Education: The way to climb out from the poverty bracket

from The Brunei Times

Zulkiple Ibrahim

SUNGAI PETANI, MALAYSIA

LAST March 20, tens of cars were seen entering the compound of the Mara Junior College (MRSM) in Merbok, located some 15km from here.

Parents and students were seen alighting from the vehicles, braving the scorching heat from the morning sun and taking shelter under tents put up by the college's authorities.

It is registration time for students at the newly completed Merbok MRSM.

The college is among the newest of the 40 MRSMs in the country, of which several are in the midst of being constructed.

What are the parents' comments?

"This college is located too far away from my village in Pasir Penambang, Kuala Selangor," said 53-year-old coastal fisherman Rahmat Sutero.

Rahmat said as his son, 16-year-old Rahman, who scored seven A's in last year's Penilaian Menengah Rendah (PMR) examination, is offered a place in the MRSM, he decided not to stand in the boy's way for a chance to get quality education.

The fisherman, who earns about RM500 a month catching prawns and crabs for seafood restaurants, said he would not let poverty stop his son from getting better education.

At a function last year, Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak reminded Malaysians that they should not use the excuse of being poor if they failed to obtain education.

The Deputy Prime Minister said the government has and ready to assist those from the lower income group to obtain better education and this was proven when Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi abolished all public school examination fees last year. Najib said education is the best way to "climb out" from the poverty bracket and in Malaysia, the government always places priority on education.

"If I use poverty as an excuse to compromise on my son's education, then I might as well as ask him to continue schooling in Kuala Selangor," said Rahmat. Parent Mat Saad Saidin from Sungai Buloh in Selangor said the government, through Mara, has done a lot to assist Bumiputera students.

"They (Mara authorities) have done a lot to uplift the Bumiputeras' standard of living, especially through education by the setting up of MRSMs natiowide. The last time, there were only a few of these colleges, now there are almost 40," said the 46-year-old teacher who said that studying at the MRSM is not that expensive as most of the hostel and study fees are subsidised.

Meanwhile nurse Fatimah Ahmad of Petaling Jaya, Selangor said being offered a place in a Mara Junior Science college is a path to better education. "The MRSMs teach students to be very independent and with the 'homegroom' concept, the students learn how to take care of themselves and their colleagues in terms of discipline and academic studies."

Despite all these talk, another parent Zainoordin Ahmad, had this to say: "I think poverty, to a certain degree, is a factor that prevents some people from getting better education."

The 46-year-old teacher recalled his "poverty-stricken" childhood days."In 1973 I had to decline the offer to study at Pengkalan Chepa MRSM in Kota Baharu as my parents cannot afford to pay for the registration fees and buy the necessary equipment, books and others. But I doubt that such things ever happen nowdays," he said. Bernama