A MOBILE school is bringing free education to the doorstep of five Orang Asli kampung in Pahang.

The idea behind the “mobile school” is to bring out-of-classroom learning to children from villages which do not fall under the purview of the Department of Orang Asli Development (Jakoa).

Global Peace Foundation (GPF) launched the programme in June in Kg Cerampak, Kg Patah Jelutong, Kg Petoh, Kg Teraling and Kg Terubing.

About 10-15 pupils, aged between five and 15, are enrolled in each kampung, GPF director Dr Teh Su Thye told The Malaysian Insight.

“The sessions are conducted two to four times a week,” said Teh.

The mobile schools target Orang Asli in kampung that are not registered under Jakoa or too small to gain enough attention from other civil society groups.

“These villages, mostly situated in the plantation or at the fringe of forests, are called ‘kampung serpihan’ by Jakao, and have an average population of about 10 to 20 households.

“Due to this, small villages tend to receive less attention and aid from groups and Jakao compared to bigger villages and OA settlements.”

The mobile school is designed for a sustainable impact with exit strategies for the pupils, such as enrolling back in schools and OA organisation in the district to take over the running of the mobile school when the strategy and contents are established.

Teh said learning is focused on helping learners obtain goals and skills relevant to their needs and interests, such as literacy, numeracy, communication and problem-solving skills.

Orang Asli role models

The programme also aims to recruit and train the Orang Asli themselves to teach the children, said The.

This is based on the experience of many civil society movements setting up schools and bringing in volunteer teachers but then suffer a high turnover rate.

Teh said some volunteer teachers don’t last long in these areas.

“At first it was a bit difficult for us to recruit Orang Asli as teachers themselves. Some were shy and some just didn’t think they could do it, but then we identified those who were keen and trained them.”

The training is conducted by GPF’s staff, whereby they teach and train Orang Asli on how to conduct lessons and keep a classroom under control, among others.

Teachers will be paid accordingly by GPF.

The Orang Asli recruits come from different backgrounds, ranging from those with university qualifications to farmworkers and housewives.

Teh said by recruiting and training Orang Asli as teachers, the lessons become more impactful on the children as they are more comfortable.

The teachers will also be a solution to the education poverty prevalent in many Orang Asli communities across the country, he said.

Challenges ahead 

Over the course of its work with the Orang Asli, GPF found numerous villages in Pahang and Perak with low literacy and high dropout rates and many children who have never attended school.

Remote location, poverty, no preschool preparation, bullying and a lack of education awareness among Orang Asli parents are some of the reasons the children fail to get an education or finish schooling.

A lack of transportation and bad roads also make it difficult for parents to send their children to school.

Many parents also can’t afford school fees, books and uniforms.

The Orang Asli children also find it difficult to integrate with society and are often bullied in school as a result of not being able to blend in.

Teh said a lack of awareness on the importance of education among Orang Asli parents can also be a challenge.

“Sometimes these kids tell their parents, they don’t want to go to school anymore and the parents would accept because they are generally not forceful about these things.”

GPF is a civil society group helping the Orang Asli in Pahang build water pumps, providing education to the children, and raising funds to help them survive the movement-control order. – September 8, 2020.