FIK3042English for Communication II

Group UPSI2(U)(A112PJJ)

SUBMIT TO :Leela Chakrabarty

SUBMIT BY :Wan Fatanah Binti Mustafa

(D20102041165)

SUBMISSION DATE:31 MAY 2012

ORANG ASLI EDUCATION

http://www.coac.org.my/codenavia/portals/coacv2/images/articles/OA

%20Education.pdf

This article represents a part of a longer consultancy report entitled “Orang Asli: Rights, Problems,Solutions” prepared in July 2006 for the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (SUHAKAM).

The writer has written another article on orang asli entitled The Orang Asli of

Peninsular Malaysia ( http://www.magickriver.net/oa.htm )

Writer: Colin Nicholas

Title : The State of ORANG ASLI EDUCATION and its Root Problems

I agree with the writer that orang asli’s enrolments in school are increasing

year by year. This is because the government has placed an important role in

educating everyone in Malaysia. However, government has identified the problem of

dropouts that is increasing year by year.

There are reasons as to why these dropouts occur. The main reason cited by

the writer is boredom and laziness. Children are not interested in studying as teachers

scold them and they feel embarrassed by this. I feel that teachers should make their

lessons more interesting to increase the love and passion for these children to study.

Other reasons for such dropouts are factors relating to poverty. Most children

who come from poor family feels that working with their family are better than

studying. Parents with many children will feel burdened, as it is not cheap to send

children to school.

Another reason would be non-delivery of educational assistance. Education

subsidies for orang asli have not been given out constantly year-by-year. Since orang

asli students do not have access to outside assistance, this will result in them falling

behind in their schoolwork or even dropping out of school.

Orang Asli are not anti-development, as often alleged by the government. On

the contrary, they have frequently requested for various forms of assistance,

especially for improvements in the quality of life - in areas of health, education,

human capital formation and infrastructure.

Alternative development strategies must reflect the needs of the Orang Asli

and their specific social and physical environments. For example, aboriculture could

be developed for communities undergoing the transition from traditional, subsistence-

oriented economies to more settled, agriculture-based communities.

The preferential treatment status accorded to the Orang Asli in Article 8(5)(c)

of the Constitution should also be applied.

The right to affirmative action should be transformed into actual programmes

and opportunities. For example, positive discrimination in economic projects affecting

or involving Orang Asli traditional areas (such as eco-tourism projects, trading in

forest products and alternative agriculture) as well as preferential status in business

opportunities, educational placings and job placements should be instituted.

Every encouragement and assistance should also be given to Orang Asli

efforts to uplift their economic position through their own cooperatives, foundations

or other such bodies.

The writer has also identified that the contrast in the pedagogy and culture as

another reason for high dropouts. Orang Asli students are taught to be polite,

considerate and amicable. This is the contrast in our education system where students

are taught to compete among each other.

Orang asli schoolchildren are also subjected to bullies because of prejudice

and ignorance of their origins and culture. These children also are not accustomed to

scolding and for fear of teachers; they prefer to stay at home.

Another reason for dropout is the irregularity of transport services that does

not pick up those children for months as these operators complain they did not get

their wages on time. Government should look into this problem, as this is a serious

problem. Children should not be deprived from education just because they do not

have transport to go to school.

The writer suggests (in another article) that Responsibility for developing the

Orang Asli should not be the sole responsibility of the JHEOA. Instead, a multi-

agency approach should be adopted, with a special Orang Asli unit set up in each of

these agencies to attend to the social and economic needs of the Orang Asli.

The JHEOA itself is to be revamped, with greater Orang Asli control and

involvement, and with greater powers to effect recommendations and programmes. As

a federal agency, the JHEOA should occupy itself primarily with getting the

respective states to grant permanent tenure to Orang Asli lands.

The role of the JHEOA should also be restructured so that it acts as a watchdog body

to ensure that policies and programmes for the advancement and wellbeing of the

Orang Asli are implemented. Among its other functions would be to look into Orang

Asli grievances and to resolve disputes with other agencies or non-Orang Asli.

Finally, Parent-Teachers Associations are negligible in performing their duties

to ensure that those children are not left out in education. Teachers too sometimes

arrive late to school and this will give the impression that they just do not care at all

despite the government had given them decent staff quarters.

Bearing all this in mind, everyone should play an important role so that the

orang asli community benefits as well in this country.

Title : Educational Policy and Opportunities of Orang Asli: A Study on

Indigenious People in Malaysia

Writer : Kamarulzaman Kamaruddin

He is an Associate Professor, Sultan Idris University of Education

Osman Jusoh, Senior Lecturer, Sultan Idris University of Education

http://www.hraljournal.com/Page/11%20Kamaruddin.pdf

The research done by the writer is comprehensive. The writer has examined

the educational policy and the opportunities of orang asli in Malaysia. The

government has set up a committee that is Jabatan Hal Ehwal Orang Asli (JHEOA) to

give annual report on the growth, problem and solutions in dealing with orang asli.

A lot of educational programmes and other programmes were suggested.

Education was the main agenda to improve the standard of living of the orang asli. As

far as legislation is concerned, the Aboriginal Peoples Act 1954 was introduced to

recognize the basic rights and to maintain the cultural autonomy.

This writer too recognizes that there are high rates of dropout among

schoolchildren. Not only in primary school but including secondary. JHEOA had

made policies to cater for vocational training and technology based training. One such

centre is the National Vocational Training Council in Paya Bungor whereby 486

youths completed Level 1 certificate in tailoring.

I feel that more training centres should be opened to cater all the dropouts to

come up in life. If these trainings are provided their standard of living will be

improved. Even adults are illiterate and have low academic achievement. Various

literacy programmes should be conducted so that the adults will know the importance

of education for their children.

In addition to this, there are also problem with settlement and infrastructure.

The Rancangan Pengumpulan Semula has been introduced to place the orang asli

whereby all kinds of infrastructure is provided for the betterment in their lives.

The Orang Asli still fare poorly in education with the number of

undergraduates and school students is not reflective of their population figure.

 Members of the community blame on the lack of financial resources that seriously

impede education for the community though they receive numerous aid.

Though the education infrastructure can be considered satisfactory, the welfare

of the Orang Asli children still needs attention. Even today it is a known fact many

Orang Asli children go to school on an empty stomach. 

Though there is the Supplementary Food Scheme in schools, outside school

the Orang Asli children don't have the menu like what their other counterparts are

enjoying.

I think that the government's recent gesture of providing scholarships to six

Orang Asli students to study overseas and this augurs well for the community.

So far, the Orang Asli students lacked the opportunity to study overseas though some

of them were qualified and among the reasons for this is the lack of a dedicated

organisation like Majlis Amanah Rakyat (MARA) to assist us.

I feel that the government, NGO (Non-governmental Organisations) and other

agencies should equip the community with skills instead of just providing monetary

assistance. Monetary assistance will make the Orang Asli dependent on the assistance

and discourage them from working hard to earn a living.

If the government provides training on skills like tailoring and making bead

ornaments, this will help them to increase their income and reduce their dependence

on monthly monetary assistance. What I see now is that a small number of them have

become dependent on assistance, tough we still want the financial assistance it should

come along with the appropriate skills training.

More government agencies and NGOs should held meetings to protect and

improve the lives of this people in the community. Many agencies are helping the

community. However, private sectors should be given more roles in the development

of orang asli community. Ministry of Health, Ministry of Education, National

Population and Family Development Board, Department of Social Welfare should

work together, make more frequent visits to RPS, and educate the people the

importance of health, job, education and community.

This writer also identified that different culture is another reason for high

dropout. Students get culture shock when they enter Year 1 without being exposed to

preschool. Harvest season and fruit season are the main two important season in

orang asli’s life. Students prefer to stay home during these seasons and help their

family in harvesting the crops. It is like Hari Raya Puasa to the Malay community.

In 2011, Seven Orang Asli students pursued their higher learning education in

various public institutions (IPTA), the Malaysian Institute of Teacher Education

(IPGM), and the Industrial Training Institute. Of the seven students, three of them

managed to get into IPTA. One of them studied A-Levels here before taking off to

India.

The other two students will be pursuing biophysics and timber studies in

Universiti Putra Malaysia and Universiti Malaysia Sarawak. The government will

allocate RM200,000 annually for the educational development of the Orang Asli

community in Gua Musang alone. Kelantan received RM1.2 million for the same

purpose last year to help fund transportation fares, school fees, stationary sets,

scholarships and other expenses.

As a conclusion, I think that even though many talks have been going on the

topic of orang asli, mere talk is not enough. Implementation needs to take place by

looking at orang asli’s culture and lifestyle.