REVI 00233

This article focuses on <i>sustainable education</i> for Batek children, an ethnic subgroup of Indigenous Orang Asli peoples in Malaysia. A number of important figures, including school leaders, teachers, parents and peers, are needed to support initiatives to improve the quality of education among Indigenous communities. However, studies have indicated that a range of issues among Orang Asli children – such as low educational attainment, school dropout and high absenteeism – are hindering success. To help address these problems, a more conducive relationship between these children and their schools needs to be developed. The qualitative study presented in this article explored the role of “chaperones” (teachers’ aides) in a Let’s Go to School programme in a village school in Pahang, Malaysia, as a potential solution to support Batek children’s education.