TRUST has always been the main issue concerning Orang Asli children and their parents before the kids attend school, Orang Asli activist Dr Colin Nicholas said.

The renowned activist was responding to the high number of school dropouts among Orang Asli children in recent years, where many have associated the issue with bullying and a lack of infrastructure.

According to Nicholas, who has authored several books on the Orang Asli and their settlements, many parents are afraid and do not fully trust teachers and the school board members to begin with.

He said there are two main issues surrounding Orang Asli children – one involving those who have gone to school but decided to stop schooling, while others have not gone to school at all.

“There are two issues here, one is those who have gone to school but stopped going, the other is that they have never been to school at all. The issues that we always hear are the lack of transport, but that is not necessarily the case.

“The government has built boarding schools for Orang Asli children but they still stop going to school and some do not even attemd. Some schools are also located not far from their villages, about an hour’s walk or 10 to 20 minutes by bike. But why aren’t they going to school?

“Trust is at the heart of the matter. Orang Asli parents do not trust the school and its board members, and the children don’t trust their teachers either. It is not that they are against development or do not want to receive education – the bottomline is a lack of trust,” he said.

It was reported recently that an Orang Asli parent noticed drastic changes in their child’s behaviour upon returning home from attending a boarding school.

A 15-year-old student from the Temiar clan in Kampung Kuala Wook, Gua Musang was once a chirpy teenager but he now prefers to be alone. He also seemed to have lost his appetite and even cried at times.

The boy was also reluctant to return to the hostel once the school holidays were over.

His parents said their son was always cheerful when he used to study at SK Kuala Lah, located about 21km from their settlement in Kampung Kuala Wook, and stayed at the school hostel.

It was later revealed that some students used derogatory terms on him and made fun of his physical appearance. Even though he would be neatly dressed and wore clean clothes, they would say that the Orang Asli “dirtied” the school.

“The taunting took place all the time. He has also been punched and had his clothes flung down from the top floor. He was also forced to wash the toilet,” said Nicholas.    

Kampung Kuala Wook, located about 52km from Gua Musang town, has a population of more than 300. Due to its remote location, the village is not even visible on Google Maps and is only accessible by air or via a potholed and hazardous logging road.

Responding to the news report, Nicholas said bullying has been an issue that has not been addressed for years.

“It is ‘normal’ for it to happen and is no longer a secret. The government or the ministry has not addressed this,” he said.

Forced conversions

Nicholas said many parents are reluctant to send their children to school because the kids were taught Islamic teachings and told to convert rather than being respected for their beliefs.

He then recalled another incident that caused distrust among parents in Orang Asli community.

“There was an incident where an Orang Asli child was raped and the case was swept under the carpet after the suspect convinced the authorities that he had paid the victim. No justice was ever served.

“Other than that, Orang Asli children who are Christians were told to convert to Islam. They were taught Islam even when they refused to follow. That is why parents in the community did not want to send their kids to school.

“While some decided to stop sending their children because they rights were never respected. As an Orang Asli, they were subjected to abuse. As I said earlier, the trust is no longer there.”

The folk in Pos Simpor, a remote Orang Asli post located 98km from Gua Musang town, are also familiar with cases of bullying and racial discrimination in national secondary schools.

As post’s women emergency team chief Senourei Johari, 26, puts it, “this negative culture is something we ‘inherited’ generation after generation.”  

The mother of two, who has an Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia qualification and is a housewife, said some of her Orang Asli classmates were forced to discontinue their studies as they could no longer tolerate the bullying and racial slurs hurled at them by others.

Thankfully, with the opening of SMK Panggung Jaya near their area of dwelling in 2019, Pos Simpor students no longer have to be afraid of bullies. SMK Panggung Jaya is the first secondary school in Kelantan built exclusively for Orang Asli students.  

Senourei, however, said to this day, she still hears of bullying cases involving Orang Asli students in mainstream schools.

Pos Simpor acting headman Mohd Syafiq Dendi Abdullah, 30, said he himself was a victim, adding that the bullying culture was instrumental in his dropping out of school.

The Orang Asli community of Peninsular Malaysia is made up of three main ethnic groups – Senoi (55.09%), Proto-Malay (41.97%) and Negrito (2.94%).

The Senoi group comprises the Temiar, Semai, Jah Hut, Che Wong, Semoq Beri and Mah Meri sub-groups, while the Proto-Malay group is made up of the Temuan, Jakun, Semelai, Orang Kanaq, Orang Kuala Seletar and Orang Kuala sub-groups. The Negrito comprises the Kensiu, Kintak, Jahai, Mendriq, Lanoh and Bateq sub-groups.

Asked on the special schools, Nicholas said the government has built these schools for the Orang Asli where some students excelled in their own subjects. 

However, there are also daily boarding schools for normal Orang Asli students but parents are denied visitation rights there.

“Special schools where these smart and gifted Orang Asli kids go provide good infrastructure for the students as well as the parents who come to visit them twice a week. Parents who come from very far away villages are allowed to stay for a night. 

“The problem is with the daily boarding school where normal Orang Asli students go. Orang Asli parents who come are not allowed to visit their children. 

“They were told to leave the things that they wanted to hand to their children at the guard house. How can the parents feel safe about their children’s wellbeing if they are treated this way?  

“A thorough study and a deep understanding has to be built in order to fix the situation,” he said. – January 3, 2023.