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A swampy school in Sabah

During our recent visit to Goducate’s Sabah Literacy Centers, we crossed little rivers, climbed little hills, hiked slippery muddy tracks and “crawled” under a fence to get to the different centers. However, the most memorable visit was to the literacy center that was built on a swamp.

This community had earlier lived at the edge of the swamp (or fairly dry ground) nearer the road. However, as the area along the road was acquired by a developer who started building nice two-storey shop-houses for sale, they were forced to move into the swamp. I am not sure of the details of what happened, but it appears to me that their houses near the road were destroyed – leaving only the stumps on which those houses stood in the past. I was told that their houses were an “eye-sore” and a hindrance to value of the new shop-houses.

As we walked from the main road to the school-house, we passed what appeared like a “ghost town” of house-posts sticking out of the swampy ground. These people had salvaged the rest of their former houses (the walls, floor boards, roofings) and carried all this into the swamp and rebuilt houses right over the swamp. Today, the school-house built by the community stands proudly in the midst of the kampong – right over swampy ground.

The water level under the school-house depends on the tide. As we were walking to the school-house, our guide told us that we were lucky because just an hour before we came the water was about 65 cm deep!

We tried our best to keep our shoes dry by stepping on planks and stones but as we arrived at the school-house to attend the “welcome ceremony” from the eager students, we were ushered to our seats which were placed on the watery ground. For most of us, it was the first time we had sat through a school concert with our shoes in swampy water.

I was so proud of our Goducate students as they “showed off” what they had learned in the past 6 weeks. My heart was rejoicing, in spite of my concern for my “Ecco” shoes that were soaking in swamp water.

Swamp or no swamp, Goducate wants to help Asians help themselves!

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Hamsilran’s story (2)

After that age, no one is interested in school anymore. The places that they ended up with oftentimes are tragic. The new teacher in that town school told Hamsilran he will represent their class. To us, Hamsilran represents our kampong and the three hundred and ten kids who are in the literacy center.

Hamsilran (in purple)
Hamsilran (in purple)

Teacher B went back the following day, brought Hamsilran and his mom to a nearby store to buy what he needs for the contest. Our program for our guests went on well at the same time that Hamsilran was competing. By lunch time we learned, he won first place. Our kampong boy won first place. How the kampong rejoiced. Good news like this fuels us to stand the heat of the sun even we have to climb steep hills at times.

When for the first time in his life boys like Hamsilran see what a town is like. See what a school is like. It’s their first time but talk is out that they can compete and outdo the other kids who had been in that school since Form 1. He comes Form 4, straight from the literacy center. Their new teachers are asking, which school they come from, what curriculum are the teachers using. I wished I was there to answer the new teacher.

Or better I could invite her to see the “school”. I hope I will be there when other s like her would visit and I will see her face upon seeing that mothers are teaching their own kids. That kids are sitting on the floor. That kids walk their way too early at times for their class. That they had to take turns in using the space that we have. I wish she would be able to decipher what makes it work for boys like Hamsilran to conquer an entirely new world and stand out.

When Teacher B asked Hamsilran what he needs for the contest, what he needs to give his best- I imagined how he looked when he answered. I know him and I’ve seen those eyes and smile before. Hamsilran answered, just pencils, Teacher B. I need pencils.

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Hamsilran’s story

Hamsilran came up to Teacher B and said, Teacher so sorry I cannot be here on day of the guests’ visit. Why? Teacher B asked, she was banking on Hamsilran to be there – their group of young teens, mostly boys always give a very good dance number in each program we have. They train themselves, pick their own music and dance moves.

Hamsilran answered, you see, my new teacher asked me to represent our class in the school’s Drawing Contest. Wow, okay then. You give it your best shot okay? Teacher B replied. Hamsilran did not realize that Teacher B was overcome with emotion.

On our way home, she was holding back her tears but failed. She told me, she feel soooo proud. That Hamsilran came up, talked to her in fluent English and shared what he was up to. Hamsilran is one of our three kampong boys who were able to get admission to the town’s school for non-Malaysian just this January.

He is one of the thousands of kids who cannot read nor write two years ago when we started the literacy center. Since they do not have the proper documents and even when they finally do, school fees are beyond what they can afford , kids aging 4-15 years old like them grow up not knowing how to read and write.

to be continued