From Academia to NGO: the Role of Repusm in Providing Alternative Education for Rohingya Refugees’ Children in Penang Island

This paper explains the role of REPUSM in providing alternative education for Rohingya refugees’ children in Penang island. Rohingya refugees are Muslims from Myanmar (Burma). They are forced to flee across the border of their country of origin due to the persecution of the government and the abuse from the locals Buddhist. This desperate condition leave Rohingyas people no choice, except to be refugees. Unfortunately, lives as refugees are not easy especially in Malaysia because the host government have not recognized them. However, the government still allow the United Nation High Commissioner of Refugees (UNHCR) to assist the Rohingyas and other refugees based on humanitarian aspect. The Rohingyas are lives in uncertainty because the government is not responsible to assist them. Hence the reason why other parties in Malaysia took some initiatives to aid them from several aspects, including the Research and Education for Peace Unit, School of Social Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia (REPUSM). This department is from academic background that strives to assist the Rohingya in Penang Island. But, as an academic institution, helping Rohingya refugees is challenging because of certain difficulty. Therefore, in order to overcome the problems, the REPUSM took the alternative way to create a foundation body and register it as non-governmental organization to have a better operation for the sake of Rohingya refugees. As NGO, it helps REPUSM to manage and provide alternative education for Rohingya children with hope they can adapt the local culture and environment in Penang.