Safeguarding Children in Alternative Learning Centres: Insights from Sabah

Aimie Henry Tan, Senior Project Officer CORM

In Sabah, Malaysia, the presence of Alternative Learning Centres (ALCs) fills the education gap that government schools are unable or unwilling to address. Calls Over Ridges Malaysia strengthens child safeguarding in Alternative Learning Centres through teacher training, educator support and the creation of safe, child-centred learning environments for stateless, undocumented and migrant children.

Even When Excluded by Society, Children Still Long to Learn

When I taught in Semporna on Sabah’s east coast, my classroom was filled with children from the sea gypsy community, who are stateless and undocumented. Later in Tawau, another district also located on the east coast, I taught children who were stateless, undocumented and from migrant families. In both places, I witnessed their determination and resilience firsthand, and also came to deeply realize the importance of child safeguarding.

Due to multiple layers of barriers at the legal level, as well as geographical and socio-economic constraints, they are marginalized by society and highly vulnerable to discrimination from others. They are even at significant risk of experiencing physical or emotional harm, with their safety—and at times their lives—under threat. Such experiences can result in severe psychological trauma for these children. When children carry these wounds into the classroom, their learning is inevitably affected. Therefore, it is critically important to provide learning environments where they feel protected, valued, and able to participate with a sense of safety and confidence.

Why Safeguarding Matters in Sabah’s Alternative Learning Centres

Stateless, undocumented, and migrant children are excluded from government schools due to a lack of legal documentation (UNICEF Malaysia, 2024; Chan, 2025). As a result, these marginalized children have almost no other options and can only access education through informal institutions known as Alternative Learning Centres (ALCs).

However, ALCs, which are generally established by community organizations or NGOs, commonly face challenges such as limited resources, non-standardized curricula, unlicensed or untrained teachers, highly diverse student backgrounds, and the need to combine multiple teaching approaches. If the learning environment at these centres lacks mechanisms to provide children with a sense of safety and psychosocial protection, it effectively deprives these vulnerable children of their last opportunity to access education.

Once children drop out, delaying or interrupting their educational journey, the vicious cycle of social isolation and discrimination deepens. This underscores the critical importance of establishing strong child protection measures in community-based learning centers that ensure children feel protected, valued, and safe¹.

CORM’s Approach: Strengthening Safeguarding Through Teacher Training

Calls Over Ridges Malaysia (CORM) supports safeguarding in Alternative Learning Centres through teacher training initiatives and educator guidance. The training covered areas such as teaching methodologies, classroom management, curriculum planning, and practical guidance on age-appropriate instructional strategies. It also encouraged teachers learning and reflective practice, helping them build confidence and improve teaching effectiveness when responding to the specific needs of vulnerable children. These trainings are equipping teachers with the following capacities: identify safeguarding risks, respond appropriately and maintain safe, child-centred classrooms (UNICEF Malaysia, 2024; Pang, 2025).

The teacher training was conducted for the Coalition of Learning Centres Sabah, whose members include the ALCs collaborating with CORM. For the first training, CORM partnered with Borneo Komrad, one of the coalition members and the host, and invited the members of Dignity for Children Foundation (It operates as a learning centre and also offers vocational training through its social enterprises) as the speaker who focused on classroom skills and social enterprise approaches.

In the second training, Azlaily Jufri, a psychologist from the Sabah State Public Service Department, participated alongside speakers invited by the coalition, and provided guidance on trauma-informed approaches, recognising psychological distress, and supporting safe emotional expression in children. This complements our earlier invitation of Dignity. Teachers who joined the training received practical guidance to help them apply safeguarding principles effectively in their classrooms.

Guidance from these speakers is particularly valuable for trainee or assistant teachers, some ALCs strengthen this approach by recruiting graduated students as trainee or assistant teachers, further strengthening overall teacher capacity². While ALCs implement the trainee teacher programs, CORM provides guidance, supporting learning centres in maintaining child-safe practices and fostering teachers’ professional growth. (Chan, 2025). This creates a continuum of care, ensuring that children who once benefited from safe learning spaces now help uphold safeguarding standards for new learners.

Building Safer Classrooms and Stronger Support Systems

The results of these initiatives are tangible. Teachers who joined the teacher training report increased confidence in managing safeguarding concerns and fostering safe classrooms.

Assistant and trainee teachers who were former students bring unique insight and relatability, helping peers feel secure and supported. Even small improvements, like structured classroom check-ins or teachers recognising early signs of distress, can transform a child’s sense of safety and belonging.

My earlier experience teaching in both Semporna and Tawau showed me how impactful safe and supportive classrooms can be, and I now see similar positive outcomes through my work as a Project Officer with CORM, reinforcing the effectiveness of safeguarding-focused training.

By focusing on educator capacity, ethical practice and targeted support, CORM strengthens safeguarding in ALCs and demonstrates that community-based education can be both protective and empowering. Through training and guidance, teachers and ALCs collaboratively create environments where vulnerable children are not only learning but thriving safely.

Read More:

1. Understanding Alternative Learning Centres
   https://international.callsoverridges.org/malaysia/understanding-alternative-learning-centres/ ↩︎
2. A Small Dream, a Big Hope: 17-year-old Tayo and Stateless Children https://international.callsoverridges.org/malaysia/a-small-dream-a-big-hope-17-year-old-tayo-and-stateless-children/ ↩︎

References: 

UNICEF Malaysia. (2024, June 20). #WorldRefugeeDay: UNICEF’s statement on access to education for refugee and stateless children. UNICEF Malaysia. https://malaysia.un.org/en/272114-worldrefugeeday-unicef%E2%80%99s-statement-access-education-refugee-and-stateless-children

Chan, J. (2025, February 28). ‘Is it a crime to educate them?’: Why educators strive to keep Sabah’s alternative schools for stateless kids open. Malay Mail. https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2025/02/28/is-it-a-crime-to-educate-them-why-educators-strive-to-keep-sabahs-alternative-schools-for-stateless-kids-open/166968

Pang, V., Ling, M.-T., & Tibok, R. P. (2025). Achievement of children in an alternative education programme for refugee, stateless and undocumented children in Sabah, Malaysia. Journal of Nusantara Studies, 4(2), 335–361. https://doi.org/10.24200/jonus.vol4iss2pp335-361

SUHAKAM. (2023, December 28). Press Statement No. 48‑2023: SUHAKAM calls for concrete collaborative efforts on children’s educational rights in Omadal Island. Human Rights Commission of Malaysia. https://suhakam.org.my/2023/12/press-statement-no-48-2023_suhakam-calls-for-concrete-collaborative-efforts-on-childrens-educational-rights-in-omadal-island/

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