The authorities have to find a way to close the education gap between indigenous young Malaysians and their non-indigenous counterparts so they can become part of the solution to the challenges of the 21st Century. And it begins with the education of indigenous children. The tragic incident of the missing Orang Asli children from SK Pos Tohoi in Gua Musang, Kelantan, highlighted the need to address the weaknesses of indigenous education. Many Orang Asli children remain illiterate as they have no access to schools near their homes, as the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia notes. The Commission found that many Orang Asli children have no access to education because there are no primary schools or teachers where they live. The nearest functioning school is several hours away in most villages. What was the Education Ministry thinking when it decided to shut down a number of primary schools in a few Orang Asli villages which were built within close range of several villages? These schools ensured that young Orang Asli would not have to be physically removed from their families and their communities and placed in residential schools. But the ministry closed them, apparently convinced that they were œnot economically feasible.
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