The Face of Chinese Education in Malaysia

In April, while Taipei was still in the grasp of winter, the people of Southeast Asia were enjoying the warmth of the sun. It was then that I spent just over a week in Malaysia for a feature on Chinese education there, traveling the length and breadth of the country, from the hustle and bustle of Kuala Lumpur to the simplicity of Kuching and Sibu. Despite the huge differences between these places, the children in the Chinese education system all showed the same dedication and concentration.

Stepping into a simple building which stood on stilts beside the winding Rajang River and hearing Chinese was truly mind-boggling. After listening to the story told by Wong Meng-lei, editor of Sibu's The Chinese Methodist Message, we came to understand the painful century-long struggle of the people who migrated to Malaysia from Fuzhou, and of their descendants. The children here, seemingly unaware of how hard their forefathers fought to uphold their right to study their own culture, smile gloriously as they always have, their eyes the only things revealing the path that lies behind them.

"Our teacher's on holiday, could you come teach us sir?" Halfway through taking my photos, the innocent faces in the class pipe up with this request, and I have no choice but to head into the fray for a while. I teach the children that the Earth has limited resources, how they can save power and water, and other such things. The children read aloud from the textbook in their bright voices, and I work that much harder teaching them, following the old routines, just like a real teacher. But our time together is short and our journey comes to an end, so I hurriedly bid the children farewell. As we make to leave, the children call out, "Come back and teach us some more next time!"

After a short four-hour flight, I'm back in the cold of the Taipei winter. I think back over the week and a fantastic feeling washes over me. As I look over the slides of my photos, I see those smiling faces sitting on my lightbox, and I understand what's behind those smiles. I remember years ago, when I was an elementary school student myself, filled with a desire to explore the world around me, excited all day by the prospect of learning new things. Through the mists of time and memory, that feeling floats back and proves hard to erase.

Leaving my workbench, I turn out the lights, thinking of the limited resources of this Earth, and give a silent prayer for those children, so close to my heart yet so far away.

Kai Dee Elementary, on the banks of Sibu's Rajang River, has only three students in grades five and six, and even the principal chips in and teaches.

Children in the Chinese-language education system have about them a truly scholarly air.

The adorable smiling faces of these children adorn no small number of my photos. At the back of the class, there are still pictures hanging celebrating Chinese New Year!

"Goodbye sir!" As we say farewell to these students, I know their smiling faces have left an indelible mark in my heart.

Having a Chinese name in a Chinese school is far from uncommon, so coming across a Malay child with a Chinese name shouldn't be much of a surprise.

Many children in Malaysia learn martial arts from a young age; here we see two refining their horse stance.

This photo shows Kai Dee Middle and Elementary's classroom, which stands up on stilts. The school is quite run down, but the children attend just as happily now as they always have.