malaysiangWhen educationist Dr Kathryn Anne Rivai left her homeland of New Zealand in 1977 to settle down in Sabah with her Malaysian husband, she had little idea that she would devote much of her career to improving access to education for marginalised children in the state, particularly the undocumented ones.
‘I have been teaching all my working life, that’s almost 50 years, and the past 14 years with marginalised children who don’t have access to education.
‘This has been one of the most rewarding times helping these poor and marginalised children acquire knowledge, good values and dignity to assist in nation-building,’ Kathryn, 71, who lives in Luyang, Kota Kinabalu, told Bernama in an interview conducted through WhatsApp and email.
Through Etania Schools, a non-governmental organisation (NGO) she established in 2009, she opened 14 schools, located mainly in oil palm plantations and rural areas of Sabah, exclusively for children without access to mainstream education. These schools employ a total of 27 teachers
and, so far, have assisted over 1,000 students between the ages of five and 18.
The provision of education and life skills courses has improved the lives of these children, helping to prevent social issues such as street begging and substance abuse which are often prevalent among youth from marginalised communities.
As of 2023, over 10 of Etania Schools students have graduated from university while many others have succeeded in other vocations.
QUALITY EDUCATION FOR ALL
Kathryn embarked on her teaching career in Sabah as a secondary school teacher in Kota Kinabalu in 1978. Later, she worked at Maktab Nasional, a private school located in the state capital, where she served as deputy principal and then acting principal.
She also spearheaded efforts to establish private primary schools like SRS (Sekolah Rendah Swasta) Datuk Simon Fung in 1998 and SRS Seri Insan (2004), both of which were registered under the Ministry of Education.
It was these initiatives that set the stage for her lifelong mission to imp
rove education for all children in Sabah.
This mother of four had her first encounter with children in Sabah lacking access to education in 2009, and moved by this experience, she dedicated herself to advocating for children’s universal right to education.
That year, a request from a timber mill and plantation operator to start a school in Keningau exposed Kathryn to the stark reality of numerous marginalised children deprived of access to education in Sabah.
Etania Schools was founded in response to this pressing need, driven by the reality that many communities in the state live below the poverty line and face challenges such as lack of birth registration and citizenship, among other obstacles.
Reflecting on her work, Kathryn, who speaks fluent Bahasa Melayu, said: ‘The responses of the children who rise above their hardships, and sometimes tragic circumstances of their backgrounds, taught me great lessons in life about courage, endurance and enjoying life to the fullest even though you might be regarde
d as the bottom of the social and economic scale.
‘There is such hope and sparkle in the eyes of each child who is given this opportunity to learn. These are memories I will never forget.’
Sharing the challenges she has faced in the course of her work, Kathryn said the hardest and most upsetting part is when some people treat these marginalised children and their families with disdain and relegate them to the lowest ranking in society.
‘We know our students are known as the ‘invisible children’ of Sabah because few want to know about them or care for them and their welfare,’ she said.
DOCUMENTATION
Another significant challenge is the issue of documentation – many of the children she works with come from families that have been in Sabah for generations, yet they remain stateless.
While believing every child deserves a happy and fulfilling childhood, access to education, healthcare and nutritious food, she also realised the importance of preparing children for life beyond academics.
‘Being an academicia
n, I used to be entirely focused on a determined curriculum but over time I learned that preparation and learning for life is so much more relevant to our society today.
‘We need to educate our children and their families for skills to survive, skills to find their way through the labyrinth of the job market, as well as how to work together, study smartly and be flexible and adaptable to future developments so that they can provide for their families in the future and break the cycle of poverty,’ she said.
Kathryn, meanwhile, has pioneered a unique curriculum for the institutions set up under Etania Schools, emphasising academics, life values and essential living skills.
And, in response to the socio-economic challenges faced by marginalised communities, she shifted her focus to providing vocational training, aiming to enhance livelihoods and foster self-reliance.
One notable initiative is the Model Vegetable Farm project, launched in 2020 in three schools and involving 60 families.
‘Under this project,
Etania students were given training on starting and maintaining vegetable farms. This enabled their families to sustain themselves especially during the (COVID-19) pandemic.
‘We’ve also expanded the programme to include fish farms. The aquaponics programme, sponsored by Calls Over Ridges, a Taiwanese NGO, was launched in 2023,’ she said.
Since 2023, the Etania schools have been providing protein-rich meals to the students to ensure their physical well-being.
OUTSTANDING CONTRIBUTIONS
Kathryn has also fostered strategic and extensive partnerships with community members and local and international organisations to broaden Etania Schools’ impact and enhance the quality of education.
Collaborations with organisations such as UNICEF and Me.Reka, for example, have succeeded in providing computer literacy, coding and robotics training to the students since 2018, enabling them to gain valuable digital skills and exposing them to new income opportunities including working remotely and finding employment at commun
ity computer centres.
Etania Schools, meanwhile, has gained international recognition on several fronts. In 2020, the Junior Chamber International Malaysia Chapter honoured them with the Sustainable Development Award, specifically recognising their contributions to SDG 4 (Quality Education).
Etania Schools also received the Singapore President’s Award in 2020 for the sustainable design of its Etania Green School in 2020. Constructed in collaboration with Singapore-based NGO, Billion Bricks, the school, located in Beaufort, Sabah, houses over 200 students.
‘It was recognised for its pragmatic, environmentally friendly and cost-effective design that maximises natural light and is built from recycled shipping containers and timber. Its modular design also means it is easily replicable to serve other underserved communities,’ Kathryn explained.
She also founded the Coalition of Learning Centres Sabah in 2015 to implement cost-free training programmes for educators to equip them with the necessary resources to
address the psychological impact of marginalised students. Since its inception, the programme has trained hundreds of educators including 70 in early 2024.
Recently, Kathryn received the 2024 Merdeka Award under the Outstanding Contribution to the People of Malaysia category for her unwavering dedication to improving education access for underprivileged children through Etania Schools.
The Merdeka Award Trust, founded by PETRONAS and Shell, was established on Aug 27, 2007. This award celebrates the achievements and significant contributions of individuals and organisations within their respective fields.
Source: BERNAMA News Agency
