THE six years spent in Chinese vernacular schools made them tough, resilient and independent, two former students told a forum.

Nurhashekin Abd Ghani and E. Nasaruddin said despite some of the brickbats the Chinese schools got for their teaching methods, their formative years at the schools had helped them cope with the vagaries of life when they went on to universities and eventually, joined the rat race.

“There were always lots of homework and at times, I wanted to cry when I noticed my friends in national schools had none during the school holidays,” said 33-year-old Nurhashekin.

But the tough years in her Chinese school helped her dealt with pressures of learning that led to her excelling in university.

“When I attended UiTM and was given assignments to hand in the next day, it was easy-peasy. Not difficult at all,” said the freelance Mandarin teacher from Segamat.

“I didn’t see it then but one of the first things you learn in a Chinese primary school is how to manage time and self-discipline. But with the rotan (cane) being a common feature in every Chinese school, there was a lot of motivation,” said the young mother.

Meanwhile, 51-year-old Nasaruddin related how Chinese schools gave him more than an education.

“We learnt to be independent, be more mature and think out of the box,” said the Sentul resident, who attended a national school for his secondary education.

Comparing the two, Nasaruddin said the syllabuses in Chinese schools were way ahead of the national schools in the late 1970s and early 1980s.

The father of four found he had learnt almost everything taught in his first three secondary years in a national school.

“I had to wait until Form 3 before I could learn something new. That’s because the Chinese primary syllabuses were at least three years ahead,” said the businessman, before the Education Ministry streamlined the vernacular and national type syllabuses in the 1990s.

Nasaruddin and Nurhashekin were among three speakers at a forum held at the KL-Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall yesterday to shed light on some of the misconceptions about Chinese schools in the country.

The third panellist was Rosly Yusof, who sent one of his five children to a Chinese primary school.

The forum was organised by civil society group Saudara and moderated by Lim Hong Siang.

The Chinese vernacular education system is often raised by right-wing groups and political parties although vernacular education is enshrined in Article 152 of the Federal Constitution.

Vernacular schools are often seen as a stumbling block to national integration.

During the recent PAS annual congress in Pahang, the women’s wing called for the abolishment of Chinese and Tamil vernacular schools.

Of racism and halal

Racial integration has always been on the forefront in Penang, and Rosly didn’t find it any different for his daughter who attended a Chinese primary school.

“She got on well with her classmates and spent a lot of time in their homes.

“Her schoolmates understand her needs and always ensure there was a room for her to do her prayers when she visited,” said the 47-year-old.

Races in Penang mixed freely and understood each other’s taboos, he added.

“It’s only problematic when we stick to our own race all the time and fear the things we don’t know.”

Nurhashekin also had fond memories of her primary school years.

“I used to take part in the story-telling competitions and would be placed among the top three all the time. Each time I won something, my other classmates would cheer me on.

“So, I hardly felt there were any racism issues.”

Nasaruddin related how he felt more bullied in the national school than his years in a vernacular school.

“The Malay boys used to stone us although we were Malay too. They said we were communists because we attended a Chinese school.”

He said the Chinese schools had a unique system for Malay students.

“There was a buddy system where we would be assigned to another Chinese student.

“He would teach me Mandarin and I would teach him Malay. And if I did poorly in my Mandarin, he would get caned.

“You can never escape the cane in a Chinese school,” he said fondly.

As for canteens, Nurhashekin and Nasaruddin said the caterers and cooks were usually Indonesians.

“But Chinese students usually brought their own food so they can save time by not having to queue. But we learn from young what was halal and what wasn’t, and that was never a problem,” said Nurhashekin. – July 24, 2019.