About 250 Orang Asli children in Tapah, Perak, have not been able to attend school for the past two weeks because the government has not paid their school bus fees.

The bus operator, who had been ferrying the children from the Semai tribe from various villages in the area, has not been paid since September 2006 by the Department of Orang Asli Affairs (JHEOA).

According to the Centre for Orang Asli Concerns (COAC), the service went on until the end of the last academic session in 2006 and resumed for about two months this year.

However, the operator has since refused to pick up the students until the past months' arrears have been paid up.

The parents cannot afford to arrange alternative transport while there is also no public transportation where many of the villages are located.

Following complaints from parents, JHEO has used its own lorry to take some 40 to 50 students sitting for the PMR and SPM examinations this year to school.

COAC expressed concern over this measure on the grounds of safety and insurance coverage.

Different versions

Contacted later, Tapah JHEOA head Nordin Mie explained that his office had insufficient funds to cover the bus fees for the last two months of last year's academic session.

"It is usually the case where costs are only partially covered by the allocation we receive, not completely," he said.

While the funds are adequate for this year, the bus operator did not submit the payment claims for January to March until only recently, he added.

"They will get paid, but it will be late because of the lateness of their submission," he said.

Nordin said the Tapah JHEOA must seek permission from the department's headquarters in Kuala Lumpur in order to use this year's allocation for last year's arrears.

However, JHEOA Ipoh had a different take on the matter.

"We do have the allocation," said its head Mamat Zamri, who was surprised with the Tapah office's explanation.

"That's what he said, huh? I'll get back to you on this," he added in reference to Nordin's comments.

Typical situation

COAC coordinator Colin Nicholas said the situation was rather typical of what besets the Orang Asli communities.

"They have the funds, which comes up to about RM100 million for Orang Asli education yearly. Where does the money go to?" he asked.

"It's the same situation elsewhere. Orang Asli children are being deprived of an education because of negligence and misuse of funds," he claimed.

Nicholas said the example of Tapah proved the misplaced judgement of most people in the government of the reasons for the relatively high dropout rate among Orang Asli schoolchildren.

"We have done studies that prove a direct correlation between dropout rates and the withdrawal of such subsidies as for books, uniforms and transportation to school.

"When these children go back to school, they'll be far behind, which may further affect their motivation to catch up on their studies," he added.

Rural and Regional Development Minister Abdul Aziz Shamsudin - whose ministry oversees JHEOA - was reported to have said on Monday that Orang Asli parents "have to change their mind-set to ensure their children's (educational) development."

He said in addition to poverty that prevent many Orang Asli children from concentrating on their studies, parents fail to provide sufficient encouragement.