Learning About Indonesia Miles Away From Home

Jakarta Globe, February 5, 2009

Adi Lazuardi

I ndonesian primary school students in Sabah, Malaysia, can now sing their national anthem, "Indonesia Raya," before class.

"This is our way of introducing Indonesia as a beloved mother country to these children," said Dadang Hermawan, principal of Kota Kinabalu Indonesian School, or SIKK, in Sabah on Borneo Island.

These students are the children of Indonesian migrant workers who moved to Malaysia to work on oil palm plantations and in households as domestic staff.

Around 80 percent of the students at SIKK were born in Sabah, and many have little knowledge of the land of their parents.

These children are more fortunate than others. Thousands of children of migrant workers, some from the Philippines, have no access to education, which is free for local Malaysian children and Indonesian children back home.

According to the Indonesian Consulate in Kota Kinabalu, there were 24,199 children of migrant workers in Sabah in 2006 and that number is expected to grow.

"It is not true that children of migrant workers cannot study at Malaysian schools," said Imran Hanafi, the education attache of the Indonesian Embassy in Kuala Lumpur. "They cannot study in public schools because of subsidy issues. Foreign children should study in international or private schools. The problem is that their parents are low-income earners and cannot afford those schools."

Malaysian immigration regulations prohibit foreign workers from bringing their spouses and children to the country. They are also prohibited from marrying in Malaysia, according to Imran.

However, some employers of migrant workers turn a blind eye to workers who do bring their families with them.

"When employers allow workers to have their families by their sides, they show better job loyalty," said Umbara Setiawan, a counselor at the Indonesian Consulate.

"Spouses and children can also work to increase family income. Children who do not go to school can work on the plantations, increasing income and making use of available time," Umbara said.

White-collar expatriates, however, are allowed to marry and bring their families to Malaysia.

Syaheddrul Joddarim, the human resources manager of the Sabah Land Development Board, said: "We have male and female workers, and while we always prohibit them from marrying, we cannot prohibit love. Illegal marriages occur all the time on plantations, and people have children here," he said.

Seeing other workers married with children in Malaysia encourages workers to start new families in Sabah, Syaheddrul said.

The Indonesian and Malaysian governments and Humana, a European-based nongovernmental organization, have provided informal schooling for the children of migrant workers for years.

In December 2008, the Indonesian government furthered that effort by establishing SIKK for Indonesian children, where 274 children are now schooled.

According to the consulate, there are 576 children who want to study at SIKK, but after evaluation and selection, only 274 were found eligible to enrol.

Children aged 11 or older who cannot read are ineligible for attending the school. "Unfortunately, we cannot accept them," Dadang said.

Children of migrant workers are taught to read, write and count, although there are no class levels. The Malaysian government asks plantation owners to provide an informal school building for the children.

Indonesia has sent 109 teachers to work in Malaysia since 2007.

SIKK has six classrooms in the Alam Mesra shopping complex at Kota Kinabalu and has a capacity of 326 students. There are only three teachers currently and the principal, who also teaches. "In the near future, four additional teachers will come here from Indonesia," Dadang said.

All SIKK students are provided with red and white uniforms and school books.

"They are very enthusiastic. They leave their homes at five in the morning to get here by six, even though class starts at seven," Dadan g said.

Edijatmiko from Malang, East Java Province, is pleased that his children can attend the informal school in Kota Kinabalu.

Nabila, a grade one SIKK student, said: "My friends are happy with the red and white uniform, because it is the uniform of Indonesian schools.

"I also know the Indonesia Raya and Garuda Pancasila [nationalist] songs now."

Antara