SEREMBAN: For the past 15 years, a Myanmar refugee school in Lobak is the place for refugees’ children to learn.

The school, located above the shop lots in Taman Saga, was raided by the Seremban City Council few times this year for not having a permit to operate as a school.

The last was a closure order issued to the informal school.

Lobak state assemblyman Chew Seh Yong and some community donors stepped in to assist the school by paying the fine—reduced from RM500 to RM100 and that allowed the school to continue operating for now.

Despite facing uncertainties, the school remains committed to its 34 students, aged 5 to 14, teaching mainly English, Mathematics, and Science using the Cambridge curriculum, alongside Chin language as they are mainly Chin people from Hakha state in Myanmar.

 The school also provides meals with support from donors.

The head of the school, 21-year-old Phun Ceu Thang, a former student of the school now leads several young refugee teachers, some still students themselves to run the school.

He said education is the only hope for refugee children, though many are forced to work after lower secondary to support their families.

Phun, who came to Malaysia at the age of seven with his parents, completed secondary school in another Myanmar school in Kuala Lumpur.

Unable to pursue further education, he opted to return to the school here to teach the children.

“I hope more children receive basic education,’’ he said.

Phun, who does not recall his birthplace, said he would be a “stateless” person too if he returns to Myanmar.

He hopes to study in a university one day.

Retired teacher Tee Hong Keng, 67, who teaches the children English as a volunteer, highlighted the lack of a standardized curriculum and frequent class suspensions due to enforcement.

When the children are not in school, they are left unattended and sometimes do not have food, she said.

Tee was referred by a friend to teach in the school and she would bring biscuits or snacks to school whenever she goes to the school.

As donation dropped, some teachers had to stop teaching halfway to prepare lunch for the students on Tuesday and Thursday.

For Monday, Wednesday and Friday, the school has some donors providing the children lunch.

The school is also short of teachers and only teachers with United Nations High Commissioner for Refugee cards are allowed to teachas those without such cards used to be taken away by the authorities. 

Chew said refugees in Malaysia, who have been in Malaysia for 20 years, face long-standing policy gaps that deny them the right to work and formal education, stripping them of basic human rights and dignity.

He urged both the government and the United Nations to address their plight, stressing that most refugees strive to integrate peacefully into local society.