(Seated, from left) Bro Ambrose and Bro Andrew with (standing, from left) Bro Jason Blaikie, Bro Butch Antolin Alcudia and Bro Mico De Leon, all of whom are De La Salle Brothers who have dedicated their lives to teaching.
THEY are a small band of dedicated men today, and their numbers are dwindling not just in Malaysia but across the globe because a vocation to lead a life of poverty, chastity and obedience is not for everyone in the modern world.
They are the De La Salle Brothers, an order of Catholic lay teachers whose schools, scattered around the country, are a testament to their dedication to shaping young minds towards becoming decent human beings and good citizens through education.
As part of the Lasallian East Asia District (LEAD), the De La Salle Brothers in Malaysia now number less than a dozen, with a number of them retired.
LEAD is a community of 140 Brothers (a third of whom are aged 60 and above) and over 14,000 partners and associates who sponsor and operate over 70 educational institutions in Hong Kong, Japan, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand.
Recently, the handful of De La Salle Brothers together with family and friends gathered to celebrate the 80th birthday of Bro Ambrose Loke. Amid the camaraderie and joy was the reflection of where the Lasallians − as the order and the schools it founded are collectively and colloquially known − is heading in a fast-changing world where there is still the need for a solid and basic education that caters to all regardless of ethnicity, religion or financial background.
The Lasallian educational philosophy does not only stress academic excellence, but strives to shape the young in a well-balanced and humanistic way.
Bro Andrew Loke, director of the Lasallian provincialate in Petaling Jaya and younger sibling of Bro Ambrose, poignantly pointed out in an earlier interview the order’s continuing mission: “What are we here for, if not for our mission to educate the young?”
The Lasallian educational philosophy does not only stress academic excellence but also strives to shape the young in a well-balanced and humanistic way.
This holistic approach has always been part of the Lasallian school spirit as well as the order’s foundational ethos, which is to serve the “last, lost and least”.
Navigating intricacies
A prevailing issue among Malaysians today is the state of the country’s education system and how prepared it is to cater to the young and their needs.
Besides basic education attainment, there are concerns over whether the education system is relevant at a time when technology has had a ripple effect across the job landscape, with low-skilled work and work that is repetitive in the manufacturing sector mostly gone while the services sector is starting to also feel the impact.
The De La Salle Brothers believe that they can still make a difference and have been working with partners for years now, in Malaysia and around the world, on how best to serve the country and society, but there are challenges.
The order has to navigate the intricacies of the system without sacrificing what it believes to be the best interest of students in Lasallian schools. There is also the need to ensure that whatever changes are made, the order’s mission to educate the young remains intact.
While the Lasallian schools are known for inculcating a strong sense of belonging and pride among students regarding the heritage of its schools, the times also call for how to deploy the order’s resources for the future needs of the country.
“Beyond what is taught in the education curriculum, we also want to address some of the needs of the job market that we believe students lack – life skills.
“Academic achievement is good but we believe that life skills are just as important as they prepare the students for the real world, besides engendering good work ethics,” said Bro Andrew.
He cited the example of St Xavier’s Institution (SXI), George Town, the oldest Lasallian school in South-East Asia established in 1852.
There is a pioneering effort led by the order in offering baking, carpentry, English language and music, among others, in SXI’s premises to students who are interested in taking up these skills during after-school hours or over weekends. This is currently being run on a small scale as the De La Salle Brothers look to make it sustainable over the longer term.
Bro Andrew says the order is now mulling over how to run these programmes viably. This is where the order works with third parties and experts.
“We hope that our contributions can add value to the education curriculum and also continue to build good character among our students,” he added, saying that a key aspect to the sustainability of these programmes are the people who are spearheading it, including the education directors who have been chosen from among volunteers to oversee these efforts.
Nurturing all-rounders
In keeping with the order’s mission to ensure education is accessible to all, there are plans to reach out to the marginalised in society, especially the Orang Asli, where the focus would be on education.
While the plans are not concrete, the De La Salle Brothers in the country are also looking to operate hostels, a centre for slow learners and language schools with third parties and experts.
“Whatever future plans we have will all be tied to education, focusing on the different aspects, of which technical and vocational training is important,” Bro Andrew said.
The De La Salle Brothers also have other plans in the pipeline, which includes potentially privatising several of the 32 schools in Peninsular Malaysia that sit on property that the order owns.
“This is over the long term, as we are still discussing this with the government. There is also the need to see that the cohorts of students complete their entire education before we can privatise. This may be the future of some of our schools as we want to chart a course for the education of the young,” Bro Andrew elaborated.
Following the privatisation of these schools, the De La Salle Brothers intend to set up vocational schools and even international schools that will be operated with the help of third parties.
“The idea is to raise the standard of education by shaping young minds and we feel that we need more control over this, hence the plan to privatise several of the Lasallian schools. Also, we will continue educating the young as part of our original mission,” he said.
Bro Andrew’s chief concern is that of unity among Malaysians.
“The Lasallian schools here have always emphasised our Malaysian identity and this can be seen from the order’s mission, which is to educate the young regardless of their background.
“We want to shape young Malaysians into all-rounders with good character and who are useful to society,” he added.
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