Speaking up for the indigenous people

Mother tongue-based multilingual education: Recognising various indigenous languages in a formal and educational capacity will help Orang Asli children do better in school.

WHEN she first started primary school, Suri used to cry every day.

“It was difficult for me to understand the teacher, especially if she was taking fast, ” says 22-year-old Semai, who is now herself a teacher at her kampung in Perak.