But for Qistina, getting up for school at 8am five days a week is a privilege that she will never take for granted.Born to a permanent resident father and an Indonesian mother, Qistina was not registered as a citizen because her parents couldn’t produce their marriage certificate when she was born.SPONSORED CONTENT Sabah revenue hits RM6.
Since then, Qistina has felt less marginalised as BJCK has proven to be an inclusive school for children who are denied equal access to education. Siti Rahayu Baharin, co-founder of BJCK, said the idea of creating a community school came to the group as a “calling” while they were operating a mobile library in Chow Kit, Kuala Lumpur.“BJCK caters to all children because… one of thought that she had reached the age to go to school, so she went to register and the school turned her away because of a documentation issue.
They recently opened a cafeteria where they hire students’ mothers, in the hope of increasing their families’ income. This way, students from lower income families do not have to work to support the family.“What will happen to our children next? This year, three of our students are sitting for SPM and they only have birth certificates, which say they are not citizens,” Cikgu Rahayu said.“Through our business, we can provide a platform for them to work, so they will not be cheated.