INTERACTION is a way of learning and progressing together, and that transcends age for these children and their tutor.
By Foong Pek Yee
From journalism and back to school.
After more than three decades working in the English media, Sharifah Fatimah quit her job and took the plunge into giving free tuition to village kids.
” I could see that the kids didn’t understand simple English I used to speak to them,”
“A good foundation in the language goes a long way, and I want to help them,” recalls Sharifah on her encounter with her neighbours’ kids that prompted her to give them tuition.
Happy kids: Learning can be fun too.
It was Hari Raya in Kampung Paya Luas, Segamat, Johor in 2019, shortly after Sharifah and her husband Din moved from Petaling Jaya to live in the village.
Sharifah quit her job in Star Media Group in Petaling Jaya in January 2019 after working there for 24 years.
In Kampung Paya Luas, her first pupils are two girls whose mother is a single mother.
Their four cousin sisters also joined in.
Two months later she started to teach them Mathematics and Science too.
“They told me they were weak in both subjects,” says Sharifah, adding that she also guides them on other subjects whenever they asked for help.
And it is back to school for Sharifah- get reference books and re learn the subjects according to the syllabus in order to guide the kids.
Sharifah and Din, both 60, have three daughters who are in their 20s now -Shahirah and Shahidah have graduated from Universiti Malaya and Universiti Sains Malaysia respectively while Shafiqah is studying in UiTM, Shah Alam.
Sharifah who has a diploma in Public Administration from ITM (Institut Teknologi Mara, Sabah in 1984 was with New Straits Times (1985 -1995) and Star Media Group (1995 – 2019 January)
Growing up, studying, working and staying in Petaling Jaya all the while, she says she can see the disparity in facilities between cities and villages.
“There is only one tution centre outside our village, and it can also be costly to send the kids there,” she adds.
When the Covid 19 pandemic and movement control order (MCO) came into force in March 2020, Sharifah says she discovered lots of teaching videos by professional school teachers.
“They are very helpful in teaching me how to teach the kids,” she adds.
On overcoming challenges in learning English in a village setting, Sharifah says exposure to more English materials helps, but villagers generally could not afford books.
About six months ago Sharifah reached out to another four kids who stay a bit far from her village.
They are in Year 2, 3, 6 and Form 1.
She teaches them on Fridays and Saturdays.
“They are cared for by their grandfather who is a school gardener and their grandmother is illiterate.
“I fetch them from their house and send them home or else they couldn’t come for the tuition,” says Sharifah, adding that she enjoys teaching the kids and watching them improve in their studies.
And she is proud that the kids call her nenek (grandma in Bahasa Malaysia).
Sharifah says she and Din enjoy interacting with the kids who brighten up their home.
