“I Lost My Education”: Refugees in Malaysia Face Widening School Gap
The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated disparities in access to quality education around the world. In Kuala Lumpur, an underfunded informal education system for refugee and asylum-seeking youth may soon collapse, leaving their education outlook bleak.
Author: Emily Fishbein, Jaw Tu Hkawng Photographer: Benjamin
In October, 15-year-old Lian*, a Chin refugee from Myanmar living in Kuala Lumpur, dropped out of school to work. Two of the three income earners in his family of seven had lost their jobs and money ran out for Lian’s school fees of RM 100 (about $25 USD) per month.
“My father asked me to drop out of school because he couldn’t afford to pay my education fees,” says Lian, who hopes one day to serve his community as a musician at his church. Now, he is selling shoes at a shopping mall. He says he misses his teachers and classmates, and the support they gave him to pursue his learning. “During this difficult time, I have to prioritise my family’s livelihood,” he tells New Naratif.
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Jaw Tu Hkawng is from Kachin State and is pursuing a law degree in Malaysia, where he has also been a volunteer teacher at a Kachin community school since 2014. As a writer and activist, he advocates for peace, human rights and education.
Jaw Tu Hkawng berasal dari Negeri Kachin dan sedang melanjutkan pelajaran dalam bidang undang-undang di Malaysia, di mana dia juga pernah menjadi guru sukarela di sebuah sekolah komuniti Kachin sejak tahun 2014. Sebagai seorang penulis dan aktivis, dia memperjuangkan keamanan, hak asasi manusia dan pendidikan.
Emily Fishbein is a freelance journalist focusing on issues related to conflict and displacement, human rights, and social justice in Myanmar and Malaysia.
Emily Fishbein adalah seorang wartawan bebas yang memfokuskan pada isu-isu yang berkaitan dengan konflik dan anjakan paksa, hak asasi manusia, dan keadilan sosial di Myanmar dan Malaysia.
