Scholarship as a Method to Enhance the Identity of Undocumented Children of Indonesian Migrant Workers in Sabah, Malaysia

Abstract

The undocumented children of Indonesian migrant workers born and raised in Sabah have an identity problem. This is due to the absence of documents and the values, culture, customs, and experiences acquired in the receiving country. Furthermore, an emotional and physical link to the recipient country is built, which causes neglect towards their original identity. The Indonesian Government enacted a policy to revive the identity of undocumented children through the provision of repatriation scholarships. This study aimed to determine the influence of scholarships on the re-emergence of Indonesian identity. It involved a mixed method that combines quantitative and qualitative. Data collection techniques used were questionnaires, interviews, and FGD. The results showed that repatriation scholarships foster the identity of migrant workers’ children as Indonesians. Keywords: identity, scholarships, undocumented children