The number of non-Chinese pupils accounts for 98% of the population in SJKC Panching. — 2023 Filepic/Sin Chew Daily/MIA
FOR the 2024/2025 academic year, SJKC Panching in Kuantan has 54 pupils.
However, out of that total number of pupils, the Chinese primary school only has one Chinese pupil – the others are 44 Malays (81.48%), eight Orang Asli (14.81%), and one Indian.
As the number of non-Chinese pupils accounts for 98% of pupils in the school, it has become a challenge to create a Chinese-speaking environment.
Facing the same issue at SJKC Peng Hwa, its headmaster Sang Cze Leong says he has encouraged parents to seek additional Mandarin classes outside school. However, the response has been rather lukewarm.
“The Chinese proficiency of some non-Chinese pupils is worrying, and other subjects taught in Chinese are considered ‘challenging’,” he says.
Sang admits that before the abolition of the UPSR examination in Year Six, the school had did all they could to ensure that the pupils passed all the subjects in their examination but at times wished that the pupils who could not cope with Mandarin to voluntarily transfer schools.
It was an easy way out for pupils who were unable to cope, says Sang.
Sang: Some Chinese primary school headteachers are in a dilemma. — Sin Chew Daily/MIA
“We only wanted to provide our pupils with better learning opportunities.
“To be honest, most headteachers were in a dilemma. While we had gone all out to ensure all subjects were passed, we knew clearly that perhaps the Chinese primary school system was not suitable for some children. But we could not tell parents so for fear that they misunderstand our intentions and think that we look down on them, and want them to transfer schools,” he says.
Is a transfer to a national school a solution?
Although encountering some difficulty in reading and writing, with slower learning progress, some non-Chinese parents are also not quick to transfer their children to other schools because the children have become accustomed to the learning environment.
SJKC Cheng Ming’s headmistress Chee Sui Fung points out that some pupils who find it difficult to cope choose to transfer schools after studying in Chinese primary schools for a year; others usually apply for transfers after studying for four to five years for the same reason.
She says that the school will not encourage such solutions but will continue to engage with parents to seek answers.
“If a pupil is unable to keep up with the learning progress in Chinese schools, the teachers will communicate with the parents and look for solutions.
“Only when there is no other choice, will the parents then make the decision to transfer their children to [national] schools.”
Using SJK (C) Chung Hwa Kota Kinabalu as an example, its headmaster Tai Nyit Wun says about 5% of non-Chinese pupils will transfer out yearly.
“We do not make requests for them to withdraw from the school. After communicating with the parents, we let them observe which school is suitable for their children,” he says.
Staying for better opportunities
National Union of the Teaching Profession (NUTP) secretary-general Fouzi Singon says the upward trend in the number of non-Chinese pupils enrolling in Chinese primary schools indicates that non-Chinese parents are looking to enhance their children’s career prospects.
Fouzi: Non-Chinese parents hope their children can adapt to the learning environment of Chinese primary schools and lay a solid foundation to learn, read and write Mandarin.
He said that there is a significant gap in the learning progress between non-Chinese primary and secondary school pupils.
“In the lower level of primary school, teachers can guide children to quickly grasp the fundamentals of reading, writing, speaking, and arithmetic.
“Non-Chinese parents hope their children can adapt to the learning environment of Chinese primary schools, make friends, and lay a solid foundation to learn, read and write in the Chinese language.”
