PETALING JAYA: Malaysian children without birth certificates can now attend government-aided schools provided they have a referral from the Social Welfare Department (JKM).

All they need is a confirmation from JKM or their village headmen that they were born in Malaysia, Women, Family and Community Development Minister Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil said.

“Parents of children without birth certificates should come forward and seek assistance from the authorities,” she said during a visit to the Taman Megah’s Handicapped and Disabled Children’s Home yesterday.

Four children who were abandoned at the home have been unable to attend school as they were without birth certificates.

The matter, which was reported in The Star, caught the attention of Shahrizat.

She said her ministry had been working with the National Registration Depart-ment (NRD) and NGOs to provide birth certificates for these children and put them in school.

JKM Selangor director Adnan Abu Bakar said they would provide social reports and referral letters for the children.

NRD Births, Deaths and Adoptions director Mohd Azmin Hassan said they would wait for JKM’s referral letters before processing birth certificates for the children.

“We will try our best to get the birth certificates within a month, but we make no promises,” he said.