Headmaster had to dig up mud to get tires unstuck before reaching school

TENOM - Facing infrastructure problems like the lack of proper road access and no electricity supply never dampened the spirit of a headmaster at Sekolah Kebangsaan (SK) Kapulu, here.

Fred Gugau Ridwon, who has served as a teacher in remote areas for 35 years, just completed his final term at the school, bringing with him various sweet and bitter memories.

According to Fred, he served at SK Kapulu for 13 years and before that, he worked at Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan (SMK) Kemabong here, holding the position of Senior Assistant for Student Affairs.

"I was offered the position of headmaster at SK Kapulu following a job exchange at the school.

"Because I knew the villagers well, I accepted the offer and began my duties at SK Kapulu in 2011," he told Sinar.

When asked about the challenges of teaching at the school, Fred said SK Kapulu was located more than 50 kilometres away from Tenom, and its condition was far different from urban areas.

"The road to Kampung Kapulu was in terrible condition at that time and it did not even look like a road at all. It could only be navigated by four-wheel-drive vehicles.

"My journey usually started in the morning and I would only arrive at the village at night because I had to stop frequently due to the tires getting stuck in the mud.

"Along the way, there were knee-deep high drain and the tires would often get stuck. I had to 'dig up' the soil to free the tires buried in the mud," he said.

He added that the village also lacked electricity supply and the school only had solar power.

"Because houses for teachers were not provided at that time, I rented a house from a villager for RM200 and had to rely on flashlights since the solar power at the school could not reach the rented house.

"However, I only stayed in the rented house for about three years before the teachers' housing was completed in 2015," he said.

Fred said he never expected to endure such an environment and also managed to change the parents' mindset about the importance of education before retiring early, this month.

"Now I have retired with peace of mind because I left the school when the parents and villagers realised that education is crucial for their children," he added.