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Education for non-citizen children in Malaysia during the COVID-19 pandemic: A qualitative study

The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted schooling for children worldwide. Most vulnerable are non-citizen children without access to public education. This study aims to explore challenges faced in achieving education access for children of refugee and asylum-seekers, migrant workers, stateless and undocume...

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Main Authors: Loganathan, Tharani, Chan, Zhie X., Hassan, Fikri, Kunpeuk, Watinee, Suphanchaimat, Rapeepong, Yi, Huso, Abdul Majid, Hazreen
Format: Article
Published: Public Library of Science 2021
Subjects:
L Education (General)
R Medicine
Online Access:http://eprints.um.edu.my/28561/
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spelling my.um.eprints.285612022-03-28T08:38:42Z http://eprints.um.edu.my/28561/ Education for non-citizen children in Malaysia during the COVID-19 pandemic: A qualitative study Loganathan, Tharani Chan, Zhie X. Hassan, Fikri Kunpeuk, Watinee Suphanchaimat, Rapeepong Yi, Huso Abdul Majid, Hazreen L Education (General) R Medicine The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted schooling for children worldwide. Most vulnerable are non-citizen children without access to public education. This study aims to explore challenges faced in achieving education access for children of refugee and asylum-seekers, migrant workers, stateless and undocumented persons in Malaysia during the pandemic. In-depth interviews of 33 stakeholders were conducted from June 2020 to March 2021. Data were thematically analysed. Our findings suggest that lockdowns disproportionately impacted non-citizen households as employment, food and housing insecurity were compounded by xenophobia, exacerbating pre-existing inequities. School closures disrupted school meals and deprived children of social interaction needed for mental wellbeing. Many non-citizen children were unable to participate in online learning due to the scarcity of digital devices, and poor internet connectivity, parental support, and home learning environments. Teachers were forced to adapt to online learning and adopt alternative arrangements to ensure continuity of learning and prevent school dropouts. The lack of government oversight over learning centres meant that measures taken were not uniform. The COVID-19 pandemic presents an opportunity for the design of more inclusive national educational policies, by recognising and supporting informal learning centres, to ensure that no child is left behind. Public Library of Science 2021-12-02 Article PeerReviewed Loganathan, Tharani and Chan, Zhie X. and Hassan, Fikri and Kunpeuk, Watinee and Suphanchaimat, Rapeepong and Yi, Huso and Abdul Majid, Hazreen (2021) Education for non-citizen children in Malaysia during the COVID-19 pandemic: A qualitative study. PLoS ONE, 16 (12). ISSN 1932-6203, DOI https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0259546 <https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0259546>. 10.1371/journal.pone.0259546
institution Universiti Malaya
building UM Library
collection Institutional Repository
continent Asia
country Malaysia
content_provider Universiti Malaya
content_source UM Research Repository
url_provider http://eprints.um.edu.my/
topic L Education (General)
R Medicine
spellingShingle L Education (General)
R Medicine
Loganathan, Tharani
Chan, Zhie X.
Hassan, Fikri
Kunpeuk, Watinee
Suphanchaimat, Rapeepong
Yi, Huso
Abdul Majid, Hazreen
Education for non-citizen children in Malaysia during the COVID-19 pandemic: A qualitative study
description The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted schooling for children worldwide. Most vulnerable are non-citizen children without access to public education. This study aims to explore challenges faced in achieving education access for children of refugee and asylum-seekers, migrant workers, stateless and undocumented persons in Malaysia during the pandemic. In-depth interviews of 33 stakeholders were conducted from June 2020 to March 2021. Data were thematically analysed. Our findings suggest that lockdowns disproportionately impacted non-citizen households as employment, food and housing insecurity were compounded by xenophobia, exacerbating pre-existing inequities. School closures disrupted school meals and deprived children of social interaction needed for mental wellbeing. Many non-citizen children were unable to participate in online learning due to the scarcity of digital devices, and poor internet connectivity, parental support, and home learning environments. Teachers were forced to adapt to online learning and adopt alternative arrangements to ensure continuity of learning and prevent school dropouts. The lack of government oversight over learning centres meant that measures taken were not uniform. The COVID-19 pandemic presents an opportunity for the design of more inclusive national educational policies, by recognising and supporting informal learning centres, to ensure that no child is left behind.
format Article
author Loganathan, Tharani
Chan, Zhie X.
Hassan, Fikri
Kunpeuk, Watinee
Suphanchaimat, Rapeepong
Yi, Huso
Abdul Majid, Hazreen
author_facet Loganathan, Tharani
Chan, Zhie X.
Hassan, Fikri
Kunpeuk, Watinee
Suphanchaimat, Rapeepong
Yi, Huso
Abdul Majid, Hazreen
author_sort Loganathan, Tharani
title Education for non-citizen children in Malaysia during the COVID-19 pandemic: A qualitative study
title_short Education for non-citizen children in Malaysia during the COVID-19 pandemic: A qualitative study
title_full Education for non-citizen children in Malaysia during the COVID-19 pandemic: A qualitative study
title_fullStr Education for non-citizen children in Malaysia during the COVID-19 pandemic: A qualitative study
title_full_unstemmed Education for non-citizen children in Malaysia during the COVID-19 pandemic: A qualitative study
title_sort education for non-citizen children in malaysia during the covid-19 pandemic: a qualitative study
publisher Public Library of Science
publishDate 2021
url http://eprints.um.edu.my/28561/
_version_ 1735409558090678272
score 13.211869

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