11 / 11 The Poppy Day

The occasion is not a good enough reason to close our Almanar. But, regretfully, Pak Cik will not conduct any classes from 11/11 to 14/11. For what is worth, let us say Pak Cik will be busy for my SPM exam!

Pak Cik Reminisces (Part 5) : 11-11-11

To those associated with Almanar, who will be sitting for the dreaded SPM exam, Pak Cik can only hope and pray that you will do as well as you can. Please remember, how important we see the SPM exam, we, human, cannot dictate its outcome.

Berkhidmat kerana Tuhan untuk kemanusiaan.

Apa Nak Jadi?

Tan Sri SM Salim asks that. Yes, indeed, what will happen?

The front page of the New Sunday Times dated August 2nd 2009 has the following to say:

"Men in the classroom face extinction in 20 years – going the way of the dinosaur ….

…….. Despite great efforts, it is a losing battle. From a ratio of 70:30 for females to males would-be-teachers, it has dropped to 72:28."

That was what the vice-chancellor of UPSI said…..



What a bleak picture has been painted for male chauvinism! Can Pak Cik help to defend it? Well, I have some data of sort. Let us have a look at it.

For a start, being where I am now in age, I would be exceptionally lucky to see the extinction of male teachers 20 years from now unless Pak Cik can improve on that figure to make it sooner.

In the case of UPSI, comparison is made between the total of new intakes in one year with that of the following year. Pak Cik will, on the other hand, will take one group of pupils joining Almanar early in 2008 and see how this group grows smaller in size a year later, a measure of their perseverance.

Early last year 45 pupils enrolled into form 1 at Almanar. There were 15 boys among them, giving a delightful ratio of 3:1 for females to males, slightly better than 70:30 of UPSI. Today, 20 months later, the number has shrunk to just 20, leaving only 3 boys in that group. The ratio now becomes 17:3 which is approximated to 82:18. More girls outlast boys.



The reduction in number is due to a number of reasons. Some choose to leave Almanar, having found out that it is not all fun here. Some find it too taxing to meet the expectation of Almanar. There are some who are dismissed for regarding the free-of-charge Almanar class as a place for a social get together. Pak Cik have done everything humanly possible to motivate and retain boys (and girls, too, no doubt). But I cannot tolerate ‘cancerous’ cells that can damage the rest.

Hence, the male percentage of intakes at UPSI reduces from 30 to 28.

At Almanar the perseverance figure of male pupils reduces from 30 to 18.

Pak Cik am sorry to see this. But that is a reality, more girls moving ahead. To comfort myself Pakcik must ask myself the question, ‘so what is wrong having all females in education?’ After all, if females are the ones who conceive, deliver, and rock the cradles, they are ‘natural’ at educating children. QED.

During a light moment in class recently Pak Chik quipped to the boys that they had better be prepared to take up diplomas in cookery or fashion design. We have chef Wan and Choo the shoe-maker. Leave all the mind-boggling jobs to the girls. And the girls, Pak Chik assured them that their future was assured. There would be enough husbands to look after babies, do the house-chores and all! There would be ample male ‘maids’ as well, cheap and robust. My Mak Cik at home laughed when I related the scene in class. At Almanar we have a fantastic ratio of 0:100, nil female teachers! How about that for male chauvinism?

Apa nak jadi?

Berkhidmat kerana Tuhan untuk kemanusiaan.

2001 Class Size

In May 2001, Almanar is running classes with a total enrolment of about 130 students.
The exact number varies slightly from time to time resulting from voluntary
or forced withdrawals and new intakes. A few do find it tough to conform to
the strict academic demand here. To maintain an acceptable high standard Almanar cannot compromise. Those few will leave or have to leave.
The breakdown of the current classes is as follows :

A small number of students who joined before 1997 , that is before the construction of the school building proper, are already in several universities and colleges. While those who joined Almanar in 1997 (Form 1) and studied until 1999 (Form 3) will be sitting for their SPM examination in December this year,2001. They are now in their Form 5 in various secondary schools in the country, some in full boarding schools.