Bernama.com
Features June 10, 2008 18:15 PM
Volunteers Help Orang Asli Children Familiarise With English
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Orang Asli children enjoy learning using pictures of objects that match the words. Pix: Zulfaidi
By Tuan Sharifah Shahaini and Kamarul Irwan
PEKAN, June 10 (Bernama) -- "Thank You, Teacher", may sound like an ubiquitous phrase in a typical classroom.
However for a group of volunteers at the Orang Asli village of Tanjung Keruing in Paloh Hinai, the phrase provides a deep sense of satisfaction for a particular group of volunteers.
And why shouldn't it be; the sacrifices and the hardships that Tan Jooi Long, his wife Marie Joy, 60 and their friends had gone through to educate the Orang Asli children are finally showing results.
Tan, 60, a former journalist with Bernama has been travelling from Kuala Lumpur to Pekan every weekend for the last two years to conduct English classes for the Orang Asli children.
Volunteers from various professional backgrounds such as accountants, information technology (IT) professionals and businessmen assist Tan and his wife.
THE BEGINNING
Tan, who left journalism in 1995 to set up his own public relations firm, is no stranger to the life of the Orang Asli community, where nature is closest to their heart than anything else.
As a 4WD off-road enthusiast, Tan has learnt a lot about the community's shortcomings during his many expeditions there.
Ever since he received his calling to serve the community about 10 years ago, he has been doing charitable work like holding talks on healthcare and the importance of education, to the Orang Asli community in Bentong and Raub, Pahang.
According to Tan, about two years ago, he was offered by the Community Development Studies Foundation (YKPM) to conduct literacy programmes for the Orang Asli community in Tanjung Keruing and the surrounding areas.
He found the challenge too tempting to resist.
"I saw how some 95 percent of the Orang Asli children in the area were illiterate and this strengthened my resolve to teach them to read and write, in the best way possible," he said when met by Bernama here.
"Many had missed their schooling not because of there was no school in their area. But factors like poverty and lack of transportation invariably led to dwindling interest in going to school," he said.
"Currently, only seven Orang Asli children from two villages - Tanjung Keruing and Air Hitam - regularly attend school while the rest are just not keen on studying," he said.
Looking at their apathy, Tan who hails from Kedah, started to conduct English classes last January at the Tanjung Keruing Community Centre along with his wife, who is a former kindergarten teacher.
The whole idea is to make them change their ways and thus help close the knowledge divide that exists between these children and their counterparts from the other communities.
CHALLENGES AND HURDLES
Tan noted that the biggest challenge that the volunteers have to overcome is in gaining the trust of the Orang Asli, who are generally sceptical; if not outright suspicious, of outsiders.
It took them nearly a year to convince the Orang Asli community here of their sincerity and intention to help, by providing English lessons.
"Initially our presence had raised a lot of suspicions but slowly we managed to win their hearts over through joint activities like having a sepak takraw game," he said.
Tan even brought several members of the community to a seminar at Universiti Malaya (UM) to convince them of the benefits that they would gain from education.
It was then that the Tok Batin (headman), Semaan Deraman, 77, requested them to conduct the classes for the children of his tribe.
The English lessons received good response when about 50 children from the two villages -- some as young as four years old -- started attending classes.
However, with the advent of electricity supply to the village about two months ago, class attendance began to dwindle.
The volunteers found that their students were engrossed in watching television.
"Now there only about 30 students who come to class regularly, representing about 10 percent of the total number of children in the two villages," he said.
SIMPLE APPROACH
On Saturday evenings, Tan drives his 4WD to Kampung Air Hitam, making several stopovers along the way to pick up the Orang Asli children and bring them to the Tanjung Keruing Community centre located 5 km away.
The children in Kampung Keruing will come on their own, to the classes held between 4pm and 6pm.
On the medium of instruction, Tan said, they use the national language to help the children understand what is being taught.
The classes also involved activities like singing, colouring and making handicrafts, which would provide some excitement for the students.
Food and drinks are also provided while prizes would be given to those who come up with the right answers, to encourage them to come to the class.
VOLUNTEER'S EXPERIENCE
A volunteer, Maria Yu, 36, from Sabah said that although she has no experience in teaching, she emulates the approach used by her mother who was a teacher.
"They call me the guru besar (headmistress) maybe because I'm strict in class but in fact I emphasise on a loving approach when teaching," she said.
The psychological approach is important too as it helps prevent students from getting bored.
Maria, who works in the recruitment field, said that taking the low academic background in the village into consideration, the children are only taught two new words a week and if they can remember these words, they would at least have learned something.
She added that among the activities that the students like best are drawing or pasting pictures of objects that match the words.
As for Patrick Wong, 41, who is with an IT firm in Kuala Lumpur, in educating the Orang Asli children, patience is indeed a virtue.
"They are apprehensive and fearful, so we have to try and attract their attention and bear with their nonchalant attitude towards education," he said.
Patrick, who started volunteering six months ago, said that the children need encouragement to prompt them to study further.
THE OUTCOME
A boy known as Siang, 11, from Kampung Air Hitam, said the English classes were fun because the teachers were good.
The shy boy could identify alphabets and numbers and sing "Twinkle-Twinkle Little Star" reasonably well.
"I want to continue learning with my friends," he said.
For Remi Pom, 26, the classes would help his two children, seven-year old Jali and five-year old Yahya to secure a better future.
"I like having my children study there," he said.
Meanwhile, Tan is optimistic that the Orang Asli children will be able to speak and write in English even though it might take a long time for them to attain the desired level of proficiency in the language.
"I'm highly optimistic of the programme's outcome because through this classes the Orang Asli have shown interest at getting their children an education. More and more parents are bringing their children to the centre," he said.
"What is important is their unwavering commitment to seek knowledge, and the assistance from the volunteers," Tan added.
Those who wish to volunteer their services, make donations in the form of books, stationery, clothing or contribute towards the construction of a sports court for the Orang Asli community, can contact Tan at 012-3370370.
-- BERNAMA
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