POLITIKUS

The Indigenous Dilemma: Lost in TranslationA New Approach to Education for the Orang Asli

Team Politikus, MPPC 2012

The Great MisconceptionEducation attainment rates among Orang Asli remain low.

Common perceptionsThe success of the inclusion of the Orang Asli in government schools depends largely on their ability to accommodate and assimilate into the mainstream… The MOE has to accept the fact that attendance in schools is dependent on seasonal nature of household chores. (MoE, National Report, July 2004)

Orang Asli children drop out of school due to boredom and laziness, said state Health, Social Welfare and Orang Asli Affairs Committee chairman Datuk Ishak Muhammad.(The Star, “School too boring for them”, 14 January 2006)

Failure to address the cultural divide.

The Cultural GapIn a 2010 Suhakam report, the contrast in pedagogy and culture was listed as one out of several major structural causes of dropouts (page 51, Orang Asli Suhakam)

Orang Asli children cannot relate to:

Curriculum content

Subject relevance

Medium of instruction

The Big Idea

Increase quality of teaching

and curriculum relevance

The Roots Project:Teachers to have a

more intimate understanding of

Orang Asli culture.

The Identity Initiative:

A community-based module to complement, not

replace, the existing formal education

system.

Some Background Indigenous people of

Peninsular Malaysia.

About 150,000 Orang Asli.

3 major subgroups: Semang (Negrito) Senoi Proto-Malay

Poverty rates in 2008: 76.9% (35.2% hardcore poor)

StatisticsIncrease in enrolment rates for Orang Asli students (1993 – 2004):

Primary school: 45%

Secondary schools: 56.9%

Of 100 Orang Asli children entering Primary 1,

only 6 will reach Form 5. (SUHAKAM, “Orang Asli: Rights, Problems and Solutions”,

2006)

Dropout rates from primary to secondary schools have increased

Orang Asli dropout rates (%) National dropout rates (%)

Dropout rates in secondary school (%) have increased

Orang Asli dropout rates (%) National dropout rates (%)

Year %

2006 34.3

2007 34.5

2008 39.1

Year %

2009 8.99

2010 8.98

2011 9.74

What Is Being Done• Project to uplift Orang Asli and

discourage dropouts

• Financial assistance for recurring expenses

• Clusters of Excellence Policy (2007)

• Seven initiatives to raise Orang Asli education attainment.

BUT: These initiatives do not address the disconnect between mainstream education

and the Orang Asli’s needs.

The Roots ProjectWhat is it?A programme to recruit top Orang Asli graduates to return to their communities and teach in high-need Orang Asli schools, inspired by the Teach for American Native Achievement Initiative.

Why?Inculcate culturally responsible teaching.

Encourage successful Orang Asli graduates to return and contribute.

Provide jobs and professional development for fresh graduates.

Planting Roots

Recruitment of top Orang Asli graduates – recruitment drives – 20 recruits by 2014.

Intensive training and support by NGOs (Teach for Malaysia, COAC), faciliated by MoE – 6 weeks.

First batch of recruits placed in Orang Asli schools within 6 months – duration: min. 2 yearsPartnership with experienced teachers in school.

Continued professional development training – outstanding performers receive recommendations

Gradual increase in number of Roots teachers and schools – yearly recruitment drives.

Case Study: Teach For America

Native Achievement Initiative by Teach for America Launched in 2010 to assist native American

children Provides an additional source of teachers for some

of the poorest communities Advocates culturally responsible teaching Over 400 members teaching more than 15,000 children

from native backgrounds“Teach for America is an awesome resource for isolated educational institutions. They helped us fill certified teaching positions at our high schools. Our teachers understand the importance of education, and help to advocate and promote education within the school environment.” - Barry L. Mann, St. Francis Indian School Administrator, Rosebud Indian Reservation, South Dakota

The Identity Initiative: Community-based Modules

• A new set of school modules that are developed to reflect the culture, history and lifestyle of the Orang Asli.

• To complement, not to replace, the existing formal education system.

• Community participation in forming the curriculum and the teaching of it at the primary and secondary school level.

The Identity Initiative: Objectives

This method ensures:

Relevance

Vocational and technical skills, education in its most inclusive sense

Community involvement

An acknowledgement of the different paradigms of education

Recognition of the need — and providing the foundation — for the modernisation of the Orang Asli.

Implementing Community-Based Modules

Consultati

on

• Discussions between Orang Asli community leaders, JAKOA and MOE

Feedback

• Formed council receives feedback from local stakeholders

Drafting

• MOE facilitates curriculum guideline drafting

Developmen

t

• Community facilitators sought; modules developed

Pilot

• Pilot project initiated! 10 schools under observation

Case Study: Intercultural Bilingual Education

• Implemented in many Latin American countries, e.g. Bolivia, Ecuador

• Flanks the national education curriculum with regional indigenous knowledge

• Students learn Spanish with an indigenous language; e,g, Quechua and Guarani

• Inculcates both national identity and cultural affiliation

Gauging the ImpactStudent educational

attainment

Dropout rates

Feedback from stakeholders

Completion rate of Roots recruits.

Analysis What has not been addressed directly?

Why not tackle infrastructure problem? Will there be problems of national

integration?

What are the cons of the CBM? What if it creates an inconsistent educational

system, even amongst different communities of the same ethnicity?

Next Steps and Conclusion Self empowerment – remove the stereotype of a

people that can not fend for themselves.

Recognition of the different modes and paradigms of education.

Acknowledgement of a need to bring the Orang Asli forward, albeit in their own mould.

Strikes the ideal balance between mainstream academic education and indigenous people education

“Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability

to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is

stupid.”-Albert Einstein