Educational leadership in Orang Asli schools: A systematic literature review of leadership challenges and contextual strategies

Abstract

The provision of equitable education for indigenous Orang Asli communities remains a persistent national challenge in Malaysia. This study aims to synthesise the leadership challenges faced by school administrators in Orang Asli schools and to identify contextually relevant strategies for improving educational outcomes. A systematic literature review incorporating thematic synthesis was conducted, analysing 30 peer-reviewed articles published between 2020 and 2026, sourced from Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar. Articles were selected through a structured screening process based on relevance to indigenous education, leadership, and rural schooling contexts. The findings reveal five interrelated dimensions of leadership challenges: (1) core leadership and managerial adaptation, (2) pedagogical and curriculum constraints, (3) socio-cultural and community dynamics, (4) systemic and policy-related limitations, and (5) technological disparities. The review highlights that conventional, centralised leadership models are largely ineffective in indigenous contexts, necessitating adaptive, culturally responsive, and community-oriented leadership approaches. This study contributes to the discourse on indigenous educational leadership by proposing the need for a contextualised, needs-based leadership framework tailored to Orang Asli schools. The review contributes to the growing discourse on indigenous educational leadership by identifying thematic insights that may guide future policy development, leadership practice and research.