Preliminary-Blueprint-Eng

indigenous and other minority groups
Indigenous and other minority groups (IOMs) comprise groups
such as Orang Asli, Penan, Pribumi Sabah and Pribumi Sarawak.
They account for 4% of all Malaysian primary and secondary school
students. 68% of these students live in rural areas, and 80% in the
states of Sabah and Sarawak. Statistics on IOM student outcomes in
National schools apart from those regarding Orang Asli students is
limited. As such, this section focuses primarily on the performance of
primary schools with a predominantly Orang Asli student population.
(For ease of communication, the write-up in this section will use the
term Orang Asli National School or Sekolah Kebangsaan Orang Asli
(SK Asli)). Interviews with teachers however indicate that other IOM
students experience challenges comparable to those of their Orang Asli
peers. Thus, while acknowledging that some difference in experience is
likely to exist between groups, the Orang Asli experience will be used
as a gauge for how other IOM groups are faring, at least until better
data is available.
Drop-out rates for Orang Asli students is higher and consequently
educational outcomes are poorer when compared to the national
average. Only 30% of Orang Asli students complete secondary school,
less than half the national average of 72%. Compared to the national
average of 87%, only 61% of students at SK Asli pass the core subjects
in the UPSR national examinations. Only 1% of public schools are in
the poor performance band (Bands 6 and 7) compared to 35% of SK
Asli (Exhibit 4-9).
EXHIBIT 4-9
Orang Asli student outcomes
Percentage students that
complete secondary school
30%
Orang Asli
National
average
Percentage of students
passing core subjects at UPSR School distribution by Bands
Percent of students (2008) Percent of students (2010) Percent of schools (2011)
100% =
72%
87%
92
2%
7,614
61%
SK (Asli)
National
average
SK (Asli)
SOURCE: “Dropout Prevention Initiatives for Malaysian Indigenous Orang Asli Children”, Md Nor et al, (2011);
Day School Management Division
1%
Primary
schools
Bands
1&2
Bands
3,4&5
Bands
6&7
Several economic, geographic, and cultural factors limit Orang Asli
students’ access to quality education. Firstly, higher incidences of
poverty and the tendency to live in remote locations means that many
Orang Asli students do not attend preschool and thus start from a low
literacy and numeracy base in Year 1. Additionally, Bahasa Malaysia is
not the mother tongue for most of these students, which further
impedes learning. Secondly, principals and teachers report that
existing training programmes do not sufficiently prepare them for the
complexities of working with these communities. They struggle to
support students on multiple levels: from helping them integrate with
their non-Orang Asli peers, to convincing them and their families of
62%
35%
34%
65%
the value of pursuing basic and further education.
Malaysia Education Blueprint 2013 - 2025
Chapter 4 Student Learning
The Ministry has undertaken multiple initiatives to address the issues
raised above. Key among them are:
▪ The development of a contextualised curriculum (Kurikulum Asli
dan Penan, KAP) tailored to Orang Asli and Penan students.
KAP was piloted in 2007 at 14 Orang Asli and 6 Penan schools,
and contains two elements—a minimum adequate syllabus and
a curriculum that has been contextualised to the Orang Asli and
Penan communities. Initial results have been promising. For
example, KAP students are reportedly more confident, achieve
higher levels of literacy and numeracy, and have better self-esteem;
▪ The development of a Special Comprehensive Model School
Programme (K9) which provides residential education from Year
1 to Form 3. The main objective is to reduce the drop-out rate
between Year 6 and Form 1. This programme was piloted in 2007,
and thus far, it appears that attendance rates for students have been
increasing every year, from 85.7% in 2007 to 97.6% in 2010;
▪ The inclusion of indigenous and other minority languages in the
curriculum. Under the new KSSR introduced in 2011, the Ministry
also expanded the elective language choices to include Iban,
Kadazan-Dusun and Semai; and
▪ The provision of Kelas Dewasa Orang Asli dan Pribumi (KEDAP)
classes for Orang Asli adults to provide them with sufficient literacy
and numeracy to support their children’s learning.
the roadmap: improving access and outcomes
The Ministry’s current policy is to provide Orang Asli and Penan students
with educational opportunities relevant to their needs. As such,
in July 2012, the Ministry launched a dedicated 5-year transformation
plan for Orang Asli education that will run from 2013 to 2018, that
is during Waves 1 and 2 of the Blueprint. A comparable plan for the
groups in Sabah and Sarawak will be launched by 2013.
Wave 1 (2013 to 2015): improving access and laying foundations
for further reform
The focus of Wave 1 will be on improving enrolment and attendance
rates of Orang Asli students from primary through to secondary school.
The first major initiative is to expand the number of K9 schools from
two to six, followed by infrastructural upgrades for existing schools and
residential facilities, and the construction of new residential schools.
Secondly, the Ministry will focus on curriculum enhancements. This
includes updating KAP to ensure alignment with the design framework
and principles of KSSR, and the broadening of the Basic Vocational
Education or Pendidikan Asas Vokasional (PAV) curriculum at
secondary schools to offer more class options. The Ministry will also
roll out the KEDAP program to benefit unserved remote communities,
especially in Sabah and Sarawak.
Thirdly, the Ministry will improve teacher recruitment, support, and
training. To achieve this, the Ministry will increase the number of
Orang Asli candidates in teacher training programmes, and strengthen
resources for indigenous education research at the five National
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