EDUCATION AS A MEDIUM FOR NATIONAL IDENTITY FORMATION AMONG STATELESS CHILDREN IN SABAH: A CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.35631/IJMOE.830028Keywords:
Alternative Education, Identity Formation, Nation-of-intent, Socialisation Processes, Stateless ChildrenAbstract
Education is widely recognised as a central mechanism for shaping national identity, particularly in plural societies such as Malaysia where social cohesion remains a key concern. However, prevailing frameworks of identity formation are largely anchored in formal education systems, thus overlooking the experiences of marginalised groups excluded from institutional structures. In Sabah, stateless children face restricted access to formal schooling, resulting not only in educational inequality but also limited participation in structured processes of national socialisation. These conditions indicate a conceptual gap in understanding how identity is formed outside formal institutional settings. This paper presents a conceptual framework that reconceptualises education as a multidimensional and socially embedded process occurring within alternative learning environments, including community-based learning centres, non-governmental educational initiatives, and informal education spaces such as the Children’s Human Development Centre (PPKK) in Sabah. The framework integrates educational inputs, socialisation processes, individual experiences, and socio-cultural contexts as interacting dimensions that shape identity construction. Drawing on the nation-of-intent perspective, this paper conceptualises national identity as a socially constructed and continuously negotiated process rather than a fixed or inherited attribute. Within this framework, identity is understood as evolving through the interaction between structural conditions, educational experiences, and everyday social practice. The paper further discusses the conceptual implications and potential role of alternative education in supporting inclusive identity formation among stateless children.
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