A Case Study of

Malaysia IEP Case Study
INDIGENOUS EDUCATION PROGRAM CASE STUDY
CREATING KNOWLEDGE FOR CHANGE:
A CASE STUDY OF
SINUI PAI NANEK SENGIKS EDUCATIONAL WORK
WITH ORANG ASLI COMMUNITIES IN MALAYSIA
By Tijah Chupil / Jerald Joseph, Pusat Komas
2003
Asian South Pacific Bureau of Adult Education (ASPBAE) 1

Creating Knowledge for Change: A Case Study of Sinui Pai Nanek Sengiks Educational Work with Orang Asli
Communities in Malaysia
CREATING KNOWLEDGE FOR CHANGE: A CASE STUDY OF SINUI PAI NANEK SENGIKS
EDUCATIONAL WORKWITH ORANG ASLI COMMUNITIES IN MALAYSIA
By Tijah Chupil / Jerald Joseph, Pusat Komas
Stupid, unconfident, incapable of making decisions on their own, depending on others to do

everything for them and lazy: such was the outside view of the Orang Asli community in
Malaysia. The Orang Asli (or original people) of Malaysia constitute only 0.5 per cent of the
population and are diverse in culture, language and beliefs, as they come from 18 different ethnic
groups. However, their shared experience of exclusion from the policy arena and a resulting lack
of opportunity to voice their concerns became the impetus for the formation of a group named
Sinui Pai Nanek Sengik (meaning New Life, One Heart). Recognising that communities were
having their livelihoods destroyed by government policy that took away their traditional rights to
land and other resources, the Sinui Pai Nanek Sengik (SPNS) began an educational programme
to mobilise communities for political and social action.
The two-way relationship between the team and the Orang Asli communities was key to the
success of SPNSs work and was built up through identified participatory principles, such as
implied in listening to the persons needs and the person must be able to listen to our needs and
it is not a project where we demand them to agree upon our objectives ... even though the
person does not totally agree with us. The SPNS emphasise that their ideal is to facilitate
activities as a friend and that there will be no instant solutions to the communities problems.
What comes across strongly in this case study is the value of establishing a long term
relationship, based on the philosophy that the 'educators' are there to learn as well as to teach.
This case study describes the diverse and unusual educational activities developed by the SPNS
to encourage Orang Asli communities to look more critically at their own situation and to take
political action. The holistic approach adopted by the SPNS meant that they tried to find ways of
engaging the whole community, rather than just one group. They began by using songs as a way
of spreading information and awareness about social issues - teaching the children, who then
gradually shared the songs with their parents and other elders. Another important element was to
build up the communities knowledge of their own history and struggles through compiling a
memorandum. This community education through data collection involved the whole village.
The elders became the resource suppliers as they knew most about history, customs and
cultures, and the middle-aged people became the registrars and resource collectors, writing
down the information. Younger people became the translators, analysing and arranging all the
data and editing it using a computer. In the case of the Kampung Chang Lama, the memorandum
not only became a source of great pride in their history, but also a document that they could hand
over to the government officials to demand recognition of their customary land.
As well as learning from the history of their own community, Orang Asli communities began to
share experiences through exchange visits to other communities and exposure programmes
where they could see firsthand what it was like in a courtroom case on land rights. Screening
videos in the villages about the Chico Mendes struggle in Brazil generated discussion and
awareness of their situation related to a wider context. Taking action however, required more than
simply gaining awareness, and the SPNS developed methods for strengthening peoples
confidence in a public arena. Within many of the communities, large meetings were a common
practice--but often people felt inhibited to speak their minds. By discussing issues in small groups
instead, women in particular were able to rehearse their arguments in a more supportive
environment and then bring them to the bigger forum. Similarly, role-play was used as an
important tool for people to practise speaking before going to the District Office to fight their case.
Community education can take on a new meaning when the facilitators share the peoples
struggles and are sensitive to the differing needs of the community, according to age and gender.
As this case study illustrates through the many original methods described, the Orang Asli
communities were enabled not only to speak up, but also to think critically and not easily accept
what is bestowed upon them.
The Orang Asli Population
The total population of Malaysia currently is approximately 22 million and the Orang
Asli make up only 0.5% of these. The term "Orang Asli" translates as Original People
or the first people of the Peninsular Malaysia. There are 18 ethnic subgroups of the Orang
Asli which are then classified under the Negrito, Senoi and the Aboriginal Malay (or
Proto Malay). Orang Asli are not a homogeneous race, which means that they have
diverse cultures, traditions and ways of living, beliefs, and languages. All of these depend
on the ethnicity and the location of the Orang Asli. However, the thing that doesn't
differentiate an Orang Asli sub-ethnic from another is that their holistic relationship, life
dependency and their identity existence are so much related to and dependent on land and
nature.
Orang Asli's Problems
The small number of Orang Asli is one of the many factors contributing to their current
problems. Orang Asli - translated as "Indigenous People", The Son of the Soil, The First
People to occupy the Peninsular Malaysia or Local People - have now become like
refugees and illegal immigrants in their own country. Among the core problems are land
ownership, culture, identity, and the lost of rights as the Son of the Soil (Orang Asli),
being left out in the field of education and development. Most of the non-Orang Asli in
Malaysia refers to the Orang Asli as a barbaric and backward community. Hence there
are many who say that the Orang Asli is a community that is too lazy to work hard to
develop themselves and their race. They also accuse the Orang Asli of "preferring to ask
other parties to change their fate". Plus, there is no space for the Orang Asli to speak out
about their dissatisfaction on certain aspects of the government policy towards them. The
strict control and the neck-logging by the government and/by the Jabatan Hal Ehwal
Orang Asli (JHEOA) (The Department of Orang Asli Affairs) resulted in the Orang Asli
community being unaware that they actually have rights to claim and can speak out about
the biased treatment they have received in every government development plan.
The Literacy Programme and Activities
Introduction
Upon this understanding, we have formed a small group. We named the group SPNS,
which actually stands for Sinui Pai Nanek Sengik, and when translated into English
means New Life, One Heart. The main objective of forming SPNS is to educate our
community on how to overcome the problems mentioned above. Secondly, we aim to
unite our community until we reach the level where we can act on/for something on our
own (independently). And thirdly, we want our community to better understand about
what is actually happening or revolving around them. If they can do this, we believe that
it would be easier for them and us to find the correct and suitable solution for our
problems.
To reach this goal and objectives, we have undertaken some steps, which are based on the
following principles:

1. In this world, everybody is capable - provided he/she is given the chance and
supported to enhance their abilities. It is important to get the person involved in the
process of helping the person to change.
2. Listening to the person's needs and the person must be able to listen to our needs.
3. The learning process must cater to the person's level of thinking (IQ) and ability.
4. During the learning process, it is also important that we instil self-esteem and
confidence and support the individual towards self-confidence, independence, and
freedom to choose what the person wants in his/her life in order to change his/her
fate.
5. It is not a project where we demand that they should agree on our objectives and
accomplishing our objective even if the person does not totally agree with us.
6. Or a project or ways which are burdening them by demanding them to make fast
decision and in a very short period of time.
However, the process of educating the villagers (1986) began long before the existence of
SPNS (1995). SPNS was born from the villagers awareness that was raised through our
activities. We decided to form SPNS when we realized that it eased the process of
planning and implementing programme. Whats more, the founding fathers are also part
of the community. Indirectly, this has become a stepping-stone or centre where we can
learn to be learners and educators of future aims and strategies. Our journey and
experience has not always been smooth sailing. In fact, often we felt disappointed and
defeated. Every endeavour was at an experimental stage.
Background to this case study of a literacy programme
This case study on literacy was set in motion in an Orang Asli ethnic Semai village in
Perak. Ive been involved since the beginning. Being of Semai descendent, the case study
is based on my experience as well as my friends from earlier times until now. Therefore,
certain technical terms have been included to indicate the relationship between this case
and the Semai. The rationale or basis of this programme will be made known in due
course.
Our village is known as Kampung Chang Lama Sungai Gepai Bidor Perak or Kampung
Chang Lama. Approximately 610 villagers, comprising 117 families populate the place.
We are separated by 100m from our neighbour, Kampung Chang Baru.
Our village is categorized as a border-town because it is 4.5km from Bidor, making it a

modern town. Many of the wooden houses have basic necessities such as electricity, tar
roads, mobile clinics, school buses, kindergartens and a phone line. However, there are
no tap water nor toilet facilities. As a result, we experience shortages in water supply
during the drought season compelling us to resort to water sources that have been
polluted by development projects in the surrounding areas.
Chart : Population of Kampong Chang Lama

Total of married Total Total adults ranging Total children ranging
couples population from 18-80yrs from 1-18yrs
117 couples 610 people 366 people 244 children

Problems faced by the villagers: Case Study Location
The close proximity to the town has exposed Kampung Nenggrik to various development
projects carried out by the central government, state government and private companies.
Among them are the clearing of lands for rubber and palm oil plantations, setting up pig
and cow farms and reserve forest by the Forestry Department (this occurred in the 60s).
The majority of these projects have created more harm and negative effects than
otherwise. In addition to the shortage of water supply, nenggrik areas which are fast
becoming smaller and trespassing, we also endure:
1. A decreasing number of forest resources (main economic supply), ritual food
sources, knowledge, craft, medicine and so forth.
2. Youths are being influenced by unhealthy social ills ensuing in drop-outs.
3. The Semai culture of mediocrity and sharing chak samak is replaced with
selfishness and materialism. The early bird catches the worm attitude or lu,
lu, gua, gua (which means I for myself, you for yourself)
4. Traditional village administration is reinstated according to government
orders, soliciting a middle-man.
5. Indifference towards the involvement and the role of women and youths in
society. In fact, the community discourages them from further involvement.
6. The government approach in dealing solely with village headmen, Board
members, government department employees and men advocates the
problems stated above.
7. The fading trust amongst Semai villagers when they display preference
towards outsiders claims.
8. The emergence of modern religions such as Christianity (of differing
denominations), Bahai and Islam is causing discord and disunity among the
villagers.
Developing and Creating an Awareness in Society
The aforementioned facts led to the desire to educate and create an awareness among the
Orang Asli people. Despite their predicament, no immediate action had been taken by the
villagers, the headman in particular to resolve it. In effect, his impassiveness further
complicated the matter. The community shied away from taking any legal action because
of their absolute dependence on their leader along with their perception that their
headman is predominantly responsible for administrative duties. Moreover, headmen are
officially warranted authority to reside over their subjects.
Steps and Action Engaged
a) Cooperation with agencies and government bodies
Initially when we began the community education (reading, writing, counting, building
awareness and confidence) we collaborated with government agencies such as JHEOA
and KEMAS to obtain support and facilities. However, we discovered their procedures,
methods and programmes were incompatible with our problem. For instance, cooking
classes are carried out for women for us a costly yet irrelevant activity.

b) Approaching the older generation
In the end, we chose to execute the programme without outside assistance, feeling they
might not have an insight into our peoples wants and needs. We decided to immerse
ourselves into their daily activities to discover the problems. We took part in their
meetings and volunteered our thoughts and opinions. We even put across pertinent
questions and emphasized womens role in decision-making. Unfortunately, our efforts
proved to be fruitless and we often received opposition from the male community.
Eventually, it dawned upon us that we had to alter our strategies in order to prove our
good intention, presently in the form of this permanent programme carried out by SPNS.
Programmes Launched by SPNS
1. Formal education
Under this programme, we opened classes that catered for illiterate adults, pre-schoolers
and and we started extra classes for children and teenagers. This particular programme
was selected because a large number of Orang Asli children perform poorly in reading,
writing and counting consequentially leaving them behind in the lessons. Once boredom
sets in, they tend to play truant and even drop out of school.
In the school scenario, they are constantly segregated due to ethnic differences and
derrogative terms like Sakai, Pig, Orang Darat and so on are used by the other children.
This intensifies their embarrassment and fosters low self-esteem. The present school
curriculum is yet another contributing factor in OA drop-outs and their lack of interest.
They consider it a foreign school culture.
Additional factors why the children were selected as the target group:
- They have largely been shaded from the people who influenced the mindset of the
adults in the community.
- Children in this age range are easily convinced and moulded.
- They are approachable and vice versa.
- They display more practicality.
- They are the future generation of leaders simultaneously heading the programme.
We began by using our homes as classes and even sitting under the trees. The children
were taught in stages, beginning with those who did not attend school due to family
problems, followed by those who were weak in their studies. In time, mothers began
sitting-in in their 3 6 year olds classes. As the interest level increased, so did the age
group: 13 18 year olds were included.
Often we used our earning to fund stationery, as well as teaching aids. Everything was
done on a small scale. Due to rising demands, we formed an integrated curriculum
whereby cultural values and questions pertaining to the real world were slotted into the
subjects (see later section on Literacy Method for more details).

2. Non-formal Education
This programme is closely linked to issues closer to home: land issues, economy, culture,
Orang Asli rights, human rights, legal rights, gender issues and youth.
The programme was launched parallel with formal education. At the time classes were
conducted for the children, members of the community were approached through friendly
conversations, visits, sharing experience and information from the newspapers, television
broadcasts and the general public. We also ventured into economic activities like
farming, rearing chickens and arts and craft.
Consecutive educational visits and workshops were organized resulting in a merge

between the male and female community who then formed and became members of
SPNS. The goals of SPNS are to forge cooperation amongst the ethnic groups, fortify
local leadership and encourage networking between the villagers at district, state and
international level. A classic example would be the confederated states of Negeri
Sembilan, Perak, Pahang, Selangor and Johor. Another would be the unification of
Sabah, Sarawak and Peninsular Malaysia, followed closely by Indonesia and Thailand.
We believe the prerequisite to this is a confident and highly- principled community
regardless of background.
Literacy Programme, Activities and Methods Employed
There are several literacy methods that we have implemented in our struggle to create
awareness regarding the Orang Asli of Peninsular Malaysia. Some of the methods are as
stated below:
1. The use of Songs
For the needs and long term objective, we chose songs as one of the media to educate our
community. We implement this method especially for individuals who strive to
understand basic thing. Through songs, we tried to convey the problems in the Orang Asli
community and what would happen in future if they remained docile. Often, the message
in our songs is not just about land problem but we also touch on aspects such as gender,
children's education, social ills and the importance of unity and co-operation.
How we implemented message through songs:
There are several ways of implementing songs as the messenger or educator in our
community. One of them is by using the children as a medium in the literacy class that
we have opened in our village. Every day during class, we teach the children to sing.
Apart from nurturing the children to be more objective concerning reasons to learn and
attend school, we hope that the children would sing the songs during playtime. By doing
this, the songs would be heard by the adults especially their parents and it is addictive.
Unconsciously, they "study" the lyrics of the songs. This process is significant in our
struggle to create awareness within the community. This process first took place in
Kampung Chang Lama, Bidor, Perak, Malaysia which was our pioneer village.

The second method is during workshops with Orang Asli communities from different
villages. In the course of meetings (workshops), where the main objectives are to discuss
land issues, problems, etc, we would select suitable songs to be sung during the break as
energisers, for example, the song "Laguk untuk Hi Bernanek" translated as The Song of
Unity. This song explains that as Orang Asli, we cannot adopt the let-it-be attitude
because as days pass, our areas of living are decreasing. Outsiders, especially the ones
that come from and live in the city, do not really know and understand our problems.
Look around and one would find lands, mountains and forests burned to ash, bulldozed to
flat land and encroached for the purposes of development. At the end of the day, the
Orang Asli are deprived of a place to stay to continue their legacy. That is why we think
that it is of paramount importance that we stay united as a community.
The impact of songs
The awareness created via the singing of children has helped in creating awareness
whether awareness on land issues, education, co-operation, or not giving up hope easily.
We also found that this method is well-suited because Orang Asli is a community that
toils continuously, experiences problems and stress in life and lacks self-confidence. The
nature of singing is relaxing, calming, entertaining and not pressurising meets their needs.
When they attain this level, it is an indication that certain individuals have already
acquired the basic awareness required and they can carry on to the next level through
other challenging means.
2. The formation of a basic group
The second method aims to simplify the community education to enable continuous
implementation in the long run. It is also a step to introduce an independent attitude and
taking over the administration and responsibilities of the community by the community
themselves. In our case, when community awareness has increased and they seem
enthusiastic, we would urge them to form a small group. This small group should have a
name, objectives/goals and responsibilities that have to be carried out. Subsequently, the
members of the small group would assist the main community organiser (which is us in
this case) by organising frequent visits to their village. As part of the local community,
their presence aids in preparing suitable programmes to cater to the needs, situation and
level of ability of the local community. Hence every plan and idea is the fruit of
discussion between the community organiser and the members of the small group.
3. Economy Projects
Proposing or recommending the community to undertake income-generating projects is in

itself is a form of education. This would educate them on the outside world of trade,
management, problem solving, co-operation and choosing an economic project that
accommodates them. This method can be implemented in any village which has formed a
small group or otherwise.
In our experience, we have exercised the method in both situations. In a village called
Bareh Chi, one of the villagers is Wak Kemantel. She is a female and is not a leader in
her village. She proposed to establish a community fund, with each villager chipping in a
portion of their income obtained from fruit sales (negerik). Wak Kemantel had started the
fund before a group was even formed in this village. However, after the establishment of
the community fund project, several villagers who believed in Wak Kematel's
"methodology" recommended a group of their own. The aim was to ease the management
of the community fund. This group has undertaken an income-generating project;
building a training centre and library under one roof. This place is also rented for
travellers. Indirectly, community education in their place began with the community fund
project until the formation of the group. Presently, they play the main role in educating
their village community while SPNS acts as the supporter.
The second example was in Kampung Chang. After the establishment of the Mothers'
Group in 1995, we had undertaken several projects such as traditional bags and handbag
weaving, traditional mat weaving and chicken rearing project. The objective of the
projects was (besides generating side income) to get closer to the group in the goal to
educate.
In both the cases, communities who enlisted in the projects to generate their cash income
have in turn benefited in other forms. They have benefited in their leadership skills, co-
operation, being independent, being confident, patient, acquiring problem solving skills
and the values needed to be a good leader for their community. These are what the
community has been lacking all the while.
4. Data and Facts Gathering
The problem that we are trying to overcome regards land. However, the villagers are
unaware of this and have no knowledge about the Orang Asli customs, taboos, their
village's and community's history and the tragedies and legends that were believed to
have happened in their customary land. The method towards making them understand
these is to use data and facts gathering. This method can only be implemented provided
the community has accomplished the first three methods. This step is also the main
indicator concerning the problems and providing some answers pertaining to their current
situation. Through data collection, we can educate the community to deepen their
understanding on the problems that they are facing, the situation of their place in specific
and the Orang Asli in general. This method is suitable before they make a strategic plan
to claim their rights over their customary land.
How we address the method:
Community education through data collection must involve all the villagers. However,
they must be first divided according to their ability and skills. One of the examples on
how the method is put into action was the documentation of the memorandum of
Kampung Chang. The elders or Mai Raknak being experienced in the field of history,
customs, leadership and cultures were the resource suppliers. The middle-aged who can
read and write were the registrars and resource collectors. The youths act as translators,
plus data and facts coordinators. Friends from outside in turn would help in editing and
technical changes using computer, which also involved the youths.
In our experience, we had taken a period of six months to complete Kampung Changs
memorandum, containing information about the village such as the villagers' customary
land. During documentation, the villagers learnt valuable lessons, mainly the correct
method of data gathering, group work, how to conduct discussions and addressing arising
problems during the process, sharing, obtaining true stories via correct method of
questioning, tragedies or legends that once occurred in their village, the history of their
village, how to use the computer, and lastly future problems and the problems that they
are currently facing. In this case, every development during data gathering is constantly
shared and updated with the rest of the crew (all the villagers). This is a process to train
the villagers to always volunteer their opinion and criticisms.
Outcomes :
The outcomes that we obtained from this method were around the villagers sense of
pride because they managed to finish a memorandum, complete with the vital
information. The knowledge they acquired about their place and village, enabled them to
make decisions and protect their rights without doubt due to the evidence and facts
collected to support them in their struggles. In the end, the villagers found that they
actually have what it takes to protect and claim what is rightfully theirs. We observed that
this method could help the community learn something that they thought was out of their
reach and also to learn something that they considered impossible. The experience that
they faced during data collection proved that anything is possible with unity, hard work
and tolerance. In this case, the residents of Kampung Chang Lama had finished a
memorandum that demands recognition over their customary land or better known as
Teik Warisan in Semai. They then handed it over to the concerned parties, which are the
Wakil Rakyat (peoples elected representative) District Officer, The Department of
Orang Asli Affairs and The Chief Minister of Perak.
5. Workshops
We also organised various small workshops for the purpose of community education.
These workshops are not to discuss certain issues and the participants would have to
think of solutions instantaneously. The main objective of the workshop is to train and
expose the community about specific issues in detail. The question of whether they want
to take actions when addressing those problems depends on the suitability and
community readiness. If the community thinks that it is time to take action, we would
lend a hand in the discussions, analysing and evaluation, showing that we are always
there to support them. What is important is that they are given a chance to speak up,
think, discuss and make up their minds to take action.
For example, during our involvement in community organising responsibilities, we have

organised 20 various workshops since 1995 until 2002. The workshops included:
how to manage an income generating project (which is a chicken rearing project), identity
workshop, community workshop, leadership workshop, youth workshop, gender
workshop, pre-legal workshop, customary land workshop, the importance of education
for children's workshop, basic human rights workshop, etc.
We tried to ask the participants to discuss the solutions though we are very much aware
that not all problems can be resolved in a short period of time. What is important during
this process is that the awareness and understanding about certain issues would stem
naturally and the community doesn't feel that they have to learn about their issues
whether they like it or not. For example, when we informed the community that their land
would be dispossessed by an unknown parties company and that action should be taken,
they would pay heed. This happens because the community organisers are aware of the
problems of which the community is oblivious. Otherwise the community would take
action but give up when faced with an obstacle or the action doesn't work because they
would only what we tell them to do, rather than doing it based on their awareness and
understanding.
The benefit gained from this method:
In these workshops, they often meet up with participants from different villages or areas.
This in turn strengthens the bond of friendships between villages and areas. Other than to
learn together during workshops, they also get the chance to exchange experiences and
stories about their villages. In our case, quite a number of villages in the area of Perak
have set up a network with three villages from the area of Negeri Sembilan, two from
Pahang and one from Johor. They have also set up The Indigenous People Network of
Malaysia with the Indigenous People from Sabah and Sarawak. This network is better
known as Jaringan Orang Asal Se-Malaysia or JOAS here. The participants get to learn
about certain techniques or knowledge about certain resources that was seldom put into
discussion before or were not exposed to them. The more frequently the workshops are
held, the more Orang Asli community would benefit from it. The more they understand
about various issues, the more enthusiastic they are to spread their new-found knowledge
to their peers and friends. Attaining this stage means the existence of an independent and
confident community to continue their struggles to alter and protect their fate.
6. Small Group Discussion:
To ensure that our programmes reached the targeted goals and objectives, all concerned
parties had to be involved in every aspect from workshops, meetings and conference to
discussions or dialogue sessions. We recommended discussions in a small group because
it might be more comfortable to generate ideas, views, objections, proposals and
whatever it is that they want to tell others in their small group discussion. This is a basic
method in coaching people to talk, share their feeling and voice their views. It also proves
to be a suitable tool because it is appropriate to the natural attitude of the Orang Asli who
is shy, reserved and afraid to test new waters.
Where should the small group begin:
Other than the aforementioned, small group discussion can also be brought into play
while carrying out community organising job in the villages. For example, most
individuals who wish to aid or work with his community want his/her methodology and
ideas to be accepted instead of theirs. But we think that it is unfavourable. Based on our
experience during our sessions:
i. More villagers prefer to remain silent.
ii. Mostly leaders would be volatile.
iii. The villagers fear what they say would be unacceptable.
iv. Villagers rely on the community organisers to solve the problems.
v. Community organisers tend to place blame on the villagers or the community.

The difference is that, when we conduct a discussion with a small group of villagers, say
only 5 or 6 of them, it always runs smoothly. As community organiser we are able to help
them achieve their goals.
Take Kampung Chang for example. When we discovered there was a company that
wanted to develop certain parts of our ancestral land, the village headman held a
discussion with the villagers. However, from the village headman mannerisms, he
seemed to agree with the idea of the ancestral land being encroached. According to him it
was useless keeping bushes at the back of our houses. Due to respect, the villagers
reluctantly agreed - though the decision was going to affect them badly.
To address the case, five mothers, Ken Merja, Ambei (Wak Simin), Ken Peri, Wak Yam
and Ken Nasir got together and held a discussion. They looked into the consequences if
their ancestral land was to be taken away. Then they recruited other mothers. The new
band of mothers agreed to attend the next meeting with the village headman. They also
agreed to influence their husbands to agree with their views and opinions. On the
proposed day, they stated their arguments against the development. Finally, most of the
villagers agreed with what the mothers had said but there were a few pro-village headman
who felt uneasy with it. The lesson here is that the project was called off and after the
incident, the community of Kampung Chang began to accept and believe that mothers
and women are capable of producing excellent views and ideas.
Orang Asli often shy away from formal discussions due to their reserved nature. The
setting of the bigger group discussion normally comprises many willing, vocal
participants. This is an uncomfortable situation especially for the Orang Asli who rarely
socialise and always look down on themselves. So, what better way to start than with
small group discussion to encourage them to talk, listen carefully and stay in focus and
share experiences. Small group discussion is also a process which can develop self-
confidence because normally the outcome of the discussion in the small group would be
presented in the bigger group. This provides them with the opportunity of checking
themselves before they present to the larger group.
7. Exposures and Visits
In our opinion, one of the methods to accelerate the process of community education is
through exposure programmes. For this reason, we have included exposure programmes
to cater for the various age groups: adults, youths, women and children. For the adults we
always organise visits to the areas facing land encroachment problem, resettlement and
places where logging is carried out. We took them to see how a certain area or village
conduct their own economic project. We also brought the community to court to see how
a trial on land dispute is conducted. We also encourage the community to report to the
police about encroachments in their area. This is to educate the community on the
function of police stations and courts. Thus, creating awareness that agencies like the
police, the court and various other government agencies serve their purpose.
For the youths and teenagers, we organised visits, workshops, discussion and getting to
know other youth groups who have conducted activities whether it is for the purpose of
developing the youths or the community in their village or area. The interaction between
the youths and the elders is also part of the programme.
For the children, the issues on the Orang Asli issues are assimilated during the literacy
classes that we held in our village. The objective is to instil awareness on the importance
of education and put it into practice in the near future. We try to expose the Orang Asli
children to the outside world. We brought them to visit the country's science centre, zoo,
the schools in the city and expose them to the outside sports. The message that we try to
send to the children indirectly through this activity is that in order to excel in the field of
education, they must not marginalize the outside world because the outside world is one
form of education in the broader contact.
The importance of Exposure Programmes:
The exposure method is very important for building awareness and not being left out in
finding out what happens out there, rather than just the Orang Asli in their own world.
For example, other than the common problems that happen in the Orang Asli community,
most of them presume they are the only ones with problems. This in turn weakens their
spirit to retaliate and solve their problems. This is because in the Orang Asli's opinion,
"how can a person fight off hundred enemies and how can stupid people (Orang Asli)
fight the smart people (the outsiders)". Because of their ignorance, it resulted in the
Orang Asli loss of confidence in their undertakings.
That is why, in our opinion, an exposure programme is one of the best ways to educate
the community so that they are motivated to be independent and work hard in order to
achieve set goals. One of the cases that we observed that had a tremendous impact on the
Orang Asli community was the Bukit Tampoi case. We brought 28 Orang Asli of the
Semai ethnic from the area around Perak to visit an Orang Asli of the Temuan ethnic in
Bukit Tampoi, Selangor. The Orang Asli group of Bukit Tampoi sued the Selangor state
government for the encroachment of their ancestral land without the Temuans consent.
Six villagers represented the village as the prosecution and they were the ones who
brought the case up to the court level.
During the visit, the visitors had the chance to exchange stories, experiences and
observed for themselves how the Bukit Tampoi villagers stood up in court to claim their
rights. This fuelled their spirits for they too wanted to possess bravado in the face of
adversity.
8. The Use of Creative Media
In helping a community to understand easily, be involved, have fun when learning a new
item or in problems solving, the method of directing them towards that mentality have to
be creative. We have to be creative in getting them to talk, think, churn ideas and be
objectionable. The use of creative media is also suitable especially for villagers who are
illiterate.
This was practised when we worked in villages, during meetings, workshops and
seminars. We found that the method aids the discussion and creates a comfortable
ambience. Creative media also allows everybody to collect data and information in their
preferred manner - be it linear or an idea. It is also a process of letting the participants do
most of the talking, rather than the facilitators or the community organisers. During our
organisational work, we always use creative mediums such as pictures, photos, A Ha

method, games, fables, stories, songs, word cards, videos, dances, role-play and drama.
a) The use of pictures and drawings
Photos can be obtained from newspapers and magazines and the drawings can be
provided in much simpler form such as black and white drawings as long as the
participants understand it. If one has the skills, the pictures can also be drawn when the
discussion is taking place. The media method is used to share life experiences, tell stories
about oneself, the problems in the villages, occupation and the problems associated to it,
hope, etc. For example, to conduct a workshop to discuss about "The Problems in my
Village", the participants would be asked to seek pictures that represent the problems that
they have with their families, villages, communities and occupations. Based on the
pictures that they have chosen, they would be asked to share why they picked those and
the relevance of the pictures. During the sharing session, facilitators who have the skill to
draw would visualise in the form of a comic on mahjung paper the problems that
villagers are facing. Finally, it would be re-presented to them to make them see the bigger
picture of the problems so that later the problems can be evaluated, categorised and the
group can together find the appropriate ways to solve the problems.
b) A Ha Method
A facilitator would ask questions to the participants while the other facilitator would act
as the "artist" and "writer" to draw and write all the responses from the participants to
each of the questions. They would use a white board or mah-jong paper. This method is
used to give the overall picture of the participants' opinion. The opinion or the answers by
the participants would be drawn if the participants are illiterate or important points would
be jotted down if the participants are literate. The function is almost as the same as the
first two methods but the difference is that the participants are not required to "meditate"
or think about one problem for a long time. Normally, the participants would be told that
the discussion would begin with, for example, the problems in their villages, or the
traditional customs or traditions in protecting the Orang Asli land or the role that Orang
Asli women play in their community. Then the question and answer session would take
place. The answers and opinions would be drawn or jotted down.
The drawings or points can be presented in pie chart or tables. If a pie chart, the drawings
would start from the centre and circle the chart. If in the form of table, the table would
have four columns. For example, normally, if the discussion revolves around land issues,
the first column would be allocated for problems, the second one for the actions that have
been taken to address the problems, the third column for the impacts of the action that
have been taken and the fourth column the action that they think appropriate or they have
found during the workshop. This method is always time saving because the discussion
can be carried out in one go. The remaining time can be used to discuss other issues.
c) Fables, Games and Story Telling
The main role of the method is around sending messages so that the participants or the
community would be aware of their strengths and weaknesses. They would also learn
about the values needed in order to be successful in their life. Apart from that, they also
have the chance to learn from their failures and the importance of certain matters to the
community. For example, if the community think that they are too weak and powerless to
solve their problems because they lack influence, financial resources and knowledge, we
as the community organisers would use games that show them indirectly that something
which is heavy can be lifted up if everybody in that group is willing to co-operate.
Otherwise, we would break them into small groups and require them to create forms as
the symbols of their respective groups. The aim of the activity is to let everyone in the
group to discuss about what they need to do in order to create something meaningful and
if they don't discuss, the results would surely tell.
Here is another example. The facilitator would invite the participants to play the game
called "The Rabbit and the Tortoise". The main message of the story is that we cannot be
too proud and arrogant. We also cannot look down at other people all the time and have
the idea that we are always powerful. However, it doesn't help thinking that we are
powerless over other people and that outsiders are always powerful, intelligent and
capable. What is important is that we have to be patient and must never give up and
above all, we have to be brave to try and then and only then will we be triumphant in
everything that we do.
d) Stories through videos
The aim of educating the community via video is to let the community learn the lesson
from what they have watched in the videos. Apart from exposure to the concerned places
or the places of tragedies, watching videos related to certain tragedies and issues
revolving in the outside world would also expose them to new ideas. Lessons related to
values and attitudes are easier learned from videos. We believe that what they watch
would surely affect them or their life in one way or another.
How we conduct the video watching session:
After screening of a certain show in villages, we invite them to discuss about what they
have watched. The discussion would revolve around the story line of the film. About
what happens in the story, the tragedies in the story, the struggles of the actors/actresses
in the story, what are the indicators of the problems, etc. Finally, we would ask them
whether in reality they are also facing the same problem or issue. The facilitator would
use the story that they have watched as the guidance during the discussion with the
participants.
Some of the stories that we screened to the participants are saddening and heart-touching.
For example, we screened to them a video named "Chico Mendes". This movie is from
Brazil. It tells of how Chico Mendes struggles to heighten the spirit of his villagers to
resist land encroachment by outsiders for commercial cow breeding. The films of the
same message would help the community to be aware and more alert about the reality
that they are facing. They can learn that a fight towards independence is not an easy one
or they can learn that no struggle is easy. There are so many thorns to be stepped upon
before reaching their destination. However, being responsible, confident and brave are
part of the constant struggle for the future generation.

e) Role-play and drama
The objective of role-play and drama is to prepare the community in dealing with the real
life situation. This is the final form of community education and the most important one
so far.
An example arose in the case of Kampung Chang. A group of villagers were planning to
pay a visit to the District Office to get an explanation regarding the case of land
encroachment in their village and the area surrounding. Two days or a day before the
actual visit, the group had to really prepare themselves to liase or to have a meeting with
the district officer. Which is why they had to practise the situation by adopting role-play
as the medium of practice. In the practice, one of their friends who was smart and strict
would act as the district officer and the rest of the members would become the villagers
who would come to the office and liase with the district officer.
This practice is necessary to equip the villagers with what they have to say during the
meeting with the officer and how to say what they want to say. Role-play is also
implemented during specific workshops such as Land Rights Workshop and the Pre-
Legal Workshop. The main objectives of role-play are to tell the community that certain
"myths" of thinking that are not 100% correct - such as the person with the bigger body
won't be beaten by anyone or if the parents are smart, that same quality will be inherited
by the child.
The difference between drama and role-play
As we mentioned earlier, role-play is used to prepare the community to face the worst
case scenario but drama is different because it can be used anytime and anywhere to send
a message to the community. Furthermore, drama doesn't involve much participation of
the community, whether it is during preparation or the performing of the drama. They are
only involved when they are watching it. We use drama to visualise our worries and we
would picture a situation in which the community wouldn't even realise it. In our case, a
group of youth has formed a group whose main role is to educate and raise awareness to
the village community. This is done by the performing of drama in the village about what
message they want to send to the villagers. The objective is to raise awareness to the
villagers that one day they would be facing bigger problems if they continuously shut
their conscience about the land issue in their village.
The uniqueness of drama and role-play
Both the media are interesting because role-play directly involved the community to play
in the act that they are creating. From our own experience, the direct involvement of the
villagers in this activity can make them (villagers/community) realise their roles in detail.
Drama wise, even if the community is not involved as the cast of the drama, the action
played by the actors would directly touch the community (audience) feeling. This is
because the drama normally revolves around their daily life. Even though the community
might feel insulted by the play, through the skilful actors/actresses, the community would
realise the mistakes that they constantly make and they would try to improve themselves
as an individual and as a community as a whole. The important thing is that both the role-

play method and drama can bring the community together to discuss about the issues that
they are facing.
The use of media in the implementation of community education is not only easily
understood and followed by the community that we are working with but is also easy for
the educators because we do not have to acquire state-of-the-art tools. However, the main
importance is that we are using whatever it is in our surroundings to convey the message.
The Outcomes of the Literacy Methods
a) Organising of Conferences, Meetings and Liaisons regarding Land Disputes,

Knowledge, Culture and Education
Almost half of the Orang Asli population are illiterate and have low academic
achievement but this fact does not mean that Orang Asli cannot take action. Even if they
are not highly educated, that doesn't stop Orang Asli from attending, chairing or
organising a conference. Thus, they have already acquired the knowledge and confidence
to liase with the authorities regarding the problems concerning the Orang Asli. They
begin to write formal letters to be given to the authorities
The community should know that there are many ways to bring their problems to the
higher level academically. In our case, a conference organised by Orang Asli was held on
March 2000. This conference was co-organised by Jaringan Orang Asal Se-Malaysia
(Indigenous People Network of Malaysia) and The Law Faculty of University of Malaya.
This is the first time in the Orang Asli history that the village community merged with the
academic body to organise a conference to discuss about management issues,
preservation and the use of natural resources by the indigenous people. During the
process of making this conference a reality, we have learnt lots of things including: what
is needed to organise a conference (invitation, letters, liaison, time table). As a result, the
community was proud and this had become an example for the less educated and opened
the eyes of those educated people that decent villagers can also organise a conference.
b) Have the confidence to speak up and voice up opinion
When we first got in touch with the five villages in the state of Perak, we found that they
were very shy, afraid to talk about anything and always kept quiet when we were asking
them about something. However, after going through the community education process,
they are now brave enough to voice out their opinions during the meetings with the
village community and outsiders. They are now beginning to question the honesty of the
authority regarding their promises and responsibilities. They question the empty promises
about the development and advancement of the villages.
c) The status of Orang Asli women and growing of respect
The involvement of women in the matters concerning the community is beginning to be

accepted by the Orang Asli community. There are villagers led by the women to claim
the rights of the Orang Asli and to speak about their opinions to the local authority. The
women began to realise that they need to have the confidence and are aware too that they
have to take action and work hand-in-hand with the men in finding suitable solutions to
the problems of the Orang Asli. The closest example is in SPNS itself, actually thought of
by the women, and until now, led by a mother.
In our opinion, it is important to support and give a chance to the remote Orang Asli
community who are less educated formally to attend the conferences, meetings, liaisons,
dialogue sessions, workshops with the various agencies, especially those that discuss
about issues concerning the Orang Asli. This is a way of exposing the community in
gaining knowledge and understanding about their issues. If the community is
continuously exposed to these kinds of programmes, it is possible they will have the
ability to organise conference as a means of bringing up their problems to the higher
level.
Conclusion
From our experiences as community organisers and educators, we realise that we have to
be always aware of the needs, suitability, culture and the main issue of a community
before we can actually be involved with them. This clear understanding and awareness
can help us more in making plans for the community. This also has to be with the
community's own consent: to reflect what they think is important and needs to be done
for them. This is stated because we do not only teach them but we are also learning from
them, understanding them and supporting them. The most important thing is that we want
the Orang Asli community to develop some sense of independence in making decisions.
We want them to have all the leadership qualities so that they can lead their own people
in the appropriate direction. There are two acts that we think work both ways - i.e. from
the educators and the community themselves in the direction of developing the
community's knowledge. They are:
a) The education method that is supporting and encouraging towards the community by
the educators and by the community to the educators.
b) The education craved by the community from the educators or on what issues do the
villagers want the educators to stress upon? An educator would become the villagers'
friend and facilitate them to find out what the villagers really want and like to do. The
educator would only act as the facilitator during this process. This is so that the
villagers would storm the ideas by themselves.
Both forms of education need not be conducted separately or at different times. Both of
the methods can be used at the same time. For example, we have undertaken a
programme that acts as a messenger to the community if it so appears that the
community has no understanding whatsoever about what is happening around them.
However, if the community already knows their issues and what they want to do, we
would just act as the facilitators to further develop their ideas.
Orang Asli community is actually rich in knowledge but they are having trouble in
voicing their knowledge because of all the issues and pressures that are pushing on them.
Orang Asli also have less opportunity in gaining or achieving something and non-orang
Asli have a very different perspective on Orang Asli. The outside worldview of Orang
Asli is that the Orang Asli is a community that seems to be stupid, incapable of making
decisions on their own, unconfident, depending on others to do everything for them and
last, but not least, they say that Orang Asli are lazy. However, the grassroots community
that even have no formal education and academic achievement can still reach the level of
intelligence, provided there are people who want to listen to them, to understand them,
learn with them, support them, instil them with some sense of self-esteem/belief in
oneself. As an educator, we are automatically a friend of community, we have to struggle
with all our knowledge to give the Orang Asli more chance to speak up, saying what's in
their heart, giving views and opinion and ideas and finally enabling the Orang Asli
through critical thinking not to easily accept what is bestowed upon them. This means
that the community must not only be involved theoretically, but must also involve
themselves practically. It is better if every action taken and the planning is based or
comes from the fruits of their own mind and needs. When this happens, they would feel
glad, proud and brave to be in the front line confidently.
Below are the testimonies of some of the SPNS members who are actively involved in
the community education process that we are advocating:
1) Bah Libo, 25 year-old. He is one of the residents of Kampung Bareh Chi in the area
of Tapah, Perak. He is now a chairperson of a small organisation that the villagers
agreed to form. The name of the village organisation is "Kumpulan Susah Senang
Bersamak" or translated as Together in Happiness and Sadness Group. They have
formed the group a year after joining our community education programme. The
KSSB has undertaken a village fund project and building of a traditional house to be
used as their library and to be rented as the place for various workshops and training
programmes. According to Bah Libo:
"I have learnt a lot about the reality of the Orang Asli to date and what would happen
in the near future of the latter by the methods of discussion, workshops, conference
and liaison. The methods that are implemented during the workshops give me the
opportunity to learn more issues in detail. It has also helped me to build my self-
confidence. All the while, when I attend the meetings in my village or meetings that
are organised by the government bodies such as the JHEOA, we are not required to
speak up or ask something but we are normally asked to keep quiet and just listen to
what the government officials have to tell us. I really think that if government or
whoever in that case wants us to be involved and speak up on something, the best
way is to support us and educate us in the proper direction which are easy to
understand and compliance with our needs".
2) Bah Useh, 28 year-old. He is from Kampung Se'oi in the remote area of Bidor, Perak.
"Since following the activities that is held by the community educators, I found that
there are many issues that I learn concerning the Orang Asli. Formerly, I had no idea
that there is an act named "Akta 134" (Orang Asli Act) that is implemented on our
race (Orang Asli). We are imprisoned in our own country by this act. We are given no
chance to speak up, we are not given chance also to express ideas and decision
making on whether we agree or not on certain matters - everything told must be
followed by us. At least, with the knowledge that I have gained through all the
programmes, I am now critical and not easily fished on the lies of certain peoples
(outsiders) in planning of development programmes in our place"
3) Zuraini Ngah, 22 year-old. She is a kindergarten teacher and one of the community
organisers in her village. The name of the village is Kampung Chang Lama. It is
situated at about 5km from the small town of Bidor and classified as Orang Asli
village situated at the fringes of a town. Development is fast happening in this area.
According to Zuraini:
"The methods used to educate the Orang Asli community are very easy to understand.
I have realised about what is the reality or what is really happening in the Orang Asli
community and now I'm brave enough to come forward and be involved in
everything. This method is easy and attractive. I have more chance to express my
opinion. There is no age limit in learning and educating oneself by this method. As
for me, I'm very young but it doesn't stop me from giving ideas and being involved
thoroughly.
4) Ridzuan Tempek, 24 year-old. Comes from the same village as Zuraini. At first, I was
not involved actively with all the programmes that were held. However, I like the idea
of community education via the methods that SPNS has put in use. My involvement
becomes more active after I learnt a lot about Orang Asli and our problems in very
creative ways. Even though I finished my education in primary, secondary, and
tertiary level, I found that something was lacking and not much Orang Asli have been
mentioned and I feel as if we are an invisible race in Malaysia. Our problems are
almost unheard of for most people. With the community education programme that
we have held and learn from, I gain lots of knowledge about my people regarding our
traditions, problems and how we want to overcome them, future plans for the Orang
Asli, identity, etc. In my opinion, it's a long way ahead for us but I hope and I believe
that what we are doing now is the stepping stone and paving the way for the future
generation.


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Malaysia IEP Case Study

INDIGENOUS EDUCATION PROGRAM CASE STUDY

CREATING KNOWLEDGE FOR CHANGE:

SINUI PAI NANEK SENGIKS EDUCATIONAL WORK

WITH ORANG ASLI COMMUNITIES IN MALAYSIA

By Tijah Chupil / Jerald Joseph, Pusat Komas

Asian South Pacific Bureau of Adult Education (ASPBAE) 1

By Tijah Chupil / Jerald Joseph, Pusat Komas

Stupid, unconfident, incapable of making decisions on their own, depending on others to do

The Orang Asli Population

Orang Asli's Problems

The Literacy Programme and Activities

Asian South Pacific Bureau of Adult Education (ASPBAE) 2

Background to this case study of a literacy programme

Our village is categorized as a border-town because it is 4.5km from Bidor, making it a

Chart : Population of Kampong Chang Lama

Asian South Pacific Bureau of Adult Education (ASPBAE) 3

Problems faced by the villagers: Case Study Location

Developing and Creating an Awareness in Society

Steps and Action Engaged

a) Cooperation with agencies and government bodies

Asian South Pacific Bureau of Adult Education (ASPBAE) 4

b) Approaching the older generation

Programmes Launched by SPNS

Asian South Pacific Bureau of Adult Education (ASPBAE) 5

Consecutive educational visits and workshops were organized resulting in a merge

Literacy Programme, Activities and Methods Employed

1. The use of Songs

How we implemented message through songs:

Asian South Pacific Bureau of Adult Education (ASPBAE) 6

The impact of songs

2. The formation of a basic group

Proposing or recommending the community to undertake income-generating projects is in

4. Data and Facts Gathering

How we address the method:

For example, during our involvement in community organising responsibilities, we have

The benefit gained from this method:

6. Small Group Discussion:

Where should the small group begin:

Asian South Pacific Bureau of Adult Education (ASPBAE) 10

7. Exposures and Visits

The importance of Exposure Programmes:

8. The Use of Creative Media

organisational work, we always use creative mediums such as pictures, photos, A Ha

a) The use of pictures and drawings

c) Fables, Games and Story Telling

d) Stories through videos

How we conduct the video watching session:

Asian South Pacific Bureau of Adult Education (ASPBAE) 14

e) Role-play and drama

The difference between drama and role-play

The uniqueness of drama and role-play

Asian South Pacific Bureau of Adult Education (ASPBAE) 15

The Outcomes of the Literacy Methods

a) Organising of Conferences, Meetings and Liaisons regarding Land Disputes,

b) Have the confidence to speak up and voice up opinion

c) The status of Orang Asli women and growing of respect

The involvement of women in the matters concerning the community is beginning to be

Asian South Pacific Bureau of Adult Education (ASPBAE) 19

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