State Women, Childhood and Community Wellbeing Development Minister Datuk Seri Fatimah Abdullah (centre) going through her winding-up speech with deputy ministers Datuk Rosey Yunus (left) and Mohamad Razi Sitam at the state assembly on Tuesday (May 23). - ZULAZHAR SHEBLEE/The Star
KUCHING: The Sarawak Premier's Department has approved 86 applications for temporary documents for stateless children as of April.
State Women, Childhood and Community Wellbeing Development Minister Datuk Seri Fatimah Abdullah said the temporary document was an initiative to give stateless children access to education and health services.
"It is disheartening to see them denied access to education, healthcare and welfare services.
"Education is a basic right stipulated under the Universal Declaration of Human Rights 1948, United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child 1989 and Sustainable Development Goals 2030," she told the state assembly during her winding-up speech on Tuesday (May 23).
Fatimah said 594 applications for temporary documents had been received since the initiative was introduced last year.
She said her ministry would continue to raise awareness on the initiative through outreach programmes.
In addition, she said the state government had agreed to the establishment of community learning centres for children of Indonesian plantation workers.
"This is consistent with our emphasis on the basic rights of a child to education irrespective of nationality.
"To date, there are 16 registered community learning centres with 890 children," Fatimah said.
