CHAAH: A Tamil school in an estate, established 46 years ago with almost all of its pupils residing in the area, is gaining popularity among community members.
SJKT Cantuman Chaah now has seven pupils among its total enrolment of 252 who are of mixed parentage.
Its headmaster Dominig Savarimuthu said one Indian Muslim family has had two generations of their children study there.
“In fact, that family’s children are now teachers in primary and secondary Tamil schools in Johor Baru,” Dominig, himself an alumnus of the school, said in an interview.
The school, spanning 3.4ha, was the first integrated Tamil school, comprising seven separate Tamil schools in the area, he noted.“Those days, in 1919, the area was divided into seven estates owned by a French company.
“In 1978, MIC and NGO leaders decided to unite the schools into one major establishment,” he said, adding that the land for the school was provided by the company.
Dominig said at that time, the school had an enrolment of about 1,000 Indian estate pupils.
Unity in diversity: Dominig with some of his young students who are of mixed parentage at the school. — THOMAS YONG/The Star
He said he is glad to see that pupils from mixed parentages, such as Malay, Chinese and Orang Asli, are joining the school.
“We also have a religious teacher who conducts Islamic classes for the students. Our next goal is to provide Mandarin classes for all of our students.
“So far, all the young pupils are able to pick up Tamil and converse in the language with their friends,” he enthused.
Dominig, who has been an educator for about 30 years, encourages the learning of other languages as well as interacting with children of other faiths and beliefs as it has many benefits. Marieh Muihidin, 67, whose granddaughter Nurul Hasinah Abdullah is in Year Four of the school, said at least 12 of her family members – including her brothers, sisters and grandchildren, – have studied at the school.
“In Chaah, we have our own madrasah where sermons are presented in Tamil,” she said, adding that three of her siblings are teachers.
She also complimented the teachers in the school for always paying special attention to weaker students to ensure they catch up with their studies.
Indah Styaningrum Joko, 40, has two sons – Suriyah Muhammad Soleh, five, and Arafah, eight – studying at the school.
Her eldest daughter, Sherin Yuliani, graduated from the school many years ago and that she had won Tamil singing competitions at the district and state levels when she was a student.
“I want my children to pick up more languages when they are young,” she said.
SJK(T) Cantuman Chaah is a government-funded school comprising three blocks and a hall. It has 25 teachers and five support staff members at present.
