Working together: There are some non-Chinese pupils who put in more effort than their Chinese classmates and achieve better results, say teachers.
IPOH: The famed strong discipline and strict teachers are the two main reasons M. Kasthuri has sent all four of her children to a Chinese primary school.
She said she has not regretted it once, despite the challenges her children faced in learning Mandarin.
Kasthuri is confident that she has made the right decision after seeing the dedication of the teachers at SJKC Kg Merbau in Air Tawar, Perak, to educating and shaping the character of their students.
“My husband has Chinese relatives and many Chinese friends, and he told me that many of their family members are successful in life because they have mastered an extra language.
“That’s why we decided to send our children to Chinese primary schools. I realise that the teachers there are strict and pay a lot of attention to discipline,” she said.
Kasthuri’s son, B. Yogendran, 11, who is in Year Five, said he was able to master Mandarin in Year Two because his siblings often communicate in the language at home.
“My Chinese test results are not very good, but I have no problem speaking Mandarin because I really like this language.
“After this, I hope to go to SMJK Ayer Tawar just like my brother and sister,” he said.
Kasthuri has no regrets sending her children to Chinese primary school.Another child of Kasthuri, eight-year-old B. Monascree, who is in Year Two at the same school, also said that being able to speak in Mandarin with her siblings at home has helped her become fluent in Mandarin.
Their schoolmate, M. Aruvin Kumar, however, is not as fluent because he is the only one in his family studying at a Chinese primary school.
“My older brother is in a national primary school while my younger sister is studying in a Tamil primary school, so I have no one to speak Mandarin with at home.
“I do not know why my parents send me to a Chinese primary school. But I have no regrets. I know an additional language. I am happy in the school and get along very well with my Chinese classmates,” said the Year Five pupil.
According to Dong Jiao Zong (the United Chinese School Committees Association and the United Chinese School Teachers’ Association of Malaysia), non-Chinese pupils make up about 20% of the total enrolment in Chinese primary schools nationwide.
A headmaster who spoke anonymously said non-Chinese pupils often face difficulty learning Chinese because they do not speak Chinese at home and their parents are unable to guide them in their school work.
The concern is that if pupils are unable to master Mandarin, it will affect their learning of other subjects that are also taught in Chinese.
He added that it could also affect the pupil’s confidence.
“Most non-Chinese pupils will not have much problem with speaking in Mandarin after studying in Chinese primary schools for a period of time, but they cannot keep up with reading and writing if their vocabulary is limited, which will affect their learning progress in other subjects,” he said.
The headmaster added that many non-Chinese parents are determined to send their children to Chinese primary schools, but he advises parents to allow them to transfer to the national primary school if they are unable to keep up with their studies.
A teacher from SJKC Kampong Merbau, who declined to be named, said non-Chinese pupils who lack Chinese exposure at home need to put in the extra effort to master the language.
“If not, the outcome is likely a dead end,” she noted, adding that time should be given to the children to master the language.
“Years 1 to 3 are critical periods; if the pupil can keep up with the Chinese level in these three years, there is no problem. If he is unable to keep up, the best course of action is to transfer schools to prevent further harm.
“However, there are also some pupils who put in more effort than their Chinese classmates and achieve very good results in Chinese and other subjects too,” said the teacher.
It is also important for non-Chinese parents who plan to send their children to Chinese primary schools to expose their children to Mandarin early, such as by sending their children to Chinese pre-schools where Chinese is the medium of instruction.
This is part 4 of Media in Arms’ special report series ‘SJKC: Reality for Non-Chinese pupils’, which explores the experience of non-Chinese pupils in Chinese schools. For more, please go to TheStar.com.my. 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.
