INEQUALITY IN EDUCATION: EXPERIENCE OF CRITICAL PEDAGOGY AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT WITH ORANG SUNGAI IN PAITAN, SABAH

Abstract

The level of literacy among rural communities is still relatively low in Malaysia even though the overall country's literacy rate is considerably high. Literacy rates among indigenous people are lowest in remote communities, especially in Sabah and Sarawak. This is due to reasons like low literacy among the parents and poor school attendance. There have been initiatives attempt to bring literacy level of the indigenous communities to a similar level to that of their non-indigenous peers. Adopting Community Participation Action Research, this study aims to develop and implement a community engagement project through the Literacy Advocacy Program among Orang Sungai who dwells in remote areas in Sabah. Data were gathered through community asset-mapping form on 187 community members and focus group discussion with the community teachers (n=6). The findings of the asset mapping exercise showed that almost 40% of the Orang Sungai did not attend any formal education. A total of 66% of household heads have no formal occupation, and the most common profession is farming. Reasons include the inability to read, write or count. The findings also showed that there is a need for community literacy program to empower the community in the development of the nation. Therefore, the Literacy Advocacy Program was planned to use a set of Literacy Advocacy Module. The module consists of 13 sub-modules which require a total of 42-hours of adult learning hours. Conducted in the community hall, this program was participated by 21 community members. The community teachers to carry out the program learning activities were appointed by locally trained teachers. Upon completion of the program, participants underwent an oral assessment to measure the effectiveness of the program. The program has shown effective impacts on the adult learning process and the community at large. It has implications on extending the similar format to other marginalised communities in Malaysia.