Why is it that a daughter with a Malaysian father is not allowed to attend a local school? Sarawak’s Member of Parliament inquires
Assemblyman Baru Bian of Ba Kelalan has expressed his displeasure with the news that a nine-year-old child in his district was refused access to education due to her citizenship status.
When asked about Jeanny Lianna Ating’s suffering, Baru stated it was morally wrong for the government to deny any child the right to school, as reported before.
Last month, the same incident happened to a youngster from Baru’s village (Pa Berunut), as he mentioned in his last press statement. His parents applied for him to be transferred to SK Long Luping, but he was denied since his parents’ citizenship application was still pending.
A boy of such a condition can only attend to school as a foreign student and pay greater fees, as his parents did. In Jeanny’s case, her father is Malaysian.
According to Baru, who is also a Selangau MP, a recent court ruling stated that if one of the parents is a Malaysian citizen, their children can be as well.
According to Borneo Post, he also believes it is morally wrong for the government to deny children their fundamental right to education.
