KUCHING: It should be noted that there’s an increasing trend among Bumiputera parents to send their children to Chinese schools.
Thirty-nine-year-old mother of two, Katy Hank, wants her kids to study at Chinese schools to learn Mandarin as their second language.
She said her children, Brian Bato Lo and Calvin Killah Lo, aged 12 and 10 respectively will be able to learn the values of self-discipline, being organised and systematic.
“This is also to help them master different languages needed for the country in the future, especially for Sarawak’s development.
“Besides, the high level of discipline and strict learning had shaped my children to be more mature and think critically. They can think what is right and what is not,” she told New Sarawak Tribune when contacted, yesterday (Feb 23).
Aside from the mother tongue which is Bahasa Melayu, she thinks that being proficient in international languages such as English and Mandarin is the key to future success for her children.
Meanwhile, twenty-five-year-old Nasheda Alencia Nyarep, who in an administrative worker, is a product of a Chinese school. Having studied in a Chinese primary school from 2005 until 2010, she said it has helped her to catch up and adapt to a new environment.
“The arrangement was made by my parents so that I would be able to learn Mandarin and communicate with my family members, especially my mother’s side.
“In terms of studies, despite the environment in Chinese schools being strict and heavy for those who are from the Bumiputera background, it helps us to quickly catch up and adapt to a new environment.
“There are differences when I enrolled in a national secondary school where I mingled more with Bumiputera students,” she said.
“Although my pronunciation and diction are not quite right, I still managed to communicate well, especially with my elders who speak Chinese,” she said.
She agreed that mastering other languages such as English and Mandarin would help develop oneself and bring opportunities in future.
In a report from 2021, chairman of the Board of Management Committee for Kuching Chung Hua Middle School (CHMS) No 1, 3 and 4 Datuk Richard Wee said that Bumiputera students make up more than 30 per cent of the total students.
Wee, when contacted yesterday, didn’t disclose the current percentage of Bumiputera students enrolled in Chinese schools but pointed out that the percentage of Bumiputera students in primary school is higher than those in secondary schools.
Previously, Premier Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari in his speech at an event said more Sarawakians should master English and Mandarin for the state to become a global player in many fields.
According to Abang Johari, he said Sarawak practices an open economy policy which saw the need for more Sarawakians to understand Mandarin for the benefit of the state’s development.
One of the measures taken by the state government to encourage more Sarawakians to master the language is by recognising the Unified Examination Certificate (UEC).
