Children who do not have birth certificates can now be enrolled in school as long as their parents obtain a confirmation letter from their village headman or the Village Development and Safety Committee (JKKK) head.
Education Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein said under present regulations, children who do not have birth certificates cannot attend school.
“This is a Cabinet decision and takes effect immediately. These children no longer need to wait for confirmation from the National Registration Department,” he told reporters after chairing a meeting between his ministry and the Plantation and Commodities Ministry.
All school heads have been directed to accept these pupils, he added.
Hishammuddin said the Cabinet has also approved the setting up of a fund especially for the children of estate workers.
“This will help ensure they receive equal access to education and prevent them from dropping out of school,” he said.
The two ministries, he added, have taken the initiative to set up the fund.
Money for the fund would come from donations from government-linked companies as part of their corporate social responsibility, he added.
He said 85,000 pupils in 517 schools in estate areas should benefit from the fund.
On another matter, Hishammuddin said the ministry would identify partially aided schools at estates, which were having problems with their status.
“We will look into how we can convert their status,” he said.
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