KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 28 — The Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (Suhakam) is spearheading a call to seek solutions that better address the educational needs of children on Omadal Island.
In a statement today, the organisation called for the relevant parties to work together and tackle the challenges of learning projects on Omadal Island to ensure a secure environment for children to access education.
“In line with the government’s commitment to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which seeks to leave no child behind in the pursuit of quality education, Suhakam calls for more concrete collaborative efforts.
“The organisation urges collaboration between the Ministry of Education, local community leaders, non-governmental organisations, and other relevant stakeholders to address the educational needs of Omadal Island’s children, irrespective of their background.
“Suhakam firmly believes that establishing a safe space for children to access education will ultimately promote lifelong learning opportunities,” the statement said.
Suhakam further said the organisation is ready to cooperate and assist the government in addressing the complex challenges as it reflects its commitment to advocate for inclusive and equitable education.
Suhakam, alongside Indonesia’s National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) and the Commission on Human Rights of the Philippines (CHRP), has been actively involved in addressing educational challenges on Omadal Island.
On September 8, 2023, a joint visit took place in line with the tripartite Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Statelessness in Sabah in which the impact of Iskul Sama DiLaut Omadal, specifically in offering literacy training to stateless children was observed.
Pertaining to that, the Suhakam Sabah Office organised a meeting in November to explore avenues of support for Iskul’s sustained operations and its potential registration as an alternative guidance centre (PBA).
“While commending the establishment of Sekolah Bimbingan Jalinan Kasih (SBJK), an initiative aiming to provide equal education for all, including dropouts, street kids, and undocumented children in Sabah, Suhakam expresses the hope that Iskul will be permitted to continue its operations,” it said.
The organisation also expressed hope that appropriate facilities will be provided to the existing SBJK to guarantee a high-quality and fair inclusive education for children.
