The school’s location may be near the mythical Lake Chini, but how it has managed to achieve so much in such a short span of time is no mystery. StarEducate visits the school to take a look at what went into its exemplary performance.

IT’S 6am in the quiet and serene Kampung Gumum.

In the village in Pahang’s Pekan district, which is four hours away from the heart of Kuala Lumpur and an hour from Kuantan, it isn’t even sunrise yet.

Surrounded by lush palm tree plantations, the cool morning air is literally a breath of fresh air, too.

There is a mix of wooden kampung houses and modern brick-walled homes on both sides of the single-lane road which cuts through the entire village.

In one of these homes, housewife Zurida Midin is already awake.

And soon, she will wake her two daughters up so that they can get ready for school.

However, Zurida says that her youngest daughter “always cries”.

“In the end, she gets up and takes a shower on her own, anyway.

“She really wants to go to school.”

Her two children – Chendun Kumang Robert, 6, and Contessa Bajik Robert, 11 – attend the nearby SK Tasik Chini, a 20-minute walk away from their home.

The school, made up of three single storey blocks which houses the canteen, teacher’s office and classrooms, is unassuming at best.

But, don’t let its location or outward appearance fool you.

This is the very school that went from zero to hero in just five years.

Bringing big changes

In 2009, SK Tasik Chini was one of the worst performing schools ranked at 6,910 out of the nation’s 7,617 schools. .

It was also classified as a Band Five school under an Education Ministry rating system which looks at the Ujian Pencapaian Sekolah Rendah (UPSR) examination results.

Starting young: A preschool class in session at SK Tasik Chini.

In this system, schools are rated between Band One (excellent) and Band Six (below average).

But, by the end of last year, the school leapt to excellence.

It “jumped” ahead of over 6,000 schools and is now ranked at 237 out of 7,709 schools nationwide.

Not only has the school scored a 100% passing rate in the UPSR examinations from 2011 to 2013, it has produced a few straight As pupils for the past three years.

Presently, out of the 93 orang asli schools in the country, SK Tasik Chini stands out as the only Band One school.

It was also awarded cluster school status earlier this year.

This is coming from a school that, only a few years back, considered it “normal” when pupils played truant or failed in their exams.

Senior assistant Kamarudin Harun says the biggest change he sees is that pupils “no longer walk around barefoot or come to school without taking a shower”.

“When I first started teaching here, teachers had to help bathe pupils and cut their hair and nails. They have definitely improved.”

Guiding hand: Zurida makes sure her two children, Chendun and Contessa wake up on time for school and finish their homework every day.

Just last year, headmaster Akit Huat, an orang asli himself, had told The Star that he was willing to share tips on school management and motivating orang asli pupils with other schools. He had previously taught at SK Sungai Mok, Rompin, Pahang for six years.

Akit was a recipient of the New Deal or Bai’ah in 2010, 2011 and 2013, that recognises the contribution and performance of school heads from schools that excel.

He has kept his promise, too, willingly sharing his school’s “transformation formulae” with other schools.

Putting parents first

For Akit, the challenge was in getting the orang asli community to understand how education can give their children a better future.

“At first, we couldn’t even get parents into the school compound, what more to be involved.”

This is because they think “it is enough” if their children manage to pass their exams.

“We had to motivate the parents first,” he says.

Going the extra time: During the school holidays, teachers take the pupils back to their homees to conduct extra lessons.

Which is why the teachers make it a point to visit the pupils’ houses.

It is Akit who leads when they go from house to house to speak to parents.

“We usually bring some buah tangan, simple things like sugar and rice.

“Then, we talk to them to find out their problems and how we can solve them,” shares Kamarudin.

On the surface, it doesn’t sound like a complicated initiative.

But, teachers, especially those from outside Pekan like Kamarudin, were initially afraid the orang asli folk will accuse them of invading their privacy.

“With Akit’s approach, we realise they are not angry with us. They understand that we are just trying to help them.”

Like a majority of his 115 pupils, Akit is also from the Jakun tribe and can speak from experience.

Quality time: Akit spends a lot of time getting to know the pupils and their parents, as he believes it is an effective way is getting them to understand the importance of getting an education.

The way to ‘tackle’ the community is to be friendly and get parents to come to school for the motivational talks and parent-teacher programmes, says Akit.

“We have to talk to them one-on-one. A general talk in a big hall doesn’t work.

“Satu habuk pun tak ada (no one will show up),” he quips.

This method has proven to be effective, too.

“Previously when events were planned for parents, not many will show up but these days, we get a good turnout.”

A parent who has faithfully attended these school-organised sessions is Zurida.

The 36-year-old housewife may not have completed her formal education, but she now sees the importance of having her children finish school.





She makes it a point to wake them up for school on time every day and gets them to finish their homework.

“I want my children to study to the highest level if they can.

“To me, the most important thing is that they become someone useful in life,” she says.

Step by step

Under the Education National Key Result Area’s School Improvement Programme, its partners and specialist coaches mentored the school’s teachers and administrators in 2010.

As a result of this coaching and the school’s other initiatives, Akit says pupils now have a better attitude towards school.

Teachers too are inspired to work harder and parents have become more involved in school.

The school is also serious about putting an end to pupils skipping school and dropping out.

While most of them live within walking distance of the school, some come from other villages, including Kampung Tanjung Puput, Cendahan, and Melai, which are only accessible by boat.

The boat ride is under 20 minutes and the walk from the jetty to the school takes about 15 minutes.

But, pupils from across Lake Chini have to be at the jetty by 6am.

Show and tell: Nor Ain uses a hands-on approach, getting her pupils to make animal models so that they can visualise her lesson.

And what happens if there is no boat, or if the weather is bad?

They either get dropped off and picked up by their parents by motorbike, or face a very long walk home.

Akit shares that some pupils don’t attend school when the weather is bad.

So, to overcome this, a few parents rallied to build a mini-hostel, which they fondly call “Villa Gumum”.

It is a simple structure, with walls made of plywood and linoleum-covered floors.

Wedged between the teachers’ quarters beside the school, the hostel can accommodate up to 20 pupils.

But, priority is given to Year Six pupils and those who face problems in making the daily trek to school.

And, if a pupil fails to show up for school, teachers are tasked with visiting the pupil’s house.

“This deters them from skipping school for no reason,” says Akit.

These may be small steps, but they’re certainly making a difference.

For the last six years, attendance has been in the 80 to 90% range. It used to be 70% or less.

And for the first four months of this year, the pupils’ attendance hit an all-time high, averaging at 95%.

Strategies in motion

SK Tasik Chini has “an arsenal of not-so-secret weapons at its disposal” to help prepare its pupils for the UPSR exams, says Akit.

These include a weekly mentor-mentee programme, motivational camps and extra classes in the afternoons and late evenings.

Keeping 'em engaged: Bahasa Malaysia teacher Rosnani Ilias tutoring Year One pupil Rorlens Zulkifli here, as this is more effective than normal classroom teaching methods.

During the holidays and in the final stretch before the exams, Akit says the school “quarantines” the pupils through extra classes.

And, if it is a longer break, they will have to follow their teachers home for additional lessons.

Each teacher brings two to three pupils home each for a few days and “rotates” the pupils among themselves.

Then, two weeks before the UPSR, all pupils have to stay in the school, regardless of where they live.

“This is the time we help them prepare mentally to face the exams,” says Akit.

He admits that the school is able to do this as they have a low enrolment of pupils.

Presently, the school accommodates 91 pupils and 24 preschool children.

Besides that, the school acknowledges that every pupils learns differently.

So, teachers have to find the best method to catch the pupils’ attention.

Akit says: “Some pupils find it hard to focus on long, boring lessons. This is when the teacher has to get creative.”

Besides using upbeat music and visual aids, teachers are also encouraged to take on a hands-on approach during classes.

One teacher who applies this method is Nor Ain Tukimon, who gets her Science class to make models of animals using cardboard, styrofoam, toothpicks, straws and cotton balls.

“For example, if I am teaching them about penguins, a model will help them visualise.”

Another teacher, Norhasliza Othman, gets her pupils to use their fingers when counting during her Mathematics lesson.

Year Five pupil Nurul Ain Mohd Khalilruddin says she appreciates her teacher’s efforts.

“It is easier to understand. And if we don’t get it, our teacher will repeat without getting angry,” she says.Her classmate, Sumi Lodi, agrees.

“Suka (I like),” she says, when asked if she enjoys studying in SK Tasik Chini.

The driving force

Working in a challenging, rural school such as SK Tasik Chini is certainly not everyone’s cup of teh tarik.

But Akit has readily taken on the challenge from the day he graduated from Maktab Perguruan Sultan Idris (now known as Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris).

Their second home: SK Tasik Chini pupils who live too far from the school can stay at the mini-hostel built by parent's near the teacher quarters at the school.

“I want to go where I am needed. It will help me gain the experience I need to be a good teacher.”

Akit has served as an educator for 35 years and his level of experience is clear from the way he handles his team of 12 teachers.

“When teachers get posted to the rural orang asli school, mereka kecut pula (they are afraid),” shares Akit.

The first month or so, is particularly rough, but he has a “trick” to get them to stay. Akit persuades them to stay on for two months.

It is during this period that he helps them see that teaching at the school is indeed a rewarding experience.

Nor Ain, who was teaching in an urban school in Kemaman, Terengganu, was one of them.

“I really didn’t want to come. Rasa berat (it was a heavy feeling),” she says of her initial feelings.

Now, two years later, she enjoys teaching at the school.

Kamarudin notes that the teachers here are happy, which is obvious from the camaraderie they share over breaks in the canteen and in the staffroom.

“Working with Akit doesn’t feel like a burden, because he makes it a team effort.”

It really isn’t hard to see why teachers enjoy working with the humble and easy-going Akit.

Though he’s generous with his smiles and always quick to make a joke, the 57-year-old is focused in what he wants out of the school and very firm in his approach.

Now, with only three years of service left, Akit hopes to see the school go on to achieve greater things, even after he retires.

“SK Tasik Chini’s success is proof that orang asli can succeed, if they are given the right guidance and opportunities.”