End of the Tunnel ( Part 6 ) - A glimmer long way ahead

Pak Cik wrote in December last year (‘Whither Goest Thou?’) about three pupils, one boy and two girls, who performed well in their UPSR examination when the odds were against them. Their parents had resigned to the fact that as far as their children were concerned, irrespective of their achievement, they would continue their Form 1 studies at the nearest normal secondary schools. To them life is painful enough without having to gloat over an expensive dream.

Assured of sponsorship, however, and with persuasion from concerned teachers, the families relented. The teachers helped to apply for entry of the three good performers into the better known boarding schools. Today, Pak Cik am happy to report that the three musketeers have started life in a better environment.

Three of these four are fortunate

The sole boy among the three is in a prestigious Sekolah Menengah Sains (Kuala Terengganu) and the two girls are in two MARA schools (MRSM Pasir Tumbuh and Besut). There they have begun their Form 1.

The boy is lucky to qualify for a special scheme whereby his parents are required to pay nothing from day one. All the initial fees on registration were waived, boarding and all.

The two girls, as expected, had to get things prepared and have a specific initial sums ready to be settled on registration. These were what the parents dreaded most, apart from the unknown requirements in the course of their children studying and living there.

The reactions of the families on receiving one thousand ringgits each from Almanar were beyond belief. The feel of that sum of hard cash in hand was probably a dream. An old friend of Pak Cik living more than one hundred kilometers away, one I had not seen and talked to for over three years, chose to ring me up a few evenings ago. He wanted to relate a story how he came across a man who was a total stranger to him. The man was proud to talk of his daughter going into MRSM and of a man who helped with an unexpectedly enormous sum!

That signals the start of Almanar sponsorship. What would be the on-going requirements and future commitments for these three children will have to be monitored. At this stage, there is no necessity to cry for any donation. It is gratifying for Pak Cik to know that out there, generous individuals are ready to chip in. Pak Cik will not hesitate to speak of the need when it comes.

For the moment let us hope the children will perform as they should for a better future. Their families can now, probably for the first time, afford to own a dream - that at the end of this long dark tunnel surely there is a glimmer of hope.

Berkhidmat kerana Tuhan untuk kemanusiaan

p/s:

What about Pak Cik’s own two grandchildren who earned themselves a trip to Bandar ‘Cat’ after their UPSR? Well, they were adamant that they had no wish to leave their home environment. What they wanted most was to be with their respective elder brothers at the Victoria Institution, the day school in Kuala Lumpur. So we save money.

The four cousins and grandma