In order to provide prompt assistance to existing educational initiatives in Malaysia, the government can: a) Provide material support in the form of books, uniforms etc to refugee and stateless children. These types of support have been demonstrated to boost enrolment and attendance111. For example, to make up for the insufficient delivery of books to displaced students, Iraq has taken a number of measures, including providing school supplies, furniture, and free compact discs containing all course material. Additionally, funds are provided to transport these students from their places of residence to schools112. b) Improve facilities in alternative learning centres and community-based learning centres for stateless children in Malaysia. The Government is encouraged to increase cooperation with various bodies to improve resources such as promoting teacher’s training, capacity building, and allocating resources for teachers in ALCs. The Ministry of Education (MoE), along with ALC providers, can also collaborate to standardise curriculum based on MoE guidelines, monitoring and quality control. Recognising the lack of qualified teachers, ALCs should be encouraged to take a community-based approach and allow qualified members of the stateless community to take ownership of the operation of the learning centres. c) Establish sustainable financing for the education of refugee and stateless children through public-private partnerships, including mobilising global funds for education that could support any inclusive measures in government schools. To address the lack of funding, the Government of Malaysia is encouraged to develop multi-stakeholder partnerships to increase funding to strengthen the national education system. For example, Thailand’s Equitable Education Fund (EEF) has been an effective model of public-private partnerships for innovative financing and international cooperation for equitable education. The equity-focused public fund's variety of funding sources is one of its main advantages, in addition to offering tax incentives for private in-cash and in-kind contributions. While EEF is negotiating with national regulators to make the processes for resource mobilisation as efficient, quick, and effective as possible, many Thailand-based companies are funding EEF as part of their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programmes. EEF works closely with about 30,000 Thailand schools under the supervision of 30 agencies, primarily the Thailand Ministry of Education, as well as the Ministry of Interior and the Royal Thai Police, among others, namely by providing cash transfers (i.e. providing cash assistance to those who satisfy certain qualifying conditions) to needy students directly through their schools. d) Allowing refugee children to use government school premises outside of regular schooling hours to expand the capacity of existing national schools in Malaysia. To realise this policy, the concept of double-shift schooling can be adopted by host governments to expand the provision of education in a short period of time. By splitting the local, refugee and stateless students into morning and afternoon shifts, it can be cost-effective through the utilisation of existing facilities. Moreover, the government could potentially enhance school infrastructure and premises through external funding sources too. This innovative system, which allows two separate groups of students to utilise the same school facilities at different times of the day, would optimise resource allocation and maximise the utilisation of existing educational infrastructure. Not only would this alleviate the strain on the Ministry's budget, but it would also create opportunities for collaboration with external organisations, such as NGOs or corporate entities, who could contribute funds towards improving school facilities. Therefore, embracing the concept of double-shift schooling presents a promising pathway to enhance educational resources in Malaysia without placing an undue burden on the Ministry of Education. Despite its challenges, double-shift schooling is a promising approach that Malaysia should consider exploring to accommodate refugee and stateless children in the country. One of the primary advantages is the optimal use of • All facilitators are required to use PPEs (masks and gloves) when engaging with children or households atthe all times infrastructure, reducing need for additional construction or the establishment of separate schools. Use of PPEs • All children and parents should be wearing masks whenever they are engaged with facilitators Stop COVID! 111 Indongole, C., 2004. The final evaluation report of emergency educational assistance for the drought-affected and displaced children in elementary-level education in Eritrea project. Paris: UNESCO Programme of Education for Emergencies and Reconstruction (PEER) 112 United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). 2018. Ensuring the right to equitable and inclusive quality education: Results of the ninth consultation on the implementation of the UNESCO Convention and Recommendation against Discrimination in Education. http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0025/002514/251463e.pdf 14