KUALA BERANG: Stateless boy Muhammad Malikie Shamsul Rizal’s hope of wearing his white and blue school uniform again has finally come true when the State Education Department granted him the greenlight to enrol at Sekolah Kebangsaan Ajil here, today.

The 11-year-old boy was excited when he reached the school with his mother, Hasiah Ismail, 41, this morning and reunited with his schoolmates who had been eagerly waiting for him at the school gate since morning.

He was placed in a Year Five class.

Malikie studied in the same school from Year One to Three, but stopped schooling last year after it was discovered that he does not possess a birth certificate.

“My son was allowed to study in the school from Year One to Three as my late husband, Shamsul Rizal Ismail, and I, are both Malaysian citizens.

Malikie was born at a hospital in Riau, Indonesia, in 2006, when both of us were there.

“The problem started because my late husband did not register Malikie’s birth at the Malaysian Embassy in Indonesia.

“At the time, we were afraid to go to the embassy because our passports have expired,” she said, adding that they also did not register Malikie’s birth upon returning to Malaysia.

Meanwhile, Ajil assemblyman Ghazali Taib said he sympathised with Malikie’s plight and sought the Home Ministry’s help to get the boy a birth certificate the soonest possible.

“In fact, I will send a team to Indonesia soon to get some documents related to Malikie.

“From our past experiences, it will take two months to get the birth certificate if the relevant documents have been submitted.” he added.-nst