More than 41,000 refugee children registered with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Malaysia are not receiving formal education, according to figures cited by Seputeh MP Teresa Kok.
She urged the Education Ministry to allow refugee children to enrol in government schools, with support from UNHCR and its education partners.
The proposal was included in the parliamentary committee’s Report on Refugee Management in Malaysia, which was debated in the Dewan Rakyat, reported NST.
Concern over children growing up unable to read or write
Kok said she fully supported the proposal and hoped the ministry would act on it.
Reported by NST, she warned against allowing a generation of young people without citizenship status to grow up in Malaysia unable to read and write.
According to UNHCR figures cited in the report, Malaysia had 214,079 registered refugees and asylum seekers, including 64,224 children.
Of these children, 65 per cent — around 41,745 — were not receiving formal education.
Actual number could be higher
Kok pointed out that the figures only covered children registered with UNHCR.
She believed the number without access to formal education could be two or three times higher when unregistered refugees were included.
“We should be concerned about what will happen to this young generation who are not receiving formal education,” she said.
Under the proposal, UNHCR and its education partners would help refugee children make the transition into government schools.
The report also recommended reviewing the regulations and registration standards for Alternative Learning Centres, taking into account both education quality and the practical challenges these centres face.
Calls for clearer refugee registration process
Kok also called for improvements to Malaysia’s wider refugee management system, including the implementation of the Refugee Registration Document (DPP).
She supported establishing an integrated, transparent and auditable system to verify refugees’ identities and determine their status.
For migrants held in immigration depots, she backed the report’s recommendation to prioritise and complete the DPP process within six months.
Citing the report, Kok said the Immigration Department conducted 13,678 operations in 2025, while 19,987 people were being held in immigration depots.
She questioned whether keeping so many people in detention was an effective use of public funds.
“Nearly 20,000 people being detained in immigration depots is an astonishing figure. Isn’t this a waste of government funds?” she said.
Suggests allowing registered refugees to work
Kok also proposed giving registered refugees access to jobs in sectors facing labour shortages, including manufacturing and plantations.
She said Malaysia continued to depend on foreign workers for jobs that struggled to attract local workers.
“Refugees in Malaysia should be utilised as a source of labour for our economy,” she said.
READ ALSO:
Minister Steven Sim Suggests Hiring Refugees Already In M’sia Instead Of Recruiting More Foreign Workers
