Centre for Epidemiology and Evidence-Based Practice, Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
International Health Policy Program, Ministry of Public Health, Nonthaburi, Thailand.
PLoS One. 2021 Dec 2;16(12):e0259546. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0259546. eCollection 2021.
The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted schooling for children worldwide. Most vulnerable are non-citizen children without access to public education. This study aims to explore challenges faced in achieving education access for children of refugee and asylum-seekers, migrant workers, stateless and undocumented persons in Malaysia during the pandemic. In-depth interviews of 33 stakeholders were conducted from June 2020 to March 2021. Data were thematically analysed. Our findings suggest that lockdowns disproportionately impacted non-citizen households as employment, food and housing insecurity were compounded by xenophobia, exacerbating pre-existing inequities. School closures disrupted school meals and deprived children of social interaction needed for mental wellbeing. Many non-citizen children were unable to participate in online learning due to the scarcity of digital devices, and poor internet connectivity, parental support, and home learning environments. Teachers were forced to adapt to online learning and adopt alternative arrangements to ensure continuity of learning and prevent school dropouts. The lack of government oversight over learning centres meant that measures taken were not uniform. The COVID-19 pandemic presents an opportunity for the design of more inclusive national educational policies, by recognising and supporting informal learning centres, to ensure that no child is left behind.
COVID-19 大流行扰乱了全球儿童的学业。最脆弱的是无法接受公共教育的非公民儿童。本研究旨在探讨在大流行期间马来西亚为难民和寻求庇护者、移民工人、无国籍和无证件儿童实现教育机会所面临的挑战。2020 年 6 月至 2021 年 3 月期间，对 33 名利益攸关方进行了深入访谈。对数据进行了主题分析。我们的研究结果表明，封锁对非公民家庭的影响不成比例，因为就业、粮食和住房不安全问题因仇外心理而加剧，使先前存在的不平等现象更加恶化。学校关闭打乱了学校供餐，剥夺了儿童心理健康所需的社交互动。由于缺乏数字设备、互联网连接不佳、父母支持和家庭学习环境，许多非公民儿童无法参与在线学习。教师被迫适应在线学习并采用替代安排，以确保学习的连续性并防止辍学。学习中心缺乏政府监督意味着所采取的措施并不统一。COVID-19 大流行为制定更具包容性的国家教育政策提供了机会，通过承认和支持非正式学习中心，确保不让任何一个孩子掉队。
