The issue of education inequality confronted by Orang Asli children has been recognised by the Malaysian government, with various policies and programmes implemented to address the challenges. While progress has been made, this education gap still persists and has been thus far unresolved to any meaningful degree.

The report seeks to identify the underlying challenges that Orang Asli children face in obtaining an education and to understand the implementation and delivery of programmes and assistance provided by the government.

This study employs a qualitative methodology through the use of focus group discussions and semi-structured interviews. There are many evident challenges to Orang Asli education, whose implications are discussed in this report. The main issues raised by parents include poor accessibility to schools, racial discrimination, financial constraints, the absence of Orang Asli history and cultures in the school curriculum, and parental involvement. Alongside the perspectives of parents, the report also presents challenges related to education based on interviews conducted with school teachers teaching Orang Asli students.

The end goal is the creation of a community of Orang Asli learners who are empowered and have access to opportunities as any student in Malaysia should have. Education should not be a tool used to force Orang Asli to change and assimilate into mainstream society, but rather it has the potential to empower children and, by extension, the wider communities.