Malay kid enters Tamil school

With 2,000-odd students entering Year One in 70 Tamil schools statewide, SJK (T) Masai stands out as it is the only school here with a Malay student.

Muhammad Alif Talhah Lizam was among 142 seven-year-olds who started school on Sunday.

The songkok-donning Muhammad was the first Malay student since the school opened in 1946.

The school’s parent-teacher association chairman R. Karthigasen said it was an exciting time for the school to have its first Malay student in its 70-year history.

“I am confident that this will be a good learning experience for him to pick up Tamil and also help fellow classmates with Malay.

“His parents should be commended for allowing their son to pick up another language other than Malay and English,” he said, adding that this was also good for unity.

Karthigasen expressed confidence that Muhammad would be able to pick up the language like any other student, as not all Indians necessarily know how to read and write Tamil before they started schooling.

He added that enrolment in the school, which has 984 students and 59 teachers, hadincreased this year compared to 139 last year.

He added that the school had won many competitions.

“Last year one of our students went to the semi-finals to represent the country in a debate competition in India.

“We are also one of the top Tamil schools nationwide when it comes to producing 7A students in UPSR,” he added.

In Klang, Selangor, on the first day of the new school year, SJK (T) Simpang Lima was bustling with pupils, teachers and parents.

Seven-year-old Abhinayasri Jayachandran, who was starting Year One, seemed unfazed by all the excitement and people in her new environment.

Her mother Chandralega Govindaras, 37, said Abhinayasri was excited to be in school because she liked to study and learn new things.

“We enrolled her in SJK (T) Simpang Lima because it is a well-known Tamil school and we want her to learn her mother tongue,” Chandralega said.