students are required to obtain the Living Skills certificate. However, the Commission was informed that 35 Form 3 classes under this programme failed to secure the Living Skills certificate as accredited by the Ministry of Human Resource, due to the failure of the MOE to fulfil basic criteria set by the said Ministry. CHAPTER 2 The Commission maintains its stand that the Orang Asli schools identified as having poor attendance and Reading, Writing and Arithmetic (3R) problem should have a modified curriculum to address these issues. The Commission strongly recommends that the MOE seriously consider adopting the Kurikulum Asli Penan (KAP), which has been developed as an alternative curriculum. The Commission also recommends that the MOE adopt measures to improve KAP’s content and implementation. (d) Sekolah Agama Rakyat (SAR) One of the recommendations from the 2014 and 2015 workshops was to increase the number of workshops conducted for these schools as the participants felt it was important for them to be aware of child and human rights issues and best practices of human rights in schools. The Commission also visited three schools. Upon visiting these schools, the Commission discovered that the various issues reported in 2015 still remained unresolved. For example, the teaching staff at a SAR school managed by the Pahang State Religious Council had not received a salary increment since 1998. Furthermore, as their pay is given in the form of monthly allowances instead of wages, they are not eligible to enjoy the benefits given to Government employees. This is despite the fact that these teachers execute and fulfil the same duties as Government-employed teachers, as observed by the Commission. Another issue that remained unaddressed was that some schools did not have a proper place for recreation and sport. Sport and recreational activities are of low priority in SAR schools. This problem is particularly acute for students who stay in hostels. The Commission is of the opinion that students should be given opportunities to play and socialise through sport and recreation. This is crucial for the students’ overall personal development, character building, and self-confidence. As most teachers lack continuous professional development training, they are unable to mentor the children or guide them through co-curricular activities. (e) Awareness Programme on Bullying According to the Ministry of Education’s statement in Parliament, some 14,072 cases of bullying in schools have been recorded over a four-year 98 SUHAKAM ANNUAL REPORT 2016 suhakam 2new.indd 98 3/23/17 5:54 PM