Education transforms lives, paving the way to better futures and livelihood opportunities. In times of crisis, including long-term displacement, education can play a life-saving and life-sustaining role. Unfortunately, in Malaysia, refugee and stateless children remain excluded from formal education in public schools and are thus hindered from reaching their full potential.

This policy brief is the result of a roundtable discussion organised by the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (SUHAKAM), in collaboration with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR Malaysia), International Rescue Committee (IRC) and the Asia Displacement Solutions Platform (ADSP), funded by the European Union Humanitarian Aid (ECHO) on Realising the Right to Education for Refugee and Stateless Children in Kuala Lumpur, on 10 May 2023. Recognising education as a fundamental right, this policy brief explores the gaps and challenges to educational access among refugee and stateless children in Malaysia, Some of these challenges include financial barriers, limited funding, lack of documentation, insufficient infrastructure, legal barriers and parental involvement. This policy brief incorporates the main points that were discussed during the roundtable discussion, as well as secondary research.

This brief ultimately recommends a multi-dimensional approach encompassing policy reforms, resource mobilisation, capacity building, and stakeholder collaboration.

The full brief (ENGLISH) and the Executive Summary can be found here and here.

The full brief (MALAY) and the Executive Summary can be found here and here.