Orang Asli teachers brave challenges to educate young Bateq pupils

GUA MUSANG - Teaching is always a challenge, especially if it involves travelling long distances into rural areas, but for two young Orang Asli teachers, the rewards are well-worth their sacrifices.

The two teachers, Romario Ariffin and Nazhan Suhendra Shamsuddin, part of the Special Class Project (Prokhas) that provides education to members of the Bateq tribe at Kampung Aring 5, Pos Lebir here, shared their experiences with Bernama recently.

Romario, 27, who is from the Semai tribe in Tapah, Perak, mentioned that even though he was technically considered to be the same ethnicity as his students, the difference in languages they used had made the teaching and learning process quite challenging, especially when he started teaching here.

At the start of his four-year posting, he had to do his best to adapt to the Bateq way of life in the settlement, even though he grew up in a similar rural environment.

"I am tasked with teaching 25 pupils, seven to nine, under Prokhas, they are pupils who need more attention before being sent to study in mainstream schools.

"Most of the Bateq in rural areas can’t speak or understand the Malay language, so I get senior students to be translators throughout the lessons,” he said, adding that the long 35-kilometre journey from Sekolah Kebangsaan (SK) Aring 1 to Kampung Aring 5 on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday every week took up his entire morning.

"Sometimes I have to squeeze past lorries carrying iron ore and come cross wild animals like elephants and cougars, but all that is part of the experience of life.

"So those posted to Orang Asli schools in the interior should not be concerned and take the opportunity to train themselves to be prepared for life’s challenges,” he shared.

Fellow teacher, Nazhan, 24, a Jakun tribe member from Pekan, Pahang, said that the Prokhas project is his first teaching assignment following the completion of his studies at the Tengku Ampuan Afzan Teacher Training Institute in Kuala Lipis.

"The main challenge here is the use of the Malay language as the teaching medium. Around 60 per cent of our pupils have never been out of their village and interacted with outsiders, so the different languages is a challenge we need to overcome.

"Romario and I usually travel on a single motorcycle together from SK Aring 1, and we will bring food for all our pupils as they qualify for the Additional Food Programme,” he shared, admitting that things might seem tough dealing with such challenges, but they had overcame them together.

They also expressed their hopes that the sacrifices they willingly make will spur their students here in rural villages to strive for greater success in the future. - BERNAMA