22-year-old Sinan stopped going to school at Grade 5.-Supplied photo
Abu Dhabi - Most schools maintain that they cannot accommodate children without valid documents.
Published: Tue 31 Jul 2018, 10:00 PM
Last updated: Tue 14 Aug 2018, 1:39 PM
The undocumented status of their parents are costing scores of children the chance of education in the UAE.
Children are forced to drop out of school after their overstaying parents/sponsor fail to renew their residential visas and sponsor a family, and amnesty may restore their right for education.
While parents fight joblessness, poverty and other legal implications of living on the wrong side of the law in their host country, children suffer an uncertain academic future as they are denied their right to education for no fault of theirs.
Twenty-two-year-old Sinan and his 19-year-old sister Nihala from Kerala are two such victims.
Sinan stopped going to school when he was in Grade 5, and Nihala dropped out in Grade 2 from Our Own School in Sharjah, according to their father.
"Both my children had to discontinue their schooling in 2007 after I faced legal trouble related to my garment company, and went to jail for cases related to bounced cheques," their father Koyakutty, 52, told Khaleej Times.
He has several legal cases pending against him, which means he cannot renew his or his dependent's residency permits. He lives with his wife and two children in a shared apartment in Sharjah.
Koyakutty claimed he did not send his family back to India because he feared for their lives.
"I had taken loans from private lenders to salvage my business, and they were threatening to harm my family. They were criminals who were harassing me and I kept my family in the UAE because I knew no one will physically harm them here."
Sinan, whose childhood got caught up in his father's legal troubles and illegal status in the UAE, remembers the painful past, but said he was happy the worst days were behind them.
"It was a struggling time for the whole family. I was just nine when I had to stop schooling. I don't remember whether I missed going to school. It was a battle for day-to-day existence, and we somehow survived."
He said he and his sister made up for the lost school years by reading from the Internet and newspapers. "We are fluent in English and our general knowledge is also strong."
His artistic talent also came in handy for Sinan, who learned graphic designing online and is now taking up small assignments.
"Even without a formal education, I am an earning member and is supporting my family. I love painting in abstract and want to do a small exhibition. But the problem is the high cost of materials that I cannot afford."
For Koyakutty, the amnesty declared by the UAE government has come as a blessing.
"I am hopeful that my children can use the amnesty to modify their status and start a small business here. They have lived all their lives in the UAE and they consider this their home. I am sure we can have a fresh start," said Koyakutty, who has to settle legal cases to avail of the amnesty.
Six French children out of school
Khaleej Times had earlier reported on overstaying families living on the edge of penury and with their children not attending schools.
One such case was that of a French woman named Fadila whose six children - three boys and three girls, aged between four and 16 - were unable to go to school because of their undocumented status.
"It is not their fault that they are in this bad situation. I have been desperately trying to find a job to legalise our status and send my children to school but without any luck. I hope amnesty will give us a chance to start afresh," Fadila told Khaleej Times.
The woman claimed she was deserted by her Pakistani husband and was left on her own in the UAE without any valid documents. The family is sleeping in a one-bedroom in a shared villa in Sharjah. Her three younger children had never been to school while the elder boys discontinued education after coming to the UAE from France.
5 Indian kids never been to school
In another shocking incident, Khaleej Times had brought out the plight of an Indian family, which had five children who could never go to school because of their parents' illegal status. The five Indian children of Madhusudhanan-Rohini couple - Ashwathy, 29, Sangeetha,25, Shanthi,23, Gauri, 22, and Mithun, 21 - had to bear the brunt of their parents' residency violation and forego any little formal education while they grew up in the UAE. The family has been staying in the emirates for nearly 30 years without valid passports and visas.
"I could not enrol my five children in school because of our illegal status. They did not even have their passports for a long time. They haven't travelled outside the UAE even once. They have suffered for a lifetime," Madhusudhanan said. The couple claimed they could not apply for passports and visas for their children as neither father and mother had valid documents to sponsor them.
More unknown cases
Sinan and Nihala are not an isolated case. Social workers said there are many more such cases known to them but many families are not willing to come out and seek help.
"I know some cases. But they are too afraid to expose their children. But with the declaration of amnesty, I think many families will try to either leave the country or regularise the status," said Nasser Kanjanghad, a social worker based in Abu Dhabi.
Officials from Keralite community organisation Malayalee Samajam in Abu Dhabi said they are aware of a family in Baniyas with children not attending school.
"They are trying to leave the country by applying for amnesty. We are currently trying to help them with necessary documents," said T. A. Nasser, samajam president.
Most schools maintain they cannot accommodate children without valid documents. Schools have to submit valid and updated documents to relevant education authorities in each emirate. Children can be enrolled in schools in the UAE only if both parents submit valid residential visas and Emirates IDs. Children also need a valid visa, Emirates ID and an attested birth certificate to be eligible for admission.
anjana@khaleejtimes.com
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