SJKC reality: Sink or swim for non-Chinese students?

Around 63% of the pupil population at SJKC Kampung Baru Paroi in Seremban is non-Chinese. — IZZRAFIQ ALIAS/The Star

THE value of the Mandarin language can be seen from the growing number of non-Chinese pupils enrolling in Chinese primary schools since the 1970s.

Mastering an additional language can open doors to better opportunities and provide a competitive edge – such are the hopes and expectations of non-Chinese parents who send their children to such schools.

Apart from the language, non-Chinese parents are also drawn to what they perceive as a quality teaching and learning environment as well as exemplary discipline. Proximity, when such schools are located closer to home, is another factor for some.

Unfortunately, the reality is that many non-Chinese pupils often struggle to adapt and learn in an environment where the medium of instruction is not their mother tongue. Some may, through hard work, overcome the challenges posed; but there are also those who decide to quit halfway.

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This has led to parents questioning their decision, with one of the questions often asked being whether enrolling non-Chinese pupils in Chinese primary schools can be a futile endeavour or otherwise, and whether expectations of parents will be fulfilled.

The language barrier

Today, non-Chinese pupils make up approximately 20% of the total enrolment in Chinese primary schools nationwide, including Malay and Indian pupils, as well as indigenous and foreign children.

According to data from the Dong Jiao Zong (United Chinese School Committees Association and the United Chinese School Teachers’ Association of Malaysia) and the Education Ministry, the number of non-Chinese pupils in Chinese primary schools nationwide has increased from 17,309 in 1989 (3.05%) to 52,043 in 1998 (8.66%), 72,443 in 2010 (11.84%), and 101,011 in 2020 (19.75%). This indicates that the trend of non-Chinese pupils attending Chinese primary schools is on the rise.

They are enrolled in both urban and rural vernacular schools, but a majority are in rural Chinese primary schools.

While more are entering such schools, the experience remains difficult as these non-Chinese pupils are thrust into a completely unfamiliar environment.

They need to start from scratch to learn and adapt, whether in terms of language or culture. Especially since Chinese is not their mother tongue, obstacles in language learning and communication issues with classmates are inevitable challenges.

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Teachers’ challenges

United Chinese School Teachers Association of Malaysia (Jiao Zong) chairman Cheah Lek Aee chairman says despite the enrolment of non-Chinese pupils, Chinese primary schools continue to maintain their emphasis on promoting and preserving Chinese culture, as seen through the policy of using Mandarin as the main teaching medium.

Cheah says Chinese primary school teachers conduct classes using an “immersive teaching” experience as pupils who don’t come from a Mandarin-speaking environment may find learning the language difficult and become demotivated.

“Even if there are one or two non-Chinese pupils in the class who may not understand the words uttered [in Mandarin], the teachers will insist on continuing to communicate in Mandarin to help them adapt in the school’s environment.

“Schools also try to assign non-Chinese pupils to be in different classes, allowing them to interact with more Chinese pupils, which can help their learning process.”

Cheah: Teachers will also conduct classes using an ‘immersive’ teaching experience to help pupils’ language learning process. — Sin Chew Daily/MIA

However, for under-populated Chinese primary schools with a majority of non-Chinese pupils, teachers may have to resort to bilingual teaching as a last resort.

“This may lead to some pupils relying on the teachers to translate their explanation,” Cheah says.

With the movement of suburban Chinese populations to urban areas, suburban Chinese primary schools in Sabah and Sarawak are facing the issue of a decline in the number of pupils enrolling, while the number of non-Chinese pupils has already exceeded more than 50%, with some schools having an indigenous pupil population of up to 90%.

During an online interview with reporters, headmasters and headmistress from various Chinese primary schools unanimously agreed that the backgrounds of non-Chinese pupils – their families and daily routine – lack exposure to opportunities to learn Mandarin.

SJKC Syn Hua’s headmistress Chang Fui Chew says that some non-Chinese pupils have excellent learning abilities and can simultaneously grasp the Malay and English languages, but they find Mandarin comparatively challenging.

She points out that if children cannot keep up with the curriculum in Chinese primary schools, parents worry that it will become more difficult for them to adapt as the class progresses.

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Adapting to non-Chinese pupils

When the non-Chinese pupils are unable to understand the language used in classrooms, teachers may need to adjust their teaching methods.

For example, in Chinese primary schools where non-Chinese pupils exceed 85% of the pupil population, teachers inevitably use one or two sentences of Malay in their teaching.

Teachers will employ various strategies to create an interesting learning environment, allowing pupils to learn Chinese through reading, group discussions, and presentations.

In a May 12 StarEdu report, “Teaching in two tongues”, Universiti Malaya’s (UM) Dr Chew Fong Peng noted that teaching in a bilingual format is the most popular method employed by teachers when educating these pupils, regardless of the subject.

“More specifically, they will mix Mandarin with English or Bahasa Malaysia within the same sentence,” said the associate professor in the Department of Language and Literacy Education in UM’s Faculty of Education.

But that does not mean pupils are able to pick up what is being taught immediately.

“Teachers have to repeat themselves many times and this can slow down the pace of the class,” she told StarEdu.

Noting that class composition can affect the speed of learning, Chew also said that it is more challenging for teachers to teach when the majority of the class does not understand Mandarin.

“If there are Mandarin-speaking pupils in the class, they can help coach those who do not understand,” she said, adding that this scenario can commonly be seen in large schools with a higher percentage of Chinese pupils.

“Pupils in schools with more Chinese-speaking pupils also pick up the language faster because they are immersed in it.

“But in low-enrolment schools with more non-Chinese pupils, teachers need to take the lead in guiding each pupil.”

‘Teaching in two tongues’

Teaching in a bilingual format has become the practice at SJKC Kampung Baru Paroi in Seremban, where non-Chinese pupils make up 63% of the school’s total pupil population and where most classes have an average of 70% non-Chinese pupils.

“We encourage the teachers to use a mix of Mandarin and Bahasa Malaysia in their instructions and explanations so that their pupils can better grasp what they are teaching.

“At the same time, to improve their language fluency, we can divide the pupils of each year into different groups for Mandarin classes according to their language ability level to make it easier for the teachers to tailor the lessons to their pupils’ needs.

“We are also lucky that our school is small, so the teachers are able to provide personal attention and one-on-one coaching to individual pupils,” says SJKC Kampung Baru Paroi headmistress Soo Sui Peng.

Soo: The Education Ministry also encourages us to use more interactive learning modes such as simulation, role playing instead of relying solely on the talk and chalk method. — IZZRAFIQ ALIAS/The Star

Adds Soo, the Mandarin teachers are also encouraged to try different approaches in their teaching, especially interactive methods.

“The Education Ministry also encourages us to use more interactive learning modes such as simulation and role playing instead of relying solely on the talk and chalk method,” she says.

Noting that most non-Chinese pupils have a problem in writing Chinese, Soo says the best way to improve their language skills is to read and practise writing more.

“Most of our pupils can understand and speak Mandarin well but struggle to write in Mandarin, especially compositions.

“So there is no other way, they just need to practise more, write more, read more. We also advise them to get tuition if possible, so that they can get the extra help to improve further.”

Additional reporting by HARIATI AZIZAN/The Star.

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If the non-Chinese pupils do not have a conducive and supportive environment to learn Chinese at home, it may result in them falling behind in reading and writing, due to the limited vocabulary. This will affect the learning of other subjects too.

In such scenario, will non-Chinese pupils, who are supposed to have an advantage in learning an additional language, suffer in terms of academic performance due to the weak language? Does studying in a Chinese primary school cause them to lose confidence instead of gaining it?

This story is part of Media in Arms’ series ‘SJKC: Reality for Non-Chinese pupils’, which explores the experience of non-Chinese pupils in Chinese schools.

Media in Arms is a media collaboration comprising five mainstream media outlets: Chinese newspaper Sin Chew Daily, Malay daily Sinar Harian, local news broadcaster Astro Awani, Tamil newspaper Malaysia Nanban and The Star – which formed this initiative in February 2022 to share resources and collaborate on diversified news content.