Children without citizenship eligible for school if one parent is Malaysian, says Sarawak minister

KUCHING, Oct 14 — Children in Sarawak who do not have Malaysian citizenship but have at least one Malaysian biological parent are still eligible to attend government or government-aided schools, according to Datuk Seri Fatimah Abdullah, the Sarawak Minister of Women, Childhood and Community Wellbeing Development. This eligibility is stipulated by the Education Act 1996 (Act 550), the Education Regulations 1998, and the procedures set by the Education Ministry (MOE).

To qualify for school admission, the birth certificate of the child must include information regarding the parent who holds Malaysian citizenship. Fatimah clarified that while citizenship status and access to education are separate issues, the former must be accurately documented for school admission purposes.

Responding to a query from Dr Johnichal Rayong Ngipa (GPS-Engkilili) during a question-and-answer session at the Sarawak State Legislative Assembly, Fatimah addressed concerns regarding children born and raised in Sarawak with non-citizen parents. She also revealed that, based on data from the National Registration Department (JPN), 224 children were registered as non-citizens between January and August of the current year.

The main reasons for children being registered as non-citizens or issued pink birth certificates include the absence of a registered or recognized marriage between their parents, mothers lacking valid identification documents, and instances where children were found abandoned. In response to these issues, Fatimah's ministry is intensifying efforts to reduce this problem. This includes engaging in dialogues with communities and conducting awareness campaigns to promote lawful marriage registration.

Furthermore, assistance will be provided to mothers born in Sarawak but who lack proper identification documents, enabling them to obtain these documents through the channels and procedures outlined under the Sarawak Births and Deaths Registration Ordinance (Chapter 10).