic achievement, poormemory, high absenteeism, lack of parentalinvolvement, poverty and transportation issues.Hence, intervention initiatives at the elementary levelis crucial for the Orang Asli children to be wellprepared with the skills necessary for higher levels ofeducation. Needless to say that the problemsexperienced do not exclusively rise from studentfactors but also from the delivery system, involvingteachers and others responsible for the education andwelfare of these children.

In 2001, a group of educators from the MalaysianMinistry of Education (MOE) and Teacher TrainingColleges visited a remote native village in Sarawakcalled Pensiangan Salinatan. They were impressed andtouched by the positive attitudes of the teachers in thevillage school despite the dire state of the school interms of physical structure and facilities, and the poorworking conditions of the teachers. They vowed thatsomething should be done to improve the quality ofeducation for all children, especially those with needsand special attention in remote villages. Additionally,they saw the real need to enhance the professionalismof teachers in the village schools.

Various parties are now expanding serious efforts inproviding equality in educational opportunities forthese disadvantaged children, namely the MOE andthe Institutes of Teacher Education (ITEs). Theseinitiatives however, need to be critically appraised inorder that they are effectively executed and yield theintended results.

This paper aims to discuss the Malaysian dropoutprevention initiatives by the MOE and the ITEs, inhelping to enhance the education of the Orang Aslichildren specifically at the elementary level, and tocritically appraise the results of the efforts and thechallenges faced in the process. The quest foreducation for all makes it an important endeavor, eventhough the Orang Asli makes up a small fraction of thegeneral population. While initiatives for thebetterment of education for the indigenous population

are nationwide, which include programs for thePenans of Sarawak as well as the indigenouscommunity of Sabah, this paper will only focus oninitiatives for the Orang Asli in Peninsular Malaysia.

About Orang Asli The Orang Asli is the indigenous minority ofPeninsular Malaysia. ‘Orang Asli’ is a Malay termwhich means ‘original peoples’ or ‘first peoples’. Over30 per cent of the Orang Asli still live in isolated areas,with minimal infrastructure and basic amenities. TheOrang Asli comprises at least nineteen culturally andlinguistically distinct groups. According to the recordsfrom the Department of Orang Asli Affairs (JHEOA), in2008 there was a total of 141,230 Orang Asli or 0.05 percent of the national population of 28.3 million.Approximately 50.09 per cent of them are categorisedas poor, out of which 32.34 per cent are hard corepoor. The national figures are 6.4 and 1.4 per centrespectively (JHEOA 2008). Additionally 49.2 per centof Orang Asli (national 11.1%) are illiterate.

These combinations of poverty, lack of educationamongst parents and lack of infrastructure are factorsthat lead to poor school attendance and dropoutproblems. It is recorded that their villages lack goodand accessible roads; means of transport to schoolsare poor and usually unsafe, while boat rides areexpensive. There are some Orang Asli children whoattend physically well-endowed schools, which arelocated in less remote areas. Still, this fact does not

The International Journal on School Disaffection © Trentham Books 2011 43

Orang AsliHouse

guarantee the Orang Asli’s children full attendance toschool. An elementary school teacher lamented:

You see, this school is beautiful with ample facilities,but our students are more interested to stay home;when they go home for the holidays they stay homeindefinitely.

It is interesting to note that our research pertaining tonative children residing in an island in Sarawak (EastMalaysia) revealed that unlike in Peninsular Malaysia,the children on the island prefer to go to schoolbecause it provides them with space and facilities foractivities. Compounds of their homes are usuallywater-logged and are not suitable for activities. Thisshows that the pull factor of the school must bestronger than the pull factor of the home in order forchildren to be interested to go to school.

Education of the Orang Asli The Orang Asli’s primary school going children attendschools categorised as rural schools. There are nosecondary schools that specifically cater for the OrangAsli students, so the Orang Asli students wouldgenerally attend schools along side the mainstreamstudents in schools located outside their villages.

Education was the responsibility of the Department ofOrang Asli Affairs before 1995. The children went tovillage schools and were taught by field staffs from theDepartment of Orang Asli Affairs or by teachers who

were not formally trained, who mostly received lowlevel of education themselves. Students who passedtheir exams at the end of sixth grade could go toregular government secondary schools in nearby ruralor urban areas (Department of Orang Asli Affairs(JHEOA), 2009).

In 1995, the Department of Orang Asli Affairs handedover its educational program for the Orang Asli to theMOE. Although MYR 45.5 million was allocated todevelop the schools, there was still a shortage ofqualified teachers, mostly because qualified teachersare reluctant to teach in the Orang Asli schools. This isdue to the lack of facilities in these schools andbecause of the environment, which is not conducive tolearning. This scenario however is still prevalent insome of the Orang Asli schools today.

There is however, an increase in the number of OrangAsli children enrolled in schools. In 1994, the overallenrolment of Orang Asli children in primary schoolwas 13,200, and in 2009 the number doubled to 27,348.Similarly, the number of Orang Asli students insecondary schools had increased to 9,124 in 2009 from2,694 in1994, showing a fourfold increase (JHEOA,2009).

The increase in enrolment is impressive, but thedropout rate amongst the Orang Asli children, stillremain a great cause for concern. One of the mainreasons for the problem is the students’ pooracademic achievement. The Primary School


Orang AsliSchool

Achievement Test results (UPSR 2009) for Orang Aslichildren nationwide revealed that more than 60 percent did not achieve the minimum competency levelin the subjects tested, specifically for the EnglishLanguage, Mathematics and Science. The Malaylanguage (comprehension and writing) papers, too,showed 42 per cent to 53 per cent of the Orang Aslistudents did not achieve the minimum competencylevel.

The Secondary Certificate Examination taken at grade11 showed the same low achievement from the OrangAsli children. More than 70 per cent of the studentsdid not achieve the minimum competency levels inEnglish Language (90%), Mathematics (74%) andScience (83%). Even for the Malay language, which isthe language of instruction, 51 per cent did notachieve the minimum competency levels. For all thesesubjects students obtained grades D, E, and F(Education Planning and Research Division (EPRD),2009).

It seems that the Orang Asli children need to becompetent in not only one but two second languages(Malay and English languages) to survive in the localeducational system. This is quite a tall order for theseOrang Asli children who live in remote environment,challenged by poor school facilities and teachers whoare not familiar with their socio-cultural needs. Thecentralised educational system, common curriculumand examinations make the quest for equalisingeducational opportunities for this segment of ourpopulation a very challenging task indeed.

The Quest for Equality of Educational

Opportunities

The educational system’s role in determining theextent of equality of educational opportunity andinter-generational mobility is evidently crucial andbroadly recognised. Arrow et al. (2000) cited byPeragine V. and Serlenga L. (2007) commented that themeaning of equality of educational opportunitiesrange from:

‘ ... securing the absence of overt discriminationbased on race or gender to the far more ambitiousgoal of eliminating race, gender and class differencein educational outcomes,’ (p2-3).

Joseph Farrell (1993) cited in Rosekrans K. (2002) offersa four-level model of educational opportunity: (a)access/input, or equal probability of entering the

school system; (b) survival or equal probability ofcompleting a cycle of schooling, including primary,secondary or higher education; (c) output, or equalprobability of learning achievement; and (d) outcome,equal probability in life conditions such as income,status and power.

Thus, an analysis of the education system’s role indetermining equality of educational opportunitiesshould take into account both aspects of equality ofopportunity and access, as well as outcome ofeducation for students from different socio-economicbackgrounds. Although these goals areinsurmountable and difficult to achieve, specificallyfor Orang Asli students, efforts and initiatives need tobe undertaken towards this end.

The quest for equality of educational opportunity wasbeen given priority by the Malaysian government asearly as the Second Malaysia Plan (1971-1975).Recently, the Pelan Induk Pembangunan Pendidikan(PIPP), which is the master plan for the developmentof education in this country (2006-2010), alsohighlighted plans to improve the quality of educationfor Malaysia’s disadvantaged segments in the society.This is in line with the UNESCO’s Education for All(EFA) goals, which are among others, to expand earlychildhood care and education, to provide freecompulsory education for all, to promote learning andskills for young people and adults, increasing adultliteracy by 50 per cent and improving the quality ofeducation, especially in numeric, literacy and essentiallife skills.

While these goals have been satisfactorily achievedamongst the mainstream population, educationachievements of the disadvantaged populationespecially amongst the indigenous population are stilllagging far behind. Generally the dropout preventioninitiatives for the Orang Asli children focus on basicliteracy acquisition for elementary school children aswell as vocational programs for secondary schoolchildren.

Government Initiatives at EqualisingOpportunitiesTrue to the goal of achieving quality of education forall, the education for rural children is one of the mainfocuses of the Malaysian National Education MasterPlan 2006-2010. This plan has six strategic thrusts, oneof which is to redress the imbalance in educationbetween the urban and rural, between the rich and the


poor, between normal children and those with specialneeds. The digital divide is also addressed.

The former Minister of Education emphasised that,

‘The Ministry of Education will strive to redress theimbalance in education for every segment of thesociety. Due attention will be given to poor students,students in remote areas, Orang Asli students andstudents from other ethnic groups and students withspecial needs, in order to ensure that no segments ofthe society is deprived from taking part in thedevelopment of our country as envisioned by Vision2020.’ (New Year speech, 2006)

Financial Assistance for Poor StudentsA crucial element in ensuring the success ofeducational programs is funding. For the 8th MalaysiaPlan (2005-2009), the government allocatedapproximately MYR 6,770,826,300 to be distributeddirectly to poor children including the Orang Aslistudents, in the form of stipends, bursaries andscholarships, and to schools to support supplementaryfood programs, text book loan schemes, adult classesfor the Orang Asli children’s parents, tuition classesand the like.

This paper will now highlight initiatives by the MOE toenhance the education of the indigenous children orchildren of Orang Asli in Peninsular Malaysia.

Programs by Ministry of Education to Increase

Orang Asli Students’ Achievements and

Professional Development of their Teachers

In 2003, the Teacher Training Division of the Ministryof Education (BPG, MOE) launched the PensianganSalinatan program to improve the Orang Asli students’academic achievements. Named after the villagementioned above, the program aims to enhance theprofessional developments of Orang Asli schools’teachers and the achievement of their students. In thatyear too, schooling was made compulsory for allchildren at age six, which meant that more seriousefforts need to be expanded so that the Orang Aslichildren have access to quality education too.

These programs by the MOE encompass aspects whichaim to improving the basic facilities at remote schools,providing incentives in the form of hardship allowancefor their teachers and staff, enhancing the educationof their teachers, and providing out-reach programs to

facilitate the academic programs. Initiatives includethe supply of electricity, telephones, clean water forthe schools and housing for teachers. The BalikKampung’ (going home) allowances and specialallowances based on locations and the level ofhardship experienced in the villages were also given.

The Out-Reach Program and In-Service Courses

for Teachers in Orang Asli/Penan and Island

Schools

Initiatives to make learning meaningful andinteresting to indigenous students became the biggestchallenge to ITEs, that are directly responsible for thetraining of primary school teachers and theimplementation of programs for the Orang Aslicommunity. The in-service teacher educationprograms are directly geared to this end, whileelements relevant to rural teaching are incorporatedinto the courses offered to pre service teachers. AllITEs with the support of the relevant departments ofthe MOE, were involved with the planning andimplementation of the out-reach programs andteacher professional development courses. These out-reach programs were specifically geared to improvethe Orang Asli students’ skills in Reading, Writing andArithmetic (3Rs) and their teachers’ skills in teachingthem. This paper will now highlight the importantaspects of the initiatives.

The Pensiangan-Salinatan Model of RemoteSchools Teacher Professional DevelopmentProgram (PMPS) The objectives of PMPS are to increase remote schoolteachers’ knowledge in the subjects they teach,increase their skills in indigenous pedagogy, andenhance their personal development towardsexcellence. The training of these remote schoolteachers are facilitated by the adoption of OrangAsli/Penan schools by the ITEs. Each ITE isresponsible for monitoring and helping the schoolsimplement the out-reach programs. The in-serviceprogram for Orang Asli/Penan school teachers includeamong others; a short course organised by ITEs, a fourweeks course in special remedial programs for OrangAsli and Penan students, a 14-weeks course for OrangAsli/Penan teachers, effective pedagogy course forOrang Asli/Penan teachers and the training forprofessionalism development of Orang Asli schoolteachers. These courses are designed to help teacherscarry out the out-reach programs, namely the specialprograms for early intervention, The KIA 2M program,


Redefining Schooling Program (KAP) and the OrangAsli/Penan Adult Class Program (KEDAP). Details ofthese programs will be discussed later.

Apart from the above short courses, the Bachelor ofEducation Program is offered to increase the academicachievement of remote school teachers. These teachertrainees attend lectures during the school holidays inthe selected ITEs and are taught by the lectures fromthe ITEs. The program is carried out nationwide, incollaboration with Open University Malaysia (OUM).These teachers are required to teach in their ownschool after completing the program. The curriculumfor this program is designed to increase theirpedagogical skills, in the hope that they can apply theknowledge and skills in their future teachingdeliveries.

The Out-Reach Programs

Out-reach programs are programs that aim to improvethe Orang Asli students’ basic literacy skills andenhance their teachers’ skills in teaching them. Theseprograms are in line with meeting the NationalEducation Quality Result Areas (NQRAs) needs, whichspecifies that all students must be able to master the3Rs after three years of primary education by 2012.The programs discussed below are the EarlyIntervention Program (KIA 2M), the RedefiningSchooling Program, the Asli Penan Curriculum (KAP)and the Adult Education Classes program (KEDAP).

Reading and Writing Intervention Class (KIA 2M)ProgramIn 2005, the Reading and Writing Intervention Class(KIA 2M) program was introduced as an interventionprogram for the Orang Asli children who were not ableto read and write in the National Language (Malaylanguage). This program is now (early 2010) replacedby the more comprehensive LINUS program, whichincorporates basic numerical skills too. However, thispaper will continue to highlight the implementation ofthe KIA 2M program because there were not muchchanges done to the reading and writing componentof KIA 2M in LINUS.

In 2006, the ITEs were encouraged to adopt two OrangAsli schools each, to aid their teachers to carry out theKIA 2M program. All together the 27 ITEs adopted 54Orang Asli schools in Peninsular Malaysia andIndigenous schools in Sabah and Sarawak. In 2007, fiveschools were adopted by ITEs. Each ITE formed a

committee to coordinate the program. The DistrictEducation office and the JHEOA rendered theirassistance when needed.

The program was tailored to assist Grade One studentswho failed the screening test administered at entry(end of January). The KIA 2M program focuses onstudents who do not have the basic skills in readingand writing in the Malay language. The program wasincorporated into the Malay language, MusicEducation, Visual Arts and Physical Education classesfor the teachers to execute. Nineteen hours a week wasallotted to this program, with 12 hours of the Malaylanguage class, three hours of the Physical Educationclass and two hours in Music Education and VisualArts classes respectively. Two qualification tests werecarried out within 3-6 months of the program.Students who passed the first test can join themainstream students. Those who failed need to followthe program until they pass the second test. Thoseremained unable to acquire the basics are referred toremedial classes. It is hoped that at the end of theprogram the students will be able to grasp the basicskills of reading and writing and increase theirconfidence and interest in learning.

The ITEs were responsible for helping teachersimplement the program. Lecturers of ITEs facilitatedworkshops on pedagogical skills, team teach withschool teachers, coached teachers, provided Teachingand Learning (T&L) modules, held motivation andcounseling sessions with teachers and students, andcreated networking with parents and the local villagecommunity. The lecturers themselves, too, wereinvolved in teaching the students reading and writing.Parents were also involved in the program, where theywere given briefings regarding the program. The ITEsheld meetings with school teachers, children andparents involved in the program.

The techniques and approaches used in teaching the2Rs are based on the basic principals that offer thebest way to developing the learning of disadvantagedchildren. Research shows that all children can learn toread but not all children learn to read in the same wayor at the same pace (Ken Rowe, 2007). Research hasalso revealed that instructional technologies mostbeneficial for these children are those which addressthe individual learning style, provide active learningopportunities, promote collaborative learning,improve students’ attitudes, and engage students’interest (Schargel cited in Smith, J. and Schargel, P.,2004). Thus, the KIA 2M program’s goal is to make


learning fun, instilling elements of singing, playing,music and dancing in the teaching and learningprocess. Good moral values are also stressed in theT&L process.

The advantage of the indigenous pedagogy lies in theempowerment of teachers to develop their ownapproaches to T&L that is sensitive to the cultural,social and economic circumstances that color theirpupils’ learning styles. Some of the approachesteachers undertook included learning and using basiclocal native words, using materials from the students’environment, as well as incorporating native gamesand dance in the T&L process.

Evaluation of KIA 2M ProgramEach ITE did an evaluation of the KIA 2M program intheir respective adopted schools. While the findings ofthe evaluation generally revealed that the program hadsucceeded in increasing the number of students whocan read and write in Grade One, there are stillstudents who have not mastered the basic skills afterthe second and the third qualification test. The failurerate can be as high as 50 per cent in some schools.Lecturers involved in the program also lament on thetime consuming nature of the program due to the longjourney to the schools that needs to be undertaken foreach visit; the large number of pupils in the classroomand the level of understanding and commitment of theteachers and school administrators towards theprogram, while they (the lecturers) continue with theirduties as lecturers in their respective TeachingInstitutions.

A qualitative study by Mohd Kamal Mohd Ali (cited inChee Kim Mang, 2009) on how teachers cope withteaching in indigenous schools involved in the KIA 2Mprogram revealed that to make the programsuccessful, teachers need to have or do the following:1) having good rapport with their students and evenvisiting their homes, 2) having knowledge andunderstanding of the indigenous language and socialcultural background of the indigenous community, 3)use a lot of drills and practice as pupils tend to forgeteasily, 4) be highly committed and motivated to teachand 5) be able to handle the students’ behaviors.Teachers need to also think of incentives or rewards toencourage children to come to school. Above allteachers teaching in these schools need to be highlycreative and resilient with ample multiculturalcompetence.

The Integrated Curriculum for Orang Asli andPenan Schools (KAP)The Orang Asli’s children low achievement arereflected in their inability to acquire the basic skills inthe 3Rs and their low engagement to learning hadeducators thinking that probably the standardisednational curriculum is not suitable for them. In 2007,the Integrated Curriculum for Orang Asli and PenanSchools (KAP) deemed suitable for these children wasdeveloped and piloted in six Orang Asli schools inPeninsular Malaysia and Penan schools in Sarawak. In2008, it was extended to eight more Orang Asli schoolsin Peninsular Malaysia and six Penan schools inSarawak. The KAP is an important initiative to‘redefine schooling’ for the Orang Asli children.

The KAP was developed to increase the proficiency ofstudents in the 3Rs, based on the belief that acurriculum that takes into considerations their socio-cultural needs, experience and norms will attract themto go to school. The KAP is based on the principles ofthe national primary school curriculum (KBSR) but aremodified in its content and the T&L process to suit thesocio-cultural background of the Orang Asli children.

The aim of KAP is to develop knowledgeable OrangAsli children with good morals, and love for school andtheir socio-cultural heritage, and at the same timebeing able to integrate themselves with themainstream social milieu. Lecturers from ITEs visitedpilot schools to help teachers implement thecurriculum, specifically in terms of materials, teachingstrategies and to discuss modules with the teachersinvolved.

Three modules were developed for KAP, namely, ‘LetsGo to School’ module, Malay language andMathematics modules. All these modules use theMinimal Adequate Syllabus approach. This means thatthe level of the syllabus covered is lower compared tothat of the mainstream syllabus. While these moduleswere developed by a panel of experts comprising ofmembers from the Curriculum Development Centre,ITE lecturers and selected Orang Asli school teachers,the modules can be modified by school teachers tosuit their classroom situations. The ‘Lets Go to School’module contains units that guide teachers to planactivities and lessons, such as the interaction ofparents and children (unit 1); social skills (includingcleanliness) and communication (unit 2); knowingoneself, ones abilities, dreams and interests (units 3-6); knowing where one is and how one is in terms ofconfidence and potentials (units 7 and 8). This module


aims to attracting students to attend classes as thelearning process is interesting and non-threatening,and aims at improving students’ attitude and increasestheir joy of learning.

In KAP, for the first three years of the primary school,students only learn to master the 3Rs. Students areexposed to the other subjects that are found in thenational curriculum such as Science, Civics, MoralEducation, Local Studies only at grades 4 to 6.However, these subjects, too, are simplified to suit theabilities of the Orang Asli students.

Overall KAP is flexible where teachers are free to usetheir creativity in modifying the curriculum and alsoin their T&L process. Given that the important aspectof the education of the Orang Asli children is to attractthem to come to school and be engaged in thelearning process, teachers found that the need toexpand on the curriculum and T&L strategies is toinclude 6Rs instead of just 3Rs. This means that apartfrom Reading, Writing and Mathematics; Music, Playand Food were emphasised as important elements ofthe curriculum and teaching strategies.

Evaluation of KAPThe evaluations of KAP were done by the ITEs.Generally, they found that there was an improvementin the number of students being able to acquire skillsin the 3Rs, and the attendance rate improved. Studentsseem to enjoy their lessons better and parents are

more supportive of their children’s education.However, the findings revealed that the modules areonly effective when the modules are modified by theteachers to suit the needs of their students. This drivesthe point that the teachers play an important role,hence, their training and their professionaldevelopment is vital towards the success of theeducational initiatives planned for the Orang Aslichildren.

Another aspect of KAP that needs consideration is thelower level of the standard of skills acquired. Aftercompleting six years of primary education, studentsare required to sit for the national examination. Yet,the KAP does not prepare students for thisstandardised examination. This lack of preparationwill consequently deny the Orang Asli children theopportunity to sit for the examination and to competewith students in the mainstream. Educators in MOEare now deliberating over this issue. There seems to bea plan to maintain KAP not as a specific curriculum forthe Orang Asli children, but as an approach toteaching. The ‘Lets Go to School’ module is seen tohave the potential to be retained as an approach to theT&L process.

Orang Asli and Penan Adult Education Class(KEDAP) ProgramParental involvement in their children’s education isan important prerequisite to their children’s success.Most parents of the Orang Asli children however, are


LearningHygiene

themselves illiterate and are unable to assist theirchildren academically. Furthermore, the Orang Asliparents are also bound by their beliefs that theirchildren should not be punished and their requestscannot be denied. The parents hold on to the traditionof ‘hukum syait’, which takes the word bood (don’twant) by their children seriously. Thus, if their childrenrefuse to go to school, parents will abide.

The KEDAP program was initiated in 2008 by the MOEto reduce the illiteracy rate amongst the Orang Asliadults, to increase their quality of life as well as to beenable them to be involved in their children’s learning.The classes were held for two hours per session for 100days per year. These adults are paid allowances toattend the classes to compensate for income foregone,to pay for food, clothing, books & materials, andhealth check-up. About 2,375 Orang Asli and Penanadults attended these classes in 2009. In 2010 however,the number of participants of this program werereduced dramatically to 1,675 participants. Thenumber of class hours was reduced to 70 days persession. For the 2008-2009 session the allocation forKEDAP was RM12,187.00, while allocation for 2010 was2,635.00.This highlights the vulnerability of programsfor the disadvantaged that is dependent on funds andchanges that happens in funding policies.

Instructors of KEDAP, who are school teachers, aretrained by selected ITEs. The curriculum include theAndragogic teaching approach, knowledge inGuidance and Counseling, the Concept of Remedial

Education, the Socio-Cultural aspects of Orang Asliand Penan. A big challenge to the instructors was theshy disposition of the adult students. They had todevise teaching approaches that drew the Orang Asliadults out of their shells.

The KEDAP curriculum is aimed at enabling the OrangAsli adults to speak, write and understand simplewords in Bahasa Malaysia; to be able to recognise andunderstand numbers and to solve simple arithmetic;to increase their communication skills and to developpositive attitudes towards the welfare of their family;towards hygiene and cleanliness; towards their healthand civic consciousness, and towards their livelihoodand safety.

Feedbacks from teachers regarding the effect of theeducation program on their students showed somepositive results. Parents showed more confidence intheir interaction with teachers, whereby more wereanswering questions and giving opinions in class. Theywere also showing more care in their dressings andappearances when visiting their children’s schools.They were able to motivate their children to studyhard and take the opportunity to study, which theynever had when they were young. The parents wereable to read simple books and they appreciated gettingthe education, and so, were no longer putting toomuch importance on the allowances received. Manyparents were applying to attend these classes. Theirchildren became motivated too, upon seeing theirparents’ enthusiasm towards learning. Interviews with


KAP Activites


their elementary school children revealed that theynow do their homework (their own and their parent’s)together.

Despite the positive feedback, the ITEs are cognizantof the fact that much more need to be done to improvethe program, specifically in improving the teachingmodules and the teaching approaches of the teachers.Problems arising from transport for the parents needto be given due attention. It seems that distance andexpensive fares are denying many parents a chance toattend these classes. Additionally participants of theprogram opine that the program should be extendedto a higher level as 100 hours of time allocated is notsufficient for them to go beyond the basics of the 3Rs.These words of an Orang Asli parent from the Jahuttribe who refused to attend KEDAP as narrated by theChairman of the PTA of an Orang Asli school showsthis sentiment:

The Jahuts do not want to go to KEDAP because theydo not want to do things half way, if it’s two or threeyears then they feel its worthwhile.

The National Indigenous Pedagogy Centre of

Excellence (PKPPK)

It is conceivable that all efforts and initiativesundertaken by the ITEs for the education of theindigenous population need to be documented,showcased, researched and the knowledge shared. This

role is taken up by The National Indigenous PedagogyCentre of Excellence, which was established in theTengku Ampuan Afzan ITE campus located in the stateof Pahang. This ITE was chosen to be the site of thecentre because the state of Pahang has the highestnumber of Orang Asli communities in the country.

In their 5 Year Plan (2010-2015), the Centre ofExcellence highlighted three main focuses. The first ison the generation of knowledge, which emphasises onthe creating of an ecosystem of research andinnovation, and a networking of experts towardsenhancing the education of the Orang Asli people. Thesecond is on the professionalism of Orang Asli schoolteachers, and the third is on the sustainability andpreservation of the Orang Asli’s culture. These focusareas will be implemented through the CentralIncubator project and the Rangkaian GerbangTitiwangsa project. The Incubator Centre will have aTeaching School specifically for indigenous students, aresource center and library, a gallery, and research anddevelopment of indigenous pedagogy. The RangkaianGerbang Titiwangsa initiative which is a collaborationof the ITEs and other agencies are helping to improvethe facilities and infrastructure of Orang Asli schoolssuch as hostel facilities and also investing in theintroduction of online learning. The T&L in multigrade classrooms and the like are also emphasised.

KEDAPConvocation

The Challenges

There is nothing more challenging than trying toachieve equality of educational opportunities for asegment of population for which location, poverty,socio-cultural make up and level of literacy serve asserious impediments towards this end. Theseimpediments however, were overcome by a smallnumber of Orang Asli people who had succeeded inenrolling for higher studies and some becomingsuccessful professionals. In 2008, approximately 116Orang Asli students were accepted into various tertiaryinstitutions mostly for the Diploma and Certificatelevels. They now have an Orang Asli Senator, universitylecturers, a pool of engineers, teachers and this year asmall number of bright students obtaining scholarshipto study over seas. This shows that it is not animpossible feat to excel when opportunities are seizedand fulfilled.

It must be noted here that the educational problems ofthe Orang Asli children come in a package. Teachersand their pedagogical skills, the curriculum, thequality of leadership of school administrators, theclimate of the school, the school facilities,infrastructures, parental involvement and the socio-cultural milieu of the Orang Asli society are all in thispackage. As much as these elements pose challengesto educating the Orang Asli children, these problemsshould be undertaken by those responsible for theireducation.

The most important challenge is to reduce risk factors,which lead to early dropout from school or poorachievement amongst these students. Despite theattempts at reducing the dropout problem, parentsand teachers still lament at the lack of interest thesestudents have towards learning; they are worriedabout the children’s poor memory, their preference forhome and play rather than for school and their passivebehaviors in the classroom. Teachers, too, worry aboutthe negative influences of parents on their children’seducation. These are risk factors which need to beovercome. It is clear that much more need to beundertaken by the responsible parties pertaining tothe education of the Orang Asli children.

Improving the delivery system

Attracting good teachers and headmasters toremote schoolsRisk prevention efforts by the school should focus onimproving the delivery system, which are oftenoverlooked because the students and their parents are

often blamed for the dropout problem. Yet, teachers’and the school’s roles in increasing students’attachment and sense of belonging towards theirschool, and their engagement towards learning mustalso be emphasised. This means that Orang Aslichildren need quality teachers who can make lessonsinteresting and meaningful for them and schooladministrators whose vision and foresight can helpbuild a positive culture and climate for the school.Thus, sending the right teachers and administrators tothese schools is crucial.

We hear of a successful remote Orang Asli school withcreative and responsible teachers emulating theirheadmaster, who is a good role model. We also hear ofthe failure of a not too remote Orang Asli school withindifferent teachers modeled after their headmaster.The contrast between the abovementioned schoolsevidently points to the fact that the success of a schoolis dependent on the quality of teachers andadministrators, and this is true regarding to remoteschools. The infrequent visits by the inspector ofschools and other education officers can also leavethese schools free to their own devise, which may notalways produce favorable outcomes.

However, there are various issues to be tackledpertaining to attracting quality teachers andadministrators to teach in remote schools.Approximately 70.9 per cent of teacher trainees of ITEsare females, but it has been identified that maleteachers are more suitable for remote rural schools.Yet, attracting male candidates into the teachingprofession is a challenging task in its own right, letalone attracting them to teaching in remote areas.Incentives in the form of hardship allowances may beable to help attract teachers to remote schools, but canthis guarantee quality teaching from these willingteachers? Recently, it was suggested that the hardshipallowance be further increased. While this may be agood compensation for remote school teachers it doesnot stop one from wondering if the money is betterspent on much needed facilities for the schoolsinstead.

Preparing teachers for disadvantaged childrenTeachers sent to teach in remote schools would be lessapprehensive if they are prepared carefully for the job.Pre service courses offered at ITEs and the Bachelor ofTeaching programs are generally geared towardsenhancing the teachers’ knowledge in the content,pedagogies and the socio-psychological foundations,


as well as theories of T&L. These are basic principalsand components of teaching, which can be applied inthe teaching process. The same is true for the in-service Bachelor in Education program designed forteachers teaching in remote schools. While knowledgefrom these courses is relevant for teachers, there is,however, specific knowledge that is needed to helpteachers teach in remote areas. There is a need forspecific courses related to indigenous pedagogy,courses that enhance the understanding of teacherstowards the psycho-social make up of indigenouscommunities and courses that help trainee teachersdevelop their personality and increase their love fortheir calling.

Hence, the pre-service and in-service courses shouldprepare teachers who want to be challenged, who arecreative and critical thinkers who are skillful in varyingtheir teaching approaches to suit the psycho-socialneeds of their students, who are not too dependent onprepared curriculum and modules, and who are fairand sensitive to the needs of the indigenous children.It is these teachers who are armed with a wholesomeknowledge about teaching Orang Asli children, whoare best prepared to teach all types of students,especially the disadvantaged.

Recruitment of teachers, thus, should be moreselective. Given that the teaching profession is themost attractive occupation available for unemployedgraduates, with the salary being reasonably high, andthe job ensuring economic stability; the motivatingfactor may be more focused on the prospect of incomerather than the love to educate. A case in point is theKPLI program, which is an intensive one-year Diplomaof Education course for graduates from various fieldsof study. After their training, these teachers are sent toteach in rural schools (which is the practice now).Unfortunately, due to their background and the shorttraining program they are exposed to, they aregenerally unprepared in many ways to teach, let aloneto teach in rural schools. They feel lost and in need ofmuch encouragement and help. We hear of noviceteachers who are sent to difficult schools developing ahatred for the profession. These are generally teacherswho enter the teaching profession as a last resort.Hence, not only getting the right people to teach inremote schools is a big challenge, there ia a biggerchallenge waiting on site. Thus, it is imperative thatthese teachers are consistently motivated and theircommitment sustained by all parties especially bylecturers from ITEs, the Inspectors of Schools and the

experienced teachers and the headmaster of theschool.

This paper suggests that the best teachers for ruralschools are the homebodies who are teachers whocome back to teach in their own villages. More effortsneed to be undertaken to train and recruit suchteachers and to encourage them to return and servetheir villages. Sadly, more often than not theseteachers refuse to return to serve in their villages.

Making learning more meaningful Another big challenge to educators is the curriculumand the T&L approaches for the Orang Asli children. Inan examination oriented system like ours, thestandardised curriculum and standardisedexamination are deemed to be the fairest methods ofensuring equity. The system, however, makesschooling less meaningful for the Orang Asli childrenbecause they learn things unfamiliar to them and sitfor examinations to test knowledge they have notlearnt or cared to learn. It is a challenge to provide adifferent type of curriculum such as the KAP and adifferent way of evaluating them, while meeting therequirements that ensures that the Orang Asli childrenare able to compete with mainstream students fortheir educational and career advancement. This hasbeen a dilemma in our education system that touchesat the root of equity issues. However, equality ofeducational opportunity means more than merelyequal treatment for all, it should also means ‘unequal’treatment of curriculum and assessment tools basedon the needs of the students. It is imperative that theeducation system adopts a more flexible approach inorder to meet the demands of varying students’ needmapped out in the country.

More research should be undertaken to understandthe best practices involving the education of thesepotentially at-risk students who also have specificneeds. A research project undertaken by Sharifah et al(2009) pertaining to ‘turned around at risk schools’,found that one of the most successful ways to enticedifficult students to feel attached to their school andto engage them in learning is through co-curricularactivities, mainly through sports. Orang Asli studentslove sports and they excel in them. Participation insports and other extra curricular activities, whichthese students excel in, can boost their confidence andself-esteem, which can indirectly increase theirengagement to learning.


Another challenge pertaining to the education of thesechildren is developing thinking skills. There is atendency for teachers to resort to drilling to ensuringthat their students remember what they’ve learned.However, this rote-learning technique does not helpstudents understand what they’ve learned in order totransfer their learning to other situations. Thus, theT&L process in the classroom needs to encourage theparticipation of students in activities, which canenhance their thinking skills.

Efficiency in the dissemination of aid andresourcesTeachers, and other parties operating at the groundlevel often complain of delays in getting fundsallocated for stipends, bursary and other materials andservices needed to facilitate children’s learning. Thishas negative implications on the children as well astheir parents. We hear cases of children not attendingschool because of the inability to pay fees or becausetheir only transport to school is in need of repair andwas left unattended for the whole year. We also hear ofaid from the Poor Students Trust Fund given by thegovernment are inaccessible to some of these childrenalthough they are eligible for the aid because they donot have identity cards, which in this country is animportant prerequisite for the aid.

Improving accessibility

Making all remote schools accessible by road or othermeans of transport is expensive, making reaching theOrang Asli children a big challenge and a dauntingtask. Yet, accessibility is an important prerequisite forthe development of remote schools and the educationof the Orang Asli children. Resettling the Orang Asli innew settlements near schools is another effort that isconsidered and undertaken by the authorities aimed atimproving accessibility of children to schools. It ishowever, a challenging task to make the indigenouspeople to leave their villages, which have long beentheir ancestral home and move to a new place with adifferent lifestyle than the one that they areaccustomed to.

Apart from the physical infrastructure, the issue ofaccessibility to education also involves making surethat that poverty is not a hindrance to these childrento get the education they deserve. Education is free forOrang Asli children that include hostels, schooluniforms, shoes, and textbooks, which are all providedfor. However some unintended effects were observed.

With handed out freebies, there is a tendency for someparents to no longer feel the need to work hard toprovide for their children’s education. At the sametime, the parents do not feel any loss if their childrendo not go to school as they have not invested in theirchildren’s education. The 2009 UPSR result revealedthat as high as 28 per cent of Orang Asli students wereabsent from the examination. There were also cases ofstudents who registered early in the year, thendisappeared only to reappear one year later. Thus,equal access to education is not fully ensured throughmerely monetary assistance but the immediatechallenge is first to change the Orang Asli parents’attitude towards education and their children.

Partnership with parents

Partnership with parents and communities regardingthe education of the Orang Asli children is a bigchallenge too. An interview with a successful OrangAsli who returned to his village with an intention tohelp develop his people reveals his frustration at thevery slow pace his people are moving. He said hispeople are 50 years behind the Malays. He attributes itto the over dependence of his people on othersbecause of their low self-confidence and low self-esteem. He summed up in three words commonlyused as a generic term in his native language thattranslate into ‘couldn’t care less attitude’ as anexample to his village comrades response inenhancing their personal development Words such asnyet which means ‘I don’t want to do it, I am lazy, youdo it’, panday meaning ‘if you are so clever, why don’tyou do it’ and ansur which means ‘just let it be I amnot interested’ are often expressed as a retort when hispeople are asked to do things to better themselves.

The lack of education amongst Orang Asli adults andthe lack of exposure to the outside world may be thecause of this negative attitude. Hence, exposure to theoutside world is important. It is observed thatacademically successful Orang Asli students haveparents working with the government, or those whoattended schools with mainstream children.

The soft and polite ways the Orang Asli interact withtheir children and among themselves is also seen bythe abovementioned interviewed Orang Asli individualas a culture which makes it difficult for field officers tobe assertive in dealing with them and for teachers todiscipline their children. The hukum syait tradition asmentioned above also pose problems for the school interms of ensuring students attendance. Thus,


programs such as KEDAP, which can help turn parentsinto positive partners for the schools, needs to beexpanded. In addition, schools should capitalise onparent’s awareness of the importance of education asthe result of attending KEDAP by planning andexecuting more activities and programs involvingparents.

The knowledge gained and the potential of exposure tointeresting experience and interactions can help boosttheir self-confidence and self-esteem, and also helpdevelop positive attitudes towards change. They toocan be active advocates to ensure quality education fortheir children, and respected enough by teachers andthe school at large to demand the best services fortheir children. Thus, tardy teachers and absentheadmasters would be kept diligently on their toes.

Coordinating initiatives and the generation ofnew knowledgeCoordinating initiatives, specifically by the variousdepartments of the MOE to improving the educationof the disadvantaged is yet another challenge thatneeds to be faced, but it is important to avoidoverlapping and needless expenditure. Additionally,research plays another important aspect incontributing to the development of new knowledgepertaining to all aspects of education for all types ofstudents. In this respect, the National Centre ofExcellence for Indigenous Pedagogy faces thechallenging task of conducting research, documentingand dispensing research findings and networking withresearchers from the ITEs, universities and otherinterested parties. Research grants however, are noteasily available to researchers from the ITEs unliketheir counterparts in the universities. It is, thus,conceivable that in line with their status as a degreeconferring institution, ITE lecturers should be giventhe opportunity to build a research culture facilitatedby easy accessibility to research grants.

Sustainability of changePrograms such as KIA2M, KAP and KEDAP werepiloted in some Orang Asli schools. Evaluation of theseprograms showed positive results. However thequestion regarding the sustainability of theseprograms need to be seriously considered to reduceuncertainties regarding the programs. For example,the KEDAP program does not have a long term plan toinclude more families, to receive more funds, to beextended to higher levels of learning or even to be

continued next year. Likewise, the extension of theKAP to other schools is put on hold pending theMinistry’s deliberation on the equity issues of theprogram. This uncertainty not only affects thoseinvolved in carrying out the programs but the studentstoo. Furthermore these initiatives have shown positiveresults for the education of the Orang Asli children andtheir families and should be developed further toreach all of the Orang Asli children.

Conclusion

Giving quality education to ‘difficult to reach’ poorchildren is a problem faced universally, namely bymost developing countries and many teethingproblems need to be addressed. Thus, it takes seriouspolitical will, commitment and clarity of purpose andplanning to enable a small segment of the populationsuch as the Orang Asli people to gain access to qualityeducation enjoyed by the more advantaged children inthe mainstream. Needless to say that improving theireconomic standing and reducing poverty amongstthem are crucial towards the overall development ofOrang Asli. The KEDAP program would have betterresults in terms of parental involvement with theirchildren’s education if parents can spend more timewith their children instead of having to leave homeinto the jungles to fend for their families.

There is also a need for a nationwide dropoutprevention network in which the sharing of newknowledge of best practices concerning the educationof disadvantaged are shared. Ours is still a longjourney towards achieving equality of educationalaccess, output and outcome for all. So, nothing shortof a serious concerted effort by all relevant parties isneeded to reach this end.

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Documents

Dropout Prevention Initiatives for Malaysian Indigenous Orang Asli Children