Growing up on the Street: Barriers to Educational Services Among Street Children in Malaysia

Abstract

Educational services are part of the child welfare system and part of social services that are required for street-connected children to enhance their well-being. Negative street life and homelessness influence street-connected children to access educational services. This paper discusses the barriers to educational services encountered by street-connected children in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Understanding barriers to educational services is crucial to inform policymakers, child welfare providers, and the government to formulate relatable educational services for street-connected children. The researcher employed a quantitative research design to conduct the study. A total of 303 took part in this study. The influence factors of barriers to educational services were determined using multiple regression analysis. The findings revealed that undocumented issues, poverty issues, personality issues, involvement in antisocial behavior, behavior in school, and school social environment are among the barriers to educational services faced by street-connected children in Kuala Lumpur. Inputs provided in this study can be instrumental in improving the child welfare system related to educational needs and addressing the psycho-educational needs of street-connected children. Implementing and recommendations proposed in this study can make a positive impact to improve the overall well-being of street-connected children.

Keywords:

• Street children
• child welfare
• educational barriers
• social services

Acknowledgments

The authors express their gratitude to all participants in this study, as well as to the professionals and the School of Bimbingan Jalinan Kasih (SBJK), and the Al-Riqab Foundation for their invaluable assistance in completing this research. Additionally, heartfelt thanks are extended to the reviewers of this article for their insightful comments, which greatly contributed to the enhancement of the manuscript.

Disclosure Statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Table 1. The profile of the respondents.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Sabri Sulaiman

Sabri Sulaiman is a Senior Lecturer at the Faculty of Applied Social Sciences, University Sultan Zainal Abidin. He obtained his PhD in Social Services from the Department of Social Administration and Justice, from the University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. He teaches social policy and planning, labour studies, social welfare system, gerontology services, advocacy, and law in social work. He is already involved in research projects such as developing policies and interventions to improve the well-being of vulnerable and marginalized groups in Malaysia. He has published extensively in international and local peer-reviewed journals, book chapters, and books. As a part of his work, he is actively involved in research, consultancy, and community work with vulnerable and marginalized groups in Malaysia.

Siti Hajar Abu Bakar Ah

Siti Hajar Abu Bakar Ah is a Professor at the Department of Social Administration and Justice, University of Malaya. Her core area of expertise is Social Policy. Over the 20 years, she has been involved in developing and promoting teaching, learning, and research opportunities in the field of social policy and social work. She teaches social policy, social welfare system, social planning, social evaluation and monitoring, research methodology and social theories. Her research interests focus on social care programs for at-risk children in Malaysia, children’s well-being, and social development for vulnerable social groups.

Haris Abd Wahab

Haris Abd Wahab is a Professor at the Department of Social Administration and Justice, Universiti Malaya. His core area of expertise is Community Development. Over the last 20 years, he has been involved in developing and promoting teaching, learning, and research opportunities in the field of community development and social work. He teaches social problems, social work, community development, social marketing, research methodology, and social theories. His research interests focus on community well-being, social care programs for at-risk children in Malaysia, children’s well-being, and social development for vulnerable social groups. Prior to becoming a lecturer at the Universiti Malaya, He had the opportunity to practice social work in the Malaysian Ministry of Health when he was appointed as a Medical Social Worker from 1996 to 2000.

Muhd Alif Jasni

Muhd Alif Jasni PhD, is a senior lecturer in the Department of Counseling, Center for Applied Psychology Studies, Policy and Social Work, Universiti Utara Malaysia. He obtained his PhD in the field of criminal justice from the University of Malaya in 2018 and a PhD in Social Work from the National University of Malaysia in 2023. His research interests include criminal justice systems, recidivism, ex-prisoners, homeless ex-prisoners, and rehabilitation social work. At the same time, he is completing a Master’s degree in Gender and Development at UPM.

Mohamad Hafis Amat Simin

Mohamad Hafis Amat Simin is a senior lecturer School of Anthropology and Dakwah, Faculty of Applied Social Sciences, Universiti Sultan Zainal Abidin. He received PhD in Social Sciences (UniSZA), a Master’s Degree in Political Sciences (UKM), and a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science (UKM). His research interests are comparative politics, Malaysian politics, orang asli, political anthropology and social anthropology.