KUALA LUMPUR – Children are always in need of exemplary teachers, and this includes refugee children as well.
They need mentors, protectors and most importantly teachers who can champion them to succeed, no matter how difficult the circumstances.
This is the role played by Aysha Nimmi Siraj, 45, a refugee from Sri Lanka, who conducts classes in a tiny, first-floor shoplot near Sentul Market. The community classroom is run by the Dignity for Children Foundation.
It all began at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic in March 2020, when many desperate refugee parents approached Aysha to teach their children.
They did not have the devices necessary for education, nor could they afford them. They also did not have Wi-Fi, which is required for attending online classes, as they were all caught off guard by the pandemic.
It was then that Aysha gathered all her resources for teaching and began her classes at the condominium where she resided – thanks as well to the charitable parties who sponsored teaching materials, including books that were obtained from the foundation.
“It was not easy as more and more parents approached me for lessons for their children when they came to know about my classes,” Aysha said.
“So eventually I divided the classes into three sessions with 36 children, who range in ages from three to 14 years.
“Unexpectedly, the condominium management requested me to move the classes due to complaints.
“I then rented the shoplot two months ago in March 2022,” added Aysha.
Sri Lankan refugee and parent, Asmi Fathima Amra, whose daughter attends classes with Aysha, said education was the focus for her child in order to equip her to face challenges and to be resilient.
“My whole family escaped Sri Lanka after the Negombo bombings in April 2019, also known as the Easter bombings, in the face of the backlash due to racial sentiments.
For us, we see education as the only way out for our children,” said Asmi, whose children look forward to the daily lessons with Aysha.
Refugees Belal Hossain and Zaibul Rahman fled Myanmar with their families in 2013 and arrived in Malaysia with great difficulty, eventually registering themselves with the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR).
They looked for schools for their children, but they could not afford the fees.
“Aysha only charges minimal fees and our children are happy with her teaching of mathematics, English and art and craft,” they said.
“We have a community class, where we can all meet on birthdays and festive occasions. It’s not just teaching for all of us.
“For Raya this year, we are all celebrating together in the classroom and the children are good friends with each other.
For Sivagnanam Sivakumaran, the community class in Sentul has provided a haven for her children and family as they grow up in a safe environment with no racial boundaries.
“It is not only a classroom but somewhere where the children are loved, and they enjoy coming to class every day.
“The pandemic was tough, with nowhere for them to go except for classes and, in that way, the children kept in touch with each other even through the worst,” she said.
Fleeing harsh and unsafe conditions in Sri Lanka
Aysha and her family fled Sri Lanka due to the constant fear that her eldest child Rizna Simran, a sports protegee aged 8-years-old at the time, would be kidnapped.
Unfortunately, upon Aysha’s arrival in Malaysia in 2013, her husband fell ill and died of a heart attack, leaving Aysha with the task of bringing up the children alone in a foreign country. She had to go through the entire ordeal with only her UNHCR status.
As a graduate in journalism, Aysha had the advantage of going through formal education and was offered a job in a refugee educational centre, where she taught preschool and enrolled her children in the centre.
“When I found the education level deteriorating due to various reasons, I left the centre and enrolled my children in the Dignity Foundation for Children in Sentul.
But the only problem was, I had no full-time job and had to clean houses and work as a part-time cook to earn a salary so I could pay their fees.”
“I wanted my two daughters to continue their education,” said Aysha, who struggled on despite the challenges.
Aysha then had a breakthrough.
In December 2019, she received a formal request to be a teacher.
But the refugee parents were clear that they wanted a qualified and trained teacher, and were willing to pay the required salary.
“I decided to apply for formal training, which was a collaboration between UNHCR and the Dignity Foundation, and there were 27 other teachers from all over the world who did the same,” said Aysha.
Eventually four teachers were selected after the three-month training, with Aysha being one of them.
Thus began her journey as a formal teacher within the community, and her classroom became a one-stop centre for the refugee parents in the neighbourhood.
In April 2022, Aysha moved her classes from the condominium to the Sentul shoplot.
With support from Malaysian sponsors and well-wishers, she was able to afford the rent and purchase chairs and tables, necessary for the children’s classes.
“When all the children came to me, many were not fluent in English and used to converse only in their mother tongue but today I can happily say they converse with each other in English,” said Aysha, whose objective is for the students to register for the Cambridge International General Certificate of Secondary Education exams, when they are ready.
President of Tech Outreach, Amaravathi Navaratnam, who works with refugee communities both in Malaysia and Sri Lanka, said Aysha’s caring and industrious nature made her the perfect example of what a teacher who champions refugee children should be like.
“These children are on a difficult journey and without education, they are vulnerable to outside forces,” she said.
Despite housing more than 179,000 refugees and asylum seekers registered with the UNHCR, Malaysia has yet to be a signatory to the 1951 Refugee Convention and the 1967 Protocol Relating to the Status of Refugees. – The Vibes, May 16, 2022
