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Tue, Aug 12, 2008
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When three's not a crowd here
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>TAIPING, MALAYSIA - Year Six pupil V. Sivasanthiran has no problems getting his teachers' attention in class. In fact, the 12-year-old is constantly watched as he is the sole student at SJK (C) Padang Gajah in Trong, some 30km from here.
The school, opened in 1953, is possibly the only one in the country where the teachers outnumber the students.
This unique situation allows Sivasanthiran the privilege of being personally tutored by headmaster Ooi Ah Bee, 55, and teacher Lim Shu Miin, 28 -- the school's only teachers.
This has been going on for the last two years, following a drop in the school's enrolment in the late 1980s due to the migration of people to the city.
Being the only student is not much fun though and Sivasanthiran is looking forward to attending secondary school next year where he will have classmates to talk and play with.
"It can be quite lonely. I can't wait for the school term to end," he said in halting Mandarin.
Asked why he remained at the school instead of asking for a transfer, the shy boy said: "My father wants me to learn Mandarin so that it will be easy for me to get a job in the future."
Sivasanthiran said his parents, who are estate workers, had enrolled him in the nearby SMK Tat Beng for his secondary education.
As for Lim, her first posting after graduating from a teacher training college, was not what she had expected.
"I was posted here two-and-a-half years ago. It is difficult to describe how I felt when I first reported for duty.
"It can be boring at times. I keep myself busy by doing office work as we do not have a clerk here," said Lim.
She and Ooi share the teaching, with the headmaster taking charge of English, Art, Physical Education and Music.
The school's unique situation, however, is coming to an end soon.
It will close its doors at the end of the year and be relocated to Bandar Seri Botani in Simpang Pulai, near Ipoh.
However, Ooi said, the school buildings would not be demolished.
"The residents here have applied to the authorities to turn the two wooden blocks into a community hall.
"It was a bit of a culture shock when I first came here in 2006, but I have since adapted to the situation.
"We may have the smallest number of students, but we still function like any other school."
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