Chapter 1 - Report of the Education and Public Relations Group During visits to Orang Asli schools, the Commission has observed that the attitude of parents and the community clearly influences the continuity of education of the children. Most parents realise the importance of education and are willing to part with their children who have to stay in hostels when schools are located some distance away – as in Pos Gob and Pos Hau in Gua Musang, Kelantan and Kampung Selaoh in Gerik, Perak. In turn, the Commission recognises the importance of the family nucleus to the Orang Asli community. By tradition and culture, parents would prefer their children to stay close to them. (ii) Educational infrastructure The rights to quality education and safety of children are essentially the responsibility of the State. The Commission appreciates the efforts, through various departments, to provide assistance such as transportation and hostel accommodation. The Orang Asli Development Department of Malaysia (JAKOA) provides transportation for Orang Asli children but often, the vehicles are either inadequate in number or not suitable for the intended purpose. The condition of roads in rural areas must also be improved to allow routine access to schools. The Commission had highlighted the issue in its Annual Report 2012, but the problem persists, as seen during visits to schools like SK Tohoi in Gua Musang, and SK Lenjang and SK Senderut in Kuala Lipis, Pahang. Although several new and reliable vehicles have been provided in these locations, overloading poses serious safety concerns. Schools like SK Betau, SK Lenjang and SK Sendrut in Pahang, and SK Pos Kemar in Perak, do not have adequate classrooms, functioning computers, telephones and access to the Internet even with the VSAT programme implemented in 2004 and 1 BestariNet programme launched by the MOE in 2011. There are not enough teachers, either, especially Englishlanguage teachers. SK Betau and SK Pos Kemar have been selected as K9 Schools, under which Orang Asli children will be placed from Year 1 to Form 3. One objective of the programme is to reduce the dropout rate and absenteeism. While this is a good programme, the Commission feels more can be done. The MOE should ensure the adequacy of facilities in such schools, teaching and learning equipment, especially for vocational subjects and space in the hostels and teachers’ quarters. In SK Pos Kemar and SK Lenjang, for example, 8-10 teachers were living in dilapidated quarters with minimal facilities. The Commission also visited hostels. It was observed that most of the rural hostels were not fully equipped either in terms of materials or personnel to take care of the children. Many do not have clean water supply, which poses the risk of water-borne diseases such as leptospirosis. The Commission’s Annual Reports for the past three years have highlighted the need to supply clean water to schools like Pos Betau, interior schools in the Batang Padang district, SK Denai and the hostel at SK Bidor, but the problems remain. The lack of 24-hour electricity supply is another issue, which the MOE has acknowledged. This hampers the requirement for students to use ICT to enhance learning. 21