A few weeks ago, a video went viral across Malaysian social media. It showed children from a remote Orang Asli community sitting under dim lamplight, using wooden boards as desks. The clip spoke volumes. It exposed the stark reality that even in 2025, some of Malaysia’s indigenous youth still struggle to access quality education. The scene stirred anger, sadness, and a deep longing for justice among many Malaysians a reminder that modern progress often leaves behind those already on the margins.
Into this fraught moment stepped Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB). The state‑linked energy giant announced a renewed push to support education for underprivileged communities, including the Orang Asli. What does that effort really mean? Is it a cosmetic gesture or a turning point for generations long neglected?
Not Just Lights, But Scholarships and Social Lift
TNB recently reported that through its foundation and education‑support arm, Yayasan Tenaga Nasional (YTN), it has channelled substantial resources toward underprivileged students including Orang Asli youth. According to TNB’s 2024 report, the company contributed more than RM41.5 million to support 1,582 students under its My Brighter Future (MyBF) programme. The fund offers scholarships and convertible loans to students locally and abroad.
Beyond scholarships, TNB also engages Orang Asli communities living near its operational sites with socioeconomic initiatives. This includes providing land for rubber or fruit plantations, plus training in upskilling and reskilling all aimed at improving income potential and employability.
The company’s 2025 community spending tells a similar story. In the first quarter alone, TNB allocated over RM45 million for community development across Malaysia. Among the key items: targeted aid amounting to RM110,000 benefiting more than 1,200 Orang Asli individuals in Perak reinforcing its commitment to inclusive welfare. (TRP)
TNB’s flagship education initiative, Ceria Ke Sekolah (CKS), enters its 12th year in 2025. The programme has helped nearly 79,565 families across 519 areas since 2013, including rural communities and marginalised groups. For the 2025 school session, TNB allocated RM1 million to support students in 66 locations including flood‑affected zones and regions near TNB installations. (The Star)
TNB chairman, Tan Sri Abdul Razak Abdul Majid, emphasized during the CKS launch that education forms the foundation of societal progress and shapes future leaders. For many low‑income families, including Orang Asli households, receiving school supplies, uniforms, and stationery relieves financial burden and opens doors to learning. (The Star)
Orang Asli Education Landscape
Efforts by TNB come at a time when national policy also intensifies focus on uplifting the Orang Asli community. Under the 2025 national budget, the Jabatan Kemajuan Orang Asli (JAKOA) received a RM380 million allocation aimed at education and economic development programs for Orang Asli. The funds will support initiatives across education, livelihood, and development of Orang Asli villages nationwide. (Portal Berita)
Government officials highlight positive progress. According to a recent statement from Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, Deputy Prime Minister and Rural and Regional Development Minister, the number of Orang Asli professionals has risen. He cited more than 20 Orang Asli with PhDs, over five serving as professors, as well as engineers, accountants, and other skilled professionals evidence education can deliver uplift. (The Star)
Moreover, the government plans to supplement formal academic pathways with vocational training. Plans include establishing an Orang Asli Business Council and a specialised Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) institution to build skills and entrepreneurship capacity within Orang Asli communities. (The Sun Malaysia)
Yet major challenges remain. Historically, many Orang Asli children drop out before secondary school due to geographic isolation, lack of infrastructure, and socio‑economic constraints. In some cases, a sizable portion never transition to higher education. (Forward Malaysia)
It’s in this context that TNB’s initiatives often operating in remote or rural areas can play a vital role beyond just giving school supplies.
Why TNB’s Role Matters
TNB’s reach and capacity give it unique power. The company’s infrastructure often sits near remote or rural areas inhabited by Orang Asli communities. By investing not only in electricity but in education and social development, TNB becomes more than an energy provider it becomes a community anchor.
This matters for several reasons:
- First, access to electricity changes daily life. A testimonial from an Orang Asli resident, published recently, shows how electricity brought not just light but dignity and opportunity. Before electricity, her family relied on open flame at night. Now children can study, phones can be charged, basic domestic chores become easier. (Kosmo Digital)
- Second, educational support reduces the barrier to entry. Many Orang Asli families struggle with costs of uniforms, books, transport, and tuition. Programs like Ceria Ke Sekolah ease that burden and help keep children in school.
- Third, long‑term scholarships and upskilling opportunities open paths beyond subsistence. They create real opportunities for Orang Asli youth to access higher education, professional careers, and economic mobility.
TNB frames these as “long‑term investments in communities we serve, ensuring no child is left behind in Malaysia’s journey toward a more inclusive, knowledge‑based economy.” (TRP)
But Is It Enough? Structural Barriers Remain
Despite these positive moves, structural challenges persist. Education access for Orang Asli involves more than scholarships and electricity. Geographic isolation, lack of transportation, cultural dislocation, historical marginalization and limited representation in policymaking still hinder many.
Even though government efforts under JAKOA and initiatives like a new TVET institution are underway, significant work remains to ensure these efforts reach the remotest communities. Some villages may lack basic roads, reliable internet, or stable schooling infrastructure.
Moreover, it is not just about infrastructure. Cultural sensitivity, community engagement, support in mother‑tongue languages, and bridging between traditional lifestyles and modern education are critical. Without that, many Orang Asli may still feel alienated from formal schooling and drop out.
Programs run by corporations like TNB while valuable must be paired with systemic, culturally aware educational reforms. Corporate goodwill can be a starting point but it cannot replace policy change, inclusive planning, and deep community engagement.
TNB’s expanded commitment signals a shifting paradigm. When major corporations take on social responsibility seriously, they can influence national development beyond their core business.
For Orang Asli youth, it offers hope. Not only a chance to go to school, but a real shot at breaking cycles of poverty. For Malaysia’s broader society, it offers a test. Can corporate social responsibility complement governmental efforts to build a more inclusive nation?
For the first time, seeing electricity, scholarships, school supplies and community programs bundled together creates a more holistic approach to uplifting marginalized communities. If scaled and sustained, this could redefine how Malaysia addresses inequality.
But it requires consistency. It requires listening to Orang Asli voices. It demands accountability. And it needs ongoing support, not one‑time gestures.
As the children in that viral video stare at the dim lamplight, they no longer need to imagine a brighter future. Programs from TNB and government show the possibility of real change. For some, that means electricity into their homes. For others, that means textbooks, tuition, even university seats.
TNB’s shift from power‑supplier to potential change maker deserves attention. If Malaysia truly wants to build a future where no child is left behind whether from KL high rises or forest clearings then this is a sign. A sign that progress may finally mean inclusion.
But whether this becomes lasting change depends not only on corporate pledges it depends on the empathy and action of all of us.
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