Alternative Education as Channels for Social Inclusion among Non¬Citizens People of Pulau Mabul, Sabah

This study examines the relationship between citizenship status and access to education amongst people who do not have proper identification documents in Mabul Island, Sabah. More than 80 per cent of its population do not have proper identification documents, making it difficult for them to confirm their citizenship. This affects their access to education and social inclusion. As stated in the UDHR 1948, CRC 1989 and EFA movement, education is a basic human right for every human being. However, in the Malaysian context, this basic human right cannot be fully implemented due to specific provisions in the national legislation on education. In this research, the ‘education for all’ philosophy in the context of education for social inclusion is examined through three dimensions – resources, capabilities and opportunities. Resources refer to the skills and assets possessed by an individual. Capabilities refer to the individual’s ability to use his/her resources and opportunities. Opportunities refer to the environment that enables the individual to use his resources and opportunities to meet his/her needs. Three-Month fieldwork of data collection was conducted in Mabul Island involving structured interviews, semi-structured interviews, observation and participant observation as a teacher at alternative learning centres (ALC). The study specifically examines the composition of the population in relation to their citizenship status, availability of education, access to education based on citizenship status, and the issue of education for social inclusion. Findings indicate that most residents face problems with citizenship status because they do not have official identification documents. This, in turn, affects their access to formal education. The findings reveal that non¬access to formal education calls for the provision of alternative education for those excluded. This study proposes for ALCs to be increased so that education can be more accessible to everyone for the purpose of social inclusion and well¬being of the country

Pendidikan alternatif sebagai wadah keterangkuman sosial dalam kalangan penduduk yang tiada kewarganegaraan di Pulau Mabul, Sabah

Kajian ini meneliti hubungan antara kewarganegaraan dan kebolehcapaian terhadap pendidikan dalam kalangan penduduk yang tidak mempunyai dokumen pengenalan diri. Lokasi kajian adalah di Pulau Mabul, Sabah. Terdapat lebih daripada 80 Peratus penduduk Pulau Mabul yang mengalami masalah kewarganegaraan, seterusnya memberi kesan kepada kebolehcapaian terhadap pendidikan dan keterangkuman sosial. Pendidikan adalah hak asasi manusia seperti yang termaktub dalam Deklarasi Hak Asasi Manusia 1948 dan Pendidikan untuk Semua. Namun, dalam konteks Malaysia, keperluan menegakkan hak asasi dan falsafah pendidikan untuk semua tidak dapat dilaksanakan sepenuhnya disebabkan ketetapan-ketetapan tertentu dalam perundangan kebangsaan - Akta Pendidikan 1996. Dalam artikel ini, falsafah ‘pendidikan untuk semua’ dalam konteks pendidikan untuk keterangkuman sosial diteliti melalui tiga dimensi iaitu sumber, keupayaan dan peluang. Sumber merupakan kemahiran dan aset yang dimiliki oleh seseorang. Keupayaan adalah kebolehan individu untuk menggunakan sumber dan peluang. Peluang pula adalah persekitaran yang membolehkan individu menggunakan keupayaan dan sumber untuk mencapai hasil yang diingini. Kerja lapangan telah dilakukan selama lebih kurang tiga bulan di Pulau Mabul yang melibatkan temu bual separa berstruktur dan pemerhatian ikut serta sebagai tenaga pengajar di pusat pembelajaran alternatif. Hasil kajian mendapati kebanyakan penduduk di Pulau Mabul mengalami masalah kewarganegaraan kerana tidak mempunyai dokumen pengenalan diri, seterusnya memberi kesan kepada kebolehcapaian terhadap pendidikan dan keterangkuman sosial. Penemuan kajian juga menunjukkan bahawa ketidakbolehcapaian terhadap pendidikan formal menuntut penawaran pendidikan alternatif untuk mereka yang terkecuali daripada pendidikan formal. Maka, penduduk yang mengalami masalah kewarganegaraan mempunyai peluang boleh capai terhadap pendidikan. Justeru, kajian ini mencadangkan agar penawaran pendidikan alternatif diperbanyakkan supaya lebih ramai penduduk boleh capai terhadap pendidikan demi keterangkuman sosial dan kesejahteraan negara

Exploring asset-based community development in intangible cultural heritage management

Intangible cultural heritage is important to any community and a community-driven approach encourages communities to avoid becoming overly dependent on external agencies that are held responsible to solve the problems of the community. Thus, an asset-based community development (ABCD) approach may be a better option as one of the positive aspects of ABCD is the focus on local resources as assets, specifically in identifying existing human resources and evaluating their sustainability. The authors propose that the recently launched TABIK, a culture and innovation theme park in Kundasang, Ranau district, in Sabah, Malaysia, meets this criterion of valuing their own community members as resources or assets

Debating education for nation building in Malaysia: National school persistence or vernacular school resistance?

School and education system may be a critical and strategic platform for nation-building. At the same time, the politicization of the education system as well as the interdependent nature of schools and external forces may contribute to the destabilization of the role of school in nation building. In Malaysia, the issue of mono-lingualism as a medium of instruction in schools has been a contested one with efforts of accommodating bilingualism and multilingualism continue to be attempted with no solutions in sight. The persistence of vernacular schools has generated both intense debates and resistance. This article examines the reasons for the resistance to, and persistence of vernacular schools. The data were drawn from three main sources, namely interviews with heads and/or representatives of 12 schools (mostly national schools and Chinese schools) from four states namely Selangor, Kelantan, Sarawak and Sabah as part of a wider project on social cohesion study as well as newspapers and web sources. The resistance to vernacular schools was premised on the affirmation that national schools rest on the idea of inculcating and sustaining national identity as well as facilitating cross-cultural experience and communication while eliminating the more segregating and divisive forces in vernacular schools. By contrast, the persistence of vernacular schools pertains to the idea of sustaining minority cultural identity, countering the lack of national schools’ sense of accommodation and questionable quality of education, and refuting the perception of vernacular schools as structural cause of disunity. Besides these negotiation difficulties of cultural identities in the school system, wider power politics and market politics interplay in influencing the resistance and persistence of vernacular schools

Debating education for nation building in Malaysia: National school persistence or vernacular school resistance?

School and education system may be a critical and strategic platform for nation-building. At the same time, the politicization of the education system as well as the interdependent nature of schools and external forces may contribute to the destabilization of the role of school in nation building. In Malaysia, the issue of mono-lingualism as a medium of instruction in schools has been a contested one with efforts of accommodating bilingualism and multilingualism continue to be attempted with no solutions in sight. The persistence of vernacular schools has generated both intense debates and resistance. This article examines the reasons for the resistance to, and persistence of vernacular schools. The data were drawn from three main sources, namely interviews with heads and/or representatives of 12 schools (mostly national schools and Chinese schools) from four states namely Selangor, Kelantan, Sarawak and Sabah as part of a wider project on social cohesion study as well as newspapers and web sources. The resistance to vernacular schools was premised on the affirmation that national schools rest on the idea of inculcating and sustaining national identity as well as facilitating cross-cultural experience and communication while eliminating the more segregating and divisive forces in vernacular schools. By contrast, the persistence of vernacular schools pertains to the idea of sustaining minority cultural identity, countering the lack of national schools’ sense of accommodation and questionable quality of education, and refuting the perception of vernacular schools as structural cause of disunity. Besides these negotiation difficulties of cultural identities in the school system, wider power politics and market politics interplay in influencing the resistance and persistence of vernacular schools

Tracking the Pathways of Education in Malaysia: Roots and Routes

Education and the schooling system in Malaysia are constant agenda in the discourse of nation-building. This is because education is regarded as an important avenue to inculcate national consciousness and social cohesion among the people. This article attempts to track the various school systems in Malaysia, with the purpose to highlight the different routes of educational choices in Malaysia. These different routes have their roots in the education policies formulated through time and the growth of a multi-ethnic population in the country. It is argued that these different routes of educational choices display 'inclusiveness', catering to the needs of the diverse population of Malaysia - ethnic, language, religion, regional, disability, vocation, public or private. The Malaysian education scenario represents a complexity of choices, each colouring the pathways of educational experience, expertise and engagement. The guiding question is to what extent this complexity of educational routes influence social cohesion?

Kesiapsiagaan komuniti dalam menghadapi pandemik Covid-19: kajian kes di Pulau Mabul, Sabah

Wabak COVID-19 yang dikesan pada 31 Disember 2019 di Wuhan, Wilayah Hubei, Republik Rakyat China akhirnya diisytiharkan sebagai pandemik oleh Pertubuhan Kesihatan Sedunia (WHO) pada 11 Mac 2020. Di Malaysia, bagi memutuskan rantaian jangkitan COVID-19 berikutan peningkatan kes positif yang mendadak, kerajaan telah melaksanakan Perintah Kawalan Pergerakan (PKP) di bawah Akta Pencegahan dan Pengawalan Penyakit Berjangkit 1988 (Akta 342) dan Akta Polis 1967 (Akta 344), serta selaras dengan Arahan 20 Majlis Keselamatan Negara (MKN 20). Pelaksanaan PKP ini melibatkan pelbagai fasa pengurusan kecemasan kesihatan awam termasuklah aspek kesiapsiagaan di pelbagai peringkat agensi atau institusi dan komuniti. Sehubungan itu, artikel ini membincangkan tentang langkah-langkah kesiapsiagaan yang telah dilaksanakan oleh kerajaan berdasarkan MKN 20 di peringkat komuniti khususnya dalam memberikan kefahaman dan kesedaran tentang COVID-19 serta kaedah menanganinya, dengan fokus utama terhadap pengetahuan dan pematuhan dalam kalangan komuniti. Pendekatan kualitatif menggunakan kaedah temu bual separa berstruktur terhadap 15 orang responden yang dipilih dalam kalangan pemimpinpemimpin komuniti dan ketua isi rumah telah digunakan dalam kajian ini. Kemudian, data yang diperolehi dianalisis menggunakan perisian ATLAS.ti. Dapatan kajian mengenal pasti majoriti penduduk di Pulau Mabul adalah penduduk tiada kewarganegaraan dan tidak berpendidikan. Hal ini menyebabkan komuniti tersebut berdepan dengan isu pemahaman mengenai COVID19 dan kaedah menanganinya. Malahan ia turut mempengaruhi pematuhan komuniti terhadap Prosedur Operasi Standard (Standard Operating Procedure – SOP) PKP yang telah ditetapkan. Terdapat juga kontradiksi pematuhan SOP dalam kalangan kumpulan Bajau Laut (dikenali juga sebagai Palauh) yang tinggal di atas perahu disebabkan maklumat mengenai COVID-19 dan PKP tidak sampai kepada mereka. Begitu juga dalam hal berkaitan pengurusan kes suspek COVID-19 di mana pemimpin komuniti termasuk agensi penguatkuasa yang ada di Pulau Mabul tidak mendapat arahan yang khusus mengenainya. Hal ini menyebabkan aspek kesiapsiagaan dalam kalangan komuniti pulau ini berada pada tahap yang rendah. Justeru, pengukuhan pengetahuan dalam kalangan komuniti dapat mempengaruhi tindakan mereka untuk menghindari COVID-19 dan mematuhi SOP PKP. Selain itu, perlaksanaan langkahlangkah kesiapsiagaan yang lain seperti penyediaan Pelan Tindakan Kecemasan (ERP) dan latih amal yang berterusan oleh agensi yang terlibat juga wajar dilaksanakan di peingkat komuniti Pulau Mabul bagi membolehkan tahap kesiapsiagaan mereka ditingkatkan dalam menghadapi pandemik COVID-19

The making of Malaysian solidarity: a historical look at education and social cohesion in Sarawak

In a multi-ethnic, multicultural and multi religious country like Malaysia an education system that promotes inclusion and participation of all citizens, where diversity of learners is recognised and acknowledged would certainly enhance national solidarity. Such an inclusive education, which aspires to promote social cohesion through greater understanding, respect and interactions among students, may be grounded on the four principles/pillars of learning to know, learning to do, learning to be and learning to live together. The demographic plurality of Malaysia which consists of the 11 states in Peninsular Malaysia, and the states of Sabah and Sarawak on the island of Borneo calls for this inclusive education system. How much do Malaysians know about one another? In particular, how much do Malaysians from Peninsular Malaysia know about their fellow citizens in Sabah and Sarawak, and vice versa? Sarawak, being the only state in Malaysia ruled by ‘white Rajahs’ for about a century, offers an interesting opportunity to see whether the education system evolved has promoted inclusion and social cohesion within itself as well as within the larger Malaysian society. By analysing the history of Sarawak education, beginning with the Brooke rule from 1841 to 1946, and continuing to the British administration from 1946 to 1963 this article concludes that social cohesion beyond inter-ethnic boundaries was not considered an important agenda during the Brooke as well as the British administrations thus leaving the present government with the ongoing monumental task of effectively utilising education in the making of the Malaysian solidarity

Pengetahuan Covid-19 dan perintah kawalan pergerakan (PKP) dalam kalangan komuniti di Pulau Mabul, Sabah

Artikel ini membincangkan tentang pengetahuan dan pemahaman komuniti mengenai COVID-19 dan pelaksanaan Perintah kawalan Pergerakan (PKP) yang bertujuan untuk membendung wabak COVID-19 daripada tersebar. Komuniti yang diberi fokus dalam kajian ini adalah komuniti yang tinggal di pulau atau dikenali sebagai komuniti pulau. Dalam konteks negeri Sabah, sebahagian penduduk tinggal di kepulauan terutama di daerah Semporna. Oleh kajian ini menjelaskan sejauh mana sosialisasi pendidikan COVID-19 dan SOP PKP berlaku dalam kalangan komuniti pulau, khususnya di Pulau Mabul, Semporna, Sabah. Metodologi kajian yang digunakan pendekatan kualitatif melalui dua kaedah iaitu borang tinjauan dan temu bual separa berstruktur terhadap 105 orang responden yang terdiri daripada 13 peratus warganegara Malaysia, 9 peratus penduduk tetap, 21 peratus orang pelarian dan 57 peratus penduduk tiada kewarganegaraan. Unit analisis kajian ini adalah komuniti yang terdiri daripada pemimpin-pemimpin komuniti dan ketua isi rumah. Data kajian mendapati pengetahuan komuniti Pulau Mabul mengenai COVID-19 berada pada tahap baik. Hal ini kerana ciri-ciri COVID-19 telah dapat digarap oleh responden dengan memberikan pelbagai ciri COVID-19 berdasarkan pengetahuan mereka. Pengetahuan tersebut banyak diperolehi daripada televisyen dan media sosial. Oleh kerana unit analisis kajian adalah komuniti, maka totaliti pelbagai ciri yang responden berikan menunjukkan bahawa komuniti Pulau Mabul tahu mengenai COVID-19 secara umum. Walau bagaimanapun, pengetahuan COVID-19 tidak berhubung secara positif dengan pengetahuan terhadap Perintah Kawalan Pergerakan (PKP) sebagai tindakan kerajaan bagi memutuskan rangkaian COVID-19. Selain itu, aspek amalan penjarakan fizikal dan pemakaian pelitup muka dilihat amat terabai dalam komuniti Pulau Mabul. Antara faktor utama yang menyebabkan pengabaian ini adalah ramai komuniti di Pulau Mabul tidak berpendidikan kerana majoriti penduduk adalah bukan warganegara. Oleh itu, mereka tidak dapat memahami dengan jelas kepentingan pematuhan SOP dalam membendung wabak COVID-19 daripada tersebar. Keadaan ini amat membimbangkan kerana ianya boleh mendedahkan komuniti pulau terhadap jangkitan COVID-19