In the course of producing the series,  For A Better Life, we surveyed Nebraska teachers to ask what they wanted to know about their refugee students. They were most curious about student experiences with education before arriving in the United States. With their specific questions in mind, we began producing a film. We started by having conversations with members of our community who are refugees. We also coordinated with officials at the U.S. State Department’s Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration who helped us identify a country that would allow us to film in refugee schools.

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia is home to hundreds of thousands of refugees who aren’t allowed to work, attend school, or access healthcare, even with a UNHCR card which demonstrates their identity and refugee status. The students and families we met live in limbo — their lives and education on hold as they wait to be resettled. 

Education in Limbo tells the story of two Somali refugees living in Kuala Lumpur. Saleban Feysal Saleban (Saleban) is a teenage student. And Abdifatah Mohamed Abdulle (Mr. Farey) is the founder of S.C. Modern Learning Center, a school for refugee children.

It is only through schools created by churches and members of the refugee community that students like Saleban have access to a basic education from kindergarten through ninth grade.

The school Mr. Farey runs teaches students predominantly from Somalia. Somalia and some of the other countries his students come from have little education infrastructure. For some students, attending school in their country of origin was dangerous and for others simply unattainable. Mr. Farey’s school accommodates the variability of his students’ educational backgrounds: 

• Because of limited education prior to arrival social promotion is not used, instead they try to condense two years of education into one.

• They use the local Malay curriculum and teach both English and Malay. 

• Special education services are not available. 

• Students age out of school after ninth grade because they don’t have qualified teachers for upper grades.

• Most teachers are unpaid volunteers and do not have the education and experience comparable to those teaching in the Malaysian schools.

• Recent growth in enrollment has necessitated a split day with grades K‑4 in the morning and 5 – 9 in the afternoon. 

• It costs $8,800 per month to run the school and while there are school fees they only cover $1,800 of the cost.

• Since filming, the school has merged with another and added an online GED program for students to earn high school diplomas.

• Refugee students are also not allowed to attend university in Malaysia. Their only hope for postsecondary education is through resettlement in another country. 

Providing for life essentials as a refugee in Malaysia is difficult. Some families earn money by working illegally in the fish market, while others cook or clean. The parents we met placed a high value on education even though they themselves did not have the opportunity. They hope for resettlement to a third country but the chances are slim. According to United Nation statistics, of the more than 20 million refugees worldwide, less than one percent are considered for resettlement. The United States accepts a limited number of refugees each year. 

The UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, has a large presence in Malaysia but lacks the resources to serve the growing refugee population. Upon arriving in Malaysia refugees are required to register with the UNHCR. At that time, they reserve an appointment for an interview that grants them a UNHCR card — if their case is accepted. This card is critical because, without passports, it is the only way they can travel. At the time of filming, there was a two year backlog of cases.