KUALA LUMPUR: WAS it necessary for Tan Yao Chun, 7, to undergo the ordeal of turning up in school on what was supposed to be the start of his school life only to be told that he cannot enrol because he did not have a birth certificate?
Apparently not. The Education Ministry has revealed that a circular on the issue of stateless children had been sent to state education departments since March 2009.
The circular stated that such children could register in any government or government-aided school if one of the parents was a Malaysian citizen.
Deputy Education Minister Datuk P. Kamalanathan yesterday told the New Straits Times that the parent or guardian, however, needed to get a support letter from the village head to facilitate the enrolment.
“In the case of Tan, the school should have accepted him. I read his story and this is not the first case that I have come across.
“All state education departments should refer to the circular when faced with similar situations.”
Kamalanathan’s revelation begs the question of how many more stateless children have been denied access to basic education over the years due to a simple procedural oversight.
Tan, from Changlun, Kedah, got a reprieve yesterday after Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Ahmad Bashah Md Hanipah stepped in and said stateless children in Kedah would be allowed to enrol in public schools.
Touched by the boy’s plea, Ahmad Bashah said it was unfair for such children to be denied formal education as it was not their fault that their parents failed to register their births.
He said Tan’s plight and the issue of stateless children in Kedah were discussed in the state executive council meeting.
Ahmad Bashah said parents or legal guardians would be required to fill up a form at district education offices and attach a copy of the children’s birth certificate application form.
“However, the parents or legal guardians must complete the registration process with the National Registration Department as soon as possible, so that the children can sit major examinations.”
He said being a state bordering Thailand, the issue of stateless children was common, but what was important was that the children should not be made to suffer for the mistakes of their parents.
The announcement came one day after the NST had highlighted the plight of Tan, who could not enrol at a vernacular school as he was stateless and had no birth certificate.
Tan was born on Aug 29, 2009, at the Hatyai City Hospital to a Malaysian father and a Myanmar national mother.
However, Tan’s father had failed to register his birth at the Malaysian embassy in Thailand.
His grandmother has since filed an application for his birth certificate with the state NRD.