School drop-outs are most rampant amongst the Orang Asli, and the single, greatest contributing factor to the dropout is poverty.
The ‘Orang Asli Children’s Education Fund’ was set up to support indigenous children in national schools and those attending after-school classes at community learning centers.
In catering to the unique needs of the community, the fund ensures that Orang Asli children, especially those in rural areas, are not left behind and are able to attain an education and an opportunity to develop to their fullest potential.
MyKasih currently supports 27 Orang Asli primary schools and nine rural community learning centres, also known as Pusat Didikan Komuniti (PDK) Orang Asli.
The PDKs compliment the Ministry of Education’s objective in ensuring literacy among the OA children, as tremendous focus in given to the 5M concept, i.e. ‘Membaca’, ‘Mengeja’, ‘Menulis’, Mengira’, and ‘Menaakul’.
The focus on reading, spelling, writing, counting and critical thinking would provide a child with necessary skills needed to continue towards higher education.
