Kuala Lumpur | April 23, 2025
Chief Editor of Ottrangknews and renowned community advocate, Dato G Kumaar Aamaann, has voiced unwavering support for a landmark study revealing that educating non-citizen children born in Malaysia could yield up to RM208 billion in economic returns over their lifetimes.
The study, conducted jointly by UNICEF Malaysia and Universiti Malaya’s Social Wellbeing Research Centre (SWRC), highlights the untapped potential of approximately 290,437 stateless or non-citizen children born in 2016 alone — a demographic often overlooked in national planning.
“In the eyes of humanity and the spirit of our Constitution, any child born on our soil is a child of Malaysia,” Dato G Kumaar stated. “These are not invisible children; they are Malaysia’s hidden assets. Educating them is not an expense — it’s a strategic investment.”
The report estimates that if these children are granted access to formal education and legal employment until retirement, they could contribute nearly 9.5% of Malaysia’s projected 2025 GDP — a staggering RM208 billion injection into the national economy. Even the most conservative estimate sits at RM87 billion — a figure too significant to ignore, especially as the country wrestles with a growing national debt.
Dato Kumaar emphasized that with Malaysia’s aging population expected to rise to 14.5% by 2040, the country cannot afford to let this energetic, capable youth cohort remain in the shadows. “We must shift from a lens of exclusion to one of inclusion. The future workforce must be cultivated now — starting with every child, regardless of documentation status.”
He also appealed to Malaysian policymakers to introduce a bold, bipartisan national education and employment policy, enabling stateless and non-citizen children to access public schooling, healthcare, and legal job opportunities.
“The greatness of a nation is not measured by its wealth, but by its will to lift every child,” Dato Kumaar said. “We cannot call ourselves developed if we leave even one child behind.”
He ended his statement with a call to action for all community leaders, NGOs, and Parliament members to come together under one banner — compassion-driven policy for a prosperity-driven future.