SANDAKAN – Despite not taking the Mandarin subject in her government primary school, Ang An Teng’s passion for the language had her scoring an A+ for Bahasa Cina (Mandarin subject) in her Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM).
Ang who achieved 6 A+ and 4 A in her SPM results revealed this week that when she enrolled in Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan (SMK) Muhibbah Sandakan, she knew that students from a government primary school were not offered to take Mandarin.
But she was determined to learn the language.
“I love the Chinese culture and language. I am particularly interested in learning about the people in China in ancient times.
“Knowing that students from SK (Sekolah Kebangsaan) are not offered the Mandarin subject, I met the school’s Mandarin teacher, begging to give (me) a chance to take the subject in the examination.
“I then scored A for the subject in my PT3, and A+ in my SPM,” she said.
Ang added that she loves to read, and her favourite reading materials are books about the history of China, which helped her score in her Mandarin subject.
It is a popular opinion among the Chinese community in Malaysia that getting an A in Bahasa Cina in SPM is very difficult, and that one must have proficiency above average in the language to even get a B grade.
But it did not stop Ang from taking the risk and adding the subject to her SPM.
Her Mandarin teacher, Liew Yeun Vun said that she was first shocked that a student who had never learned Mandarin in class in primary school would want to take the subject in secondary school.
However, Liew said she was moved by Ang’s determination and decided to guide her in class so that she will be able to cope with other students who came from Chinese vernacular schools.
“At first, she struggled a lot. But she was very hardworking and she followed my guidance well. It helped her catch up faster and she then became excellent in Mandarin,” she said.
Liew said as SMK Muhibbah is a government school, the Mandarin subject is an elective and not included in the main school schedule, so Mandarin students would need to go for extra classes outside of the school period.
“Even so, my students had never missed my class. I think it is because they had willingly chosen to take this subject because they genuinely love the language; it is not compulsory. That is why they are willing to put in extra efforts for this subject,” she said.
Mandarin classes in SMK Muhibbah only have four to five students in each class due to a lack of Chinese students.
But Liew said she would continue to encourage students to consider taking the Mandarin subject in their examinations, as it would be an advantage to have an advanced understanding in an additional language in the future.
She said Ang is an example that even if one did not take the Mandarin subject in primary school, they can still start in secondary school, and excel in the subject. – The Vibes, June 20, 2022
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