Sabah Children Still Struggle Despite Access to Services, Survey Finds | KiddyNews

A new survey has found that while most children in Sabah can access healthcare and education services, many are still falling short of key wellbeing benchmarks in areas such as health, nutrition, learning and safety.

The findings come from the Sabah Child Wellbeing Index (SCWI) 2026, which assessed child wellbeing across multiple areas of development.

Health Access High, But Outcomes Uneven

The survey found that 92.3 per cent of children had access to healthcare services. However, only 55.9 per cent met the overall health wellbeing benchmark, which includes factors such as immunisation, nutrition and age-appropriate health outcomes.

Only 73.6 per cent of children were fully immunised by 23 months of age, while health outcomes declined significantly among older children. Just 20.8 per cent of adolescents aged 13 to 17 met the health benchmark.

Children with disabilities and undocumented or stateless children faced even greater challenges, recording some of the lowest health outcomes in the survey.

Nutrition and Food Security Remain Concerns

In the area of nutrition and development, only 30.6 per cent of children met the required benchmark.

The report also highlighted food insecurity as a major issue. Only 28.2 per cent of children were classified as food secure, indicating that many families continue to face difficulties in accessing sufficient and nutritious food.

Learning Outcomes Drop as Children Get Older

Although school participation remains relatively high, only 27.2 per cent of children met the overall learning benchmark, which measures educational outcomes, school participation and access to learning resources.

Learning outcomes were strongest among children aged five and below, but declined at the primary and secondary school levels.

The survey found that more than 97 per cent of adolescents believed education was important for their future. However, only 75.6 per cent were on track to complete their schooling, suggesting that barriers to learning extend beyond motivation.

Children with disabilities and undocumented or stateless children were among those most affected.

Safety Identified as the Biggest Concern

Safety and protection emerged as the weakest area in the survey, with only 6.1 per cent of children meeting the minimum benchmark.

The assessment looked at factors such as housing conditions, exposure to violence, environmental safety, and protection from bullying and harm. Only 41.4 per cent of children lived in adequate housing.

The report identified safety as one of the most urgent issues affecting children’s overall well-being.

Call for Stronger Support for Children

The SCWI was developed through a collaboration between UNICEF Malaysia and the Sabah State Economic Planning Unit (UPEN), involving 4,441 children across the state.

The report recommends strengthening health and nutrition services, expanding inclusive education, improving housing and child protection systems, and using data-driven policies to address gaps affecting Sabah’s children.

The findings serve as a reminder that while access to services is important, ensuring children are healthy, safe and able to thrive requires continued support from families, communities and policymakers alike.

Source:

Malay Mail – “Sabah survey finds major gaps in child wellbeing despite near-universal healthcare access”

Thoughtfully adapted by KiddyNews. Keeping parents and educators informed with the latest ECCE developments from Malaysia and beyond.