CHILDREN’s rights activists today applauded Pakatan Harapan’s decision to allow stateless children to enrol in government schools beginning next year, but urged the government to extend the access to education for children of migrants and refugees.

Child rights activist Dr Hartini Zainuddin of Yayasan Chow Kit hailed the announcement as the way forward in providing children with the right tools to protect themselves via education.

However, Dr Hartini, who was “ecstatic” over the news, said the government should also include migrant and refugee children with undetermined status in the country.

“I think all children deserve equal access to education and educational resources,” she told The Malaysian Insight.

Educational grouping PAGE also hailed the government’s new ruling, saying it was “a step towards the right direction, especially for Malaysian children without documentations”.

“They shouldn’t be stopped from obtaining education just because they lack identification,” said Tunku Munawirah Putra, PAGE honourary secretary.

“It is the hope that education will help these children from being trapped in the state of poverty, which is one of the main causes of social problems especially of crimes like thefts, robberies, drug related crimes which will lead to other heavier crimes in the long run.”

She also joined in the call for the government to consider extending the right to education to refugee and migrant children.

“We hope that in future, children without documentations (refugee, children of immigrants) would also be allowed such opportunity provided that we have the resources to cater for them,” she said.

“Giving education to these refugee or children of immigrants to better themselves is a charitable move. This would enable them to be better equipped to take on the next step of their lives, be it domestically or in foreign lands.”

Earlier today, Deputy Education Minister Teo Nie Ching announced that stateless children can now enrol in government schools beginning next year just by producing their birth certificates.

She said those without documentation could still enroll but will have to produce the necessary documents within two years.

Apart from birth certificates, Teo said these children could produce either their adoption certificate if they are adopted or any court order.

Voice of the Children chairman Sharmila Sekaran said the move was “a positive recognition of a nation’s duty to children”.

She said every child deserves an education, regardless of his or her nationality, and urged the government to address the root problem of statelessness as “no child is stateless or undocumented by their choice or action”.

“More must be done in terms of reducing childhood statelessness and non-documentation, and ensuring that these children are able to avail themselves to basic rights such as education and health,” she told The Malaysian Insight.

Sharmila said the government will need to clarify and publish exactly which documents will be needed, as many undocumented children are unable to obtain birth certificates or any other kind of official documentation.

She said the ministry should also publish a clear standard operating procedure (SOP) on the matter to avoid any confusion on the part of ministry or school officials. – October 12, 2018.