In Perak, religious school encourages Orang Asli students to keep going

In a hall at one of two blocks surrounded by trees and greenery, rows of students pay close attention to their instructor, who is reciting from the Quran. 

Since the start of the fasting month, they have been reading more of the Muslim holy book under the guidance of their teacher, Zakaria Nasirudin.

Their school, Sekolah Menengah Agama Rakyat Nurul Hidayah in Kampung Orang Asli Kenang, Sungai Siput, Perak, was set up by the Perak Islamic Religious Department to provide religious education specifically for the Orang Asli community.

There, the Orang Asli students say it is easier to keep up with their studies, especially in the religious department. 

Asjeneri Uda Asari, an Orang Asli from the Semai community, has attended the school for four years now. 

At 16, he is preparing to sit for the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) examination next year. 

After that, he hopes to further his studies in the field of shariah at Universiti Malaya in Kuala Lumpur.  

"We learn the same basic subjects as other schools, but with the addition of Islamic studies," he said. 

"After the maghrib prayers, we study the Quran." 

The school's principal, Zulkifli Ahmad, said the school was established to help Orang Asli children become Islamic preachers in their home villages. 

"Some of them have gone on to complete their studies at local universities, but so far no one has gone abroad." 

The school, established in 2014, has 17 teachers and a number of support staff. It is attended by about 150 students with an average of two classes per form.  

The majority of the students stay at the school hostel. About 20 of them sit for the SPM examination each year. 

Noor Savisma Abdullah, from the Temiar tribe, is one of them. 

He said he is at ease studying at the school as there are Orang Asli teachers who can help him in the event of language barriers. 

"If there's anything we don't understand, the teachers can explain it in our own language," he said. 

Noor Savisma goes to class every morning, then attends prep and leisure activities in the afternoon. 

At night, he studies the Quran. His goal is to enter the field of electronics, perhaps at a community college. 

"I want to further my studies but this will depend on my SPM results," he said. 

But while Asjeneri and Noor Savisma would like to continue studying, many of their friends have already dropped out. 

"They said it was too hard to study, and that it was better to look for a job," said Asjeneri.

Zulkifli said the school had tried over the years to track down those who dropped out. 

"We give them advice based on their exam results," he said. 

He said many Orang Asli students are in the dark about their prospects for education, and lack role models in their families to whom they can turn.

"So we're conducting visits to institutes of higher education, to inspire our students to keep going," he said.