INCLUSIVE AND EQUITABLE QUALITY EDUCATION: SHOULD MALAYSIA’S PUBLIC EDUCATION SYSTEM ENROLL REFUGEE LEARNERS?
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.22452/jati.vol30no1.4Keywords:
refugee education, public schools, alternative learning centres, inclusive education, MalaysiaAbstract
Refugee children of school-going age in Malaysia continue to face significant barriers to accessing inclusive and equitable quality education. A central debate in addressing this issue is whether Malaysia should integrate refugee learners and local students into its public education system. This paper contributes to the discourse by offering evidence-based insights to guide stakeholders - particularly policymakers - in making informed decisions on refugee education. It presents a systematic literature review on the current educational landscape for refugee children in Malaysia, supplemented by qualitative analysis of public perspectives drawn from key informant interviews. Findings reveal limited progress in integrating refugees into public schools, with most educational access occurring through resource-constrained, humanitarian-led alternative learning centres. Given the protracted nature of displacement and continuous forced migration in the region, the integration of refugee learners into the national education system must be anticipated as an inevitable and necessary policy direction. The paper argues that Malaysia must move beyond this fragmented approach by fostering strategic, multi-sectoral partnerships and adopting inclusive education models already implemented in other refugee-hosting nations. Ultimately, expanding access to education for refugee learners is not only a moral imperative but also a strategic investment in Malaysia’s social cohesion, economic development, and long-term national resilience.
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