THE government should utilise community halls in Orang Asli villages by placing teachers and ensuring a solid internet connection to prevent indigenous children from being further left behind in their education during the Covid-19 pandemic, activists said.

Colin Nicholas, founder of Centre for Orang Asli Concerns (COAC), told The Malaysian Insight that the government should not have a “one shoe fits all” approach on the issue of education poverty among Orang Asli pupils in the country. 

He said this is because education poverty among Orang Asli pupils in urban areas and villages was different. 

Nicholas said Putrajaya should look into a community-based learning approach for Orang Asli pupils in villages.

“Orang asli pupils in the village live within a few hundred meters away from each other, so instead of giving out laptops, there should be a community-centre where these children can come and study together.”

He said social distancing cannot really be applied in this context because these pupils are constantly meeting up and playing with one another in the village. 

Colin also said that in some of the villages he visited, children were getting restless and were itching to go back to school as they have had enough playtime. 

“If there was a centre for them to gather at, then the government can arrange for a proper lesson programme, be it with the internet or TV Pendidikan,” he said. 

Teh Su Thye, CEO of Global Peace Foundation, also suggested something similar. 

For a start, the Orang Asli Development Department (Jakoa) could look at community school models run by various civil society groups, he said. 

“Identify potential teachers in the community to run the learning session. Villages without mobile reception or gadgets still need teachers. We can’t expect children to self-learn by just giving them books,” he said.

Last week, Indigenous Peoples Network of Malaysia (JOAS) vice-president Yusri Ahon said there was concern that orang asli children will be left behind in their studies during the pandemic without the Education Ministry’s intervention.

He said in an interview that aside from lacking good internet coverage, orang asli parents do not have the devices required for home-based learning, such as smartphones or laptops. 

Yusri said this will help prevent too wide an academic gap between the children and their urban counterparts, and that face-to-face classes in school are still the best option for Orang Asli pupils.

Poverty education among orang asli pupils has been a long-standing issue for years, and has only worsened with the MCO.

Mustafa Along, chairman of Indigenous People’s Network of Kelantan (JKOAK), said while poor internet access has been an ongoing issue in Gua Musang, Kelantan, learning itself has become a challenge because parents cannot afford to secure a gadget for their children’s lessons. 

He said villagers have been struggling to get their children to participate in online lessons due to a lack of devices and stable Internet access during MCO. 

“The issue of orang asli education is not a new issue. Even before the implementation of MCO, Orang Asli have faced issues related to the quality of education even though there were primary schools in rural areas,” Mustafa said. 

Last month, Jakoa said it was in discussions with the Education Ministry to determine the best teaching and learning methods for the community in the interiors of Kelantan.

Its director-general, Juli Edo, said the matter was being looked into, adding that for the time being – with the MCO still in force – affected Orang Asli pupils have yet to resume their schooling session.

Tijah Yok Chopil, chairman of Jaringan Kampung Orang Asli Semenanjung Malaysia (JKOASM), stressed the importance of having a good internet connection in these villages. 

“If you go into the villages, you will see that most families have some gadgets, but what’s the point if you do not have access to proper internet connection?” 

She said while community centres can be turned into education centres with computers and televisions, it is vital that the government set up a solid internet connection for the children. 

Like Teh, Tijah also suggested that Jakoa look into placing teachers at these learning centres as children would most likely not study if they are left unguided.

“These children need guidance, while some Orang Asli parents stress the importance of education, some don’t, hence why guidance from a teacher is needed in ensuring these pupils keep up in their lessons.”

She also said there needs to be consistency in lessons because from what she observed in her village, Orang Asli pupils were only participating in lessons once a week, which was not enough. 

Tijah said the main subjects orang asli children should be focusing on are Maths, Science, English, and Bahasa Malaysia as these subjects are most relevant to them in larger society. – February 18, 2021.