Every year in Sabah, families walk into a primary school with a child who has no birth certificate, no MyKid, and sometimes no passport \u2014 and walk out being told the school “cannot accept” the child. The parent or guardian goes home defeated, and another year of the child’s education is lost.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What most families are never told is that the Ministry of Education already has a written procedure for exactly this situation. It is set out in Surat Pekeliling Ikhtisas Bil. 3\/2018 \u2014 Pengurusan Murid Bukan Warganegara di Sekolah Kerajaan dan Sekolah Bantuan Kerajaan<\/em>. The circular has been in force for eight years. Its existence is simply not well-publicised at the school gate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This note explains, in plain terms, how the circular works \u2014 particularly for children in the care of a Malaysian citizen who is not their biological parent, which is the most common situation we see in Sabah.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Two instruments sit behind an undocumented child’s right to attend school.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Zero Reject Policy (2019)<\/strong> directs that no child of schooling age should be turned away from a government school purely for want of documentation. The policy is a statement of principle; it does not, by itself, tell the headmaster what paperwork to accept.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The KPM Bil. 3\/2018 circular<\/strong> is the paperwork. Paragraph 3.1 addresses children taken in by a Malaysian citizen \u2014 whether by formal adoption, court-ordered guardianship, or welfare-verified care. It accepts any of three documents as proof: (a) a Sijil Pengangkatan<\/em> from the Jabatan Pendaftaran Negara; (b) a court order for custody; or (c) a Surat Akuan Penjagaan Kanak-Kanak<\/em> from the Jabatan Kebajikan Masyarakat. For the informal arrangements most common in Sabah \u2014 where a relative, foster family or community member has simply taken the child in \u2014 the realistic route is (c), the JKM letter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Step 1 \u2014 The JKM letter.<\/strong> Before the school, before the form, go to the nearest Pejabat Kebajikan Masyarakat Daerah (PKMD) and apply for a Surat Akuan Penjagaan Kanak-Kanak<\/em>. This is the gatekeeper document; nothing else moves without it. JKM will typically want to see the guardian’s MyKad, any police report about how the child came into the guardian’s care, a statutory declaration by the guardian, and often a home visit or interview. Expect the process to take a few weeks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Step 2 \u2014 The admission form.<\/strong> The formal admission application is made under the Peraturan-Peraturan Pendidikan (Penerimaan Masuk Murid Ke Sekolah, Penyimpanan Daftar dan Syarat Bagi Pengekalan Murid Belajar di Sekolah) 1998<\/em> [PU(A) 275\/1998]. The prescribed form (three copies) is filled in two parts \u2014 Part I by the guardian, Part II by the headmaster of the chosen school. The form is obtained from the PPD (Pejabat Pendidikan Daerah) or the school itself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Step 3 \u2014 Submit to the school.<\/strong> The guardian hands in the form together with the JKM letter, a copy of the guardian’s MyKad, any police report and statutory declaration already prepared, and a short covering letter explaining why a birth certificate or passport does not exist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Step 4 \u2014 School \u2192 PPD \u2192 JPN Sabah.<\/strong> The school forwards the application up the chain. Final approval rests with the Jabatan Pendidikan Negeri Sabah.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Step 5 \u2014 Pay the prescribed fee.<\/strong> RM120 per year for primary school, RM240 per year for secondary school.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Step 6 \u2014 Use the two-year grace period.<\/strong> Paragraph 4 of the circular gives the guardian two years from admission to complete the child’s identity documentation \u2014 late birth registration under the Births and Deaths Registration Act, adoption proceedings where appropriate, or a passport application in the child’s country of citizenship. School fees continue to be payable during this period.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Even with the circular and the Zero Reject Policy, enforcement is inconsistent. Some schools admit a child on the spot once the JKM letter is produced; others refer the family to the PPD; a few still refuse and ask for documents the circular does not require. Part of the reason is that the circular is internal to KPM and is not routinely given to parents. The JKM letter, held in the guardian’s hand, is often the single most persuasive piece of paper \u2014 because it tells the headmaster that another arm of government has already verified the guardianship.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In our experience, applications move faster when the JKM letter is accompanied by a short written explanation from a lawyer, a legal aid centre, or an NGO \u2014 not because the law requires it, but because it signals that the family has support and that the paperwork has been checked. Where a school still refuses, the next step is a written complaint to the PPD and, if necessary, to JPN Sabah, citing the circular by name.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you are caring for a child who is not yours by birth and the child is of schooling age, the most useful thing you can do today is not<\/em> to apply to the school. It is to go to your nearest Pejabat Kebajikan Masyarakat and begin the Surat Akuan Penjagaan<\/em> application. Everything else follows from that letter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Note on the 2025 amendment: The Education (Amendment) Act 2025, which extends compulsory education to the secondary level, was passed in October 2025. It applies only where the child is a Malaysian citizen and does not affect the admission pathway described above. As at the date of this note, the Act has been assented and gazetted but is not yet in force \u2014 commencement awaits a separate order by the Minister under section 1(2).<\/em>The legal starting point<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
The pathway, in order<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
The gap between policy and the school gate<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
A note for guardians<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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