KUALA LUMPUR – Knowledge has no boundaries especially when it comes to mastering another language that is not your mother tongue.
In fact, it opens doors to new opportunities for those wanting to advance in their careers or aiming to establish themselves as industry leaders.
While vernacular schools and their role in education continue to be a thorny issue in the country, it benefits Malaysians of various ethnicities by being fluent in Chinese and Tamil.
Assoc Prof Mohammad Rahim Kamaluddin, a criminologist at Psychology and Human Well-Being Research Centre, Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia attended Tamil primary school in SJK (T) in Menglembu, Ipoh before completing his secondary education at Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Anderson, Ipoh, Perak.
I must admit that while all schools provide basic education, it was at the Tamil school that I developed a close bond with my teachers, and till today, we are still in touch with each other. They are proud of my success as a criminologist.
“What is more important, is my work with Tamil schoolchildren, where I have given talks to students at more than 200 primary schools, motivating and encouraging them to excel in their studies and to succeed at all levels,” said Rahim who is also the founder and president of the Malaysian Criminological and Correctional Association.
Rahim, who is of mixed parentage – his father being Indian, and his mother, a Chinese Muslim convert, won many accolades for his excellence in education.
At University Sains Malaysia, Rahim won the Chancellor Gold Medal 2011 and the Royal Excellence Gold Medal, which motivated him to reach out and give leadership talks to poor Tamil school students.
“As the founder of the Vetri Association (Tamil for victory), I aim to prepare and empower students based on three key areas: Stem (science, technology and engineering), 3L education (language, linguistics and leadership) and psychological well-being.
“The idea for establishing this association came about during the launch of a book I wrote about myself and my growing up years, titled Tamizhal Naan.
“It was from the funds raised from the sale of the book that I established the Vetri Association,” added Rahim, who hopes to empower Tamil students to succeed in their studies.
Lawyer cum journalist speaks fluent Mandarin
Getaran journalist Sara Hamidah Mazlen continues to dazzle her audience with her mastery of the Mandarin language.
With a businessman father who speaks Cantonese, and a family who converses in various Chinese dialects, Sara attended primary school at Sekolah Jenis Kebangsaan (Cina) Puay Chai at SS2, Petaling Jaya, and according to Sara, it was the best time of her life.
“I had lots of friends at my school and there were no racial issues at all. One time when a teacher upset me, the rest of the class stood up for me. It was an amazing time of my life,” said Sara, who completed her secondary education at Sri Aman school before furthering her studies and qualifying as a lawyer.
“When I was practising law, my boss would take me along when there were Chinese clients. It was much easier when there was a lawyer who could speak Chinese as the client would feel at ease.”
Even today, at The Vibes’ Bahasa Malaysia sister portal Getaran, opportunities arise for Sara to interview those who are more comfortable speaking in Chinese.
“The ability to understand other races comes only if you socialise with them closely and even better, speak their language as they open up more easily then,” added Sara.
Malay TV presenter rises to stardom in Chinese entertainment scene
Zahamin Baki Zainal, otherwise known as Baki Zainal, is a Malay TV presenter and radio personality who found fame in the local Chinese entertainment scene due to his Mandarin-speaking skills.
“I attended Sekolah Rendah Kebangsaan (Cina) PuSze in Johor and completed my education at Foon Yew High School, also in Johor. I rose to stardom when radio stations found me fluent in Chinese,” said Baki who found fame in the award-winning series Kopitiam in 2004 and starring in the ntv7 comedy series Mr Siao’s Mandarin class.
I feel very much at ease speaking Mandarin, and it has opened many doors for me, especially in the entertainment industry, which has welcomed me with open arms.
“This goes to show that it is not race that matters, but your ability to showcase your talent, and in my case, it is my ability to speak not only Malay but Chinese and English fluently, when required.
“Malaysians have the opportunity to master not only one language but two or three or even four if they want, and they should. Very few countries present this opportunity,” he said.
Sources within the Education Ministry confirmed that Chinese vernacular schools currently have a mixed population of races. Besides Malaysian Chinese, Malays make up more than 15% of the total population of the more popular Chinese schools.
Tamil schools remain the domain of Indians, but more and more Tamil schools are facing lower enrolments as families move to urban townships in search of jobs and better prospects.
The constitutionality of vernacular schools was challenged recently, when a declaration was sought stating that the establishment of vernacular schools, using Mandarin and Tamil as the main language is inconsistent with the federal constitution.
The Kuala Lumpur High Court, however, in a decision delivered in December last year, ruled that the existence of vernacular schools as well as the use of Tamil and Mandarin is in line with the constitution. – The Vibes, February 6, 2022
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