SHAH ALAM: It’s a common wish list for non-Chinese parents who send their children to Chinese schools.
“I want her to learn and converse in Mandarin,” said Megat Azri Hakim Sazali of his daughter Puteri Humaira Rose, seven, who is enrolled at SJK(C) Ladang Regent, Elmina, here.
In fact, he had been preparing her for the past three years by sending her to a Mandarin-medium kindergarten.
“This means that she would not face a ‘culture shock’ when attending school.
“The kindergarten prepared her well. She was given a lot of homework even then!”
Exam review: Fadhlina says the ministry will consider parents’ views on the abolition of UPSR and PT3, as well as Classroom-Based Assessment performance levels, in its review on reinstating the two national exams. — Bernama
Another parent, Mohd Azwan Mohd Noor, said it was important for him that his three daughters – nine-year-old twins and an eight-year-old – could converse in Mandarin.
“China is now a powerful economy in the world. Being able to converse in Mandarin would be an advantage,” he said.
Another important factor is that Chinese schools attract a mix of students from different races, he added.
For Shakilla Khoriri, the chance to educate her daughter in Mandarin was too good to pass up.
She wanted her daughter Nurul Ameena Sofia Muhd Hafizudin, seven, to embrace the discipline practised in Chinese schools.
“Children nowadays are growing up in a different world, one where if we as parents are not careful, they will get ‘lost’,” she said.
First-day nerves: A pupil crying on the first day of school at SJK(C) Ladang Regent, Elmina. — IZZRAFIQ ALIAS/The Star
“I want my daughter to interact and pick up the good habits of the students in Chinese schools.
“At the same time, she would be able to converse in Mandarin with them.”
Shakilla had earlier intended to send her daughter to a private school, which was further away from their home.
“But when I heard that a Chinese school was opening up here, I immediately enrolled (her),” she said.
Another parent, Krishnaveni Janardanan, said it was her husband who suggested that their daughter attend a Chinese school.
She said the ability to speak fluent Mandarin opens up numerous opportunities in today’s working world.
“Lucky for us, the government had opened a Chinese school here in Elmina where I live,” she said.
Happy tummies: Pupils posing as they finish their breakfast during recess at SJK(C) Ladang Regent, Elmina. — IZZRAFIQ ALIAS/The Star
For these children, their first day of school saw them attending Year One classes where the teachers gave out instructions purely in Mandarin.
But they seemed to have no trouble following the classes, as most of them had been learning Mandarin since kindergarten.
Yesterday marked not only the first day of the 2026 school year but also the launch of SJK(C) Ladang Regent, Elmina.
Its board of directors chairman Datuk Dr Azman Ching said there are around 300 students enrolled at the school, which was relocated from Gemencheh, Negri Sembilan.
Meanwhile, Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek, who was present at the launch, said all stakeholders will soon be required to sign the Child Protection Policy as a pledge to safeguard children.
“We are not going to compromise on this matter. It is our shared responsibility to ensure our schools are safe and our children are protected,” she said.
The ministry will also be distributing a Safe Schools book to students and parents, she added.
Fadhlina also said the ministry is taking into account all views from parents regarding the abolishment of the Ujian Pentaksiran Sekolah Rendah (UPSR) and Penilaian Tingkatan Tiga (PT3) examinations, as well as the performance levels for the Classroom-Based Assessments, when they begin reviewing the reinstatement of the two national examinations.
“The review will be held this year and we will announce (the results) as soon as possible,” she said.
Last week, the minister said that she had reactivated the National Education Advisory Council to study the need to revive the two examinations.
UPSR was abolished in 2021, followed by PT3 in 2022, and both were replaced with School-Based Assessment.
More than five million students began the 2026 school year nationwide since Sunday.
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