The student was told she could not register into a government secondary school unless she could produce a statutory declaration (SD), an assemblyman revealed today.

Bukit Gasing assemblyman Rajiv Rishyakaran said some couples, especially those from the lower income group, only had ceremonial weddings.

“The ceremonial weddings are still prevalent at low-cost housing areas where a couple would just have the ceremony at a small temple,” he told FMT.

“But why is the child being punished when her birth certificate shows her parents’ names and the student had completed her primary school?”

Rajiv said the parents visited his service centre yesterday worried about their daughter’s education. After checking with the school, he said the parents were told they had to submit an SD if they did not have a marriage certificate.

He then took the parents and the student to get an SD drawn up and signed as proof the couple are living together and are looking after the child.

“What has the child’s education got to do with the parents’ marriage? Luckily, they sought help and an SD was done. But some poor families might not have done it, and the child might not have continued schooling,” he said.

He urged the education ministry to make marriage certificates optional and to place the priority on easy enrolment, adding that no child should be left behind in their education.