How This School In Chow Kit Has Become A Symbol Of Hope For The City's Homeless Children
The school is free for the students and employs a unique learning approach.
By Sadho Ram — 18 Dec 2015, 03:54 PM
Meet Zulkernai Bin Fauzi.
He is the headmaster of a free school for homeless kids set up by the Education Ministry in 2013 to cater to underprivileged and street children in KL city area who have had little or no formal education.
SBJK headmaster Zulkarnian Fauzi (left) with Emkay Group executive director Ahmad Khalif Mustapha Kamal (front), and Emkay Group's CEO Mazrita Mazlan (right) meeting the children from the school back in September.
Image via The Star OnlineIn order to ensure that they receive an education at SBJK, Zulkernai goes to the ground to see the living conditions of the homeless in the city. Because he knows that he must take a step further to bring real change in their lives. While it may sound easy, it's far from it.
He has to go undercover and seek out homeless children who have neglected their schooling and coax them into attending school. He has even gone as far as impersonating a homeless person, roaming the streets of Chow Kit to gain a better insight of the situation.
His concern and dedication have resulted in the enrolment of 46 homeless children between the ages of four and 18 years into the school over the last two years. Zulkernai and several other teachers from the school would go around the city after dusk in search of the displaced children.
“We would typically team up with local non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and walk around Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman and the back alleys of Chow Kit road to see for ourselves how these children are living. What we see is heartbreaking. Many homeless children are left in a corner. They wait around while their parents eke out a living,” he told Bernama.
He found that some of the children did not attend school due to a lack of identification documents and their parents' financial constraints. Some also suffer from psychological disorders, he said.
This has made Zulkernai more determined to search every nook and cranny in the city for homeless children who have been deprived of education and ensure that they are given the chance to live their lives as other children.
He believes there are many more children who are in dire need of help. “We once found several 17-year-old homeless teenagers who had never gone to school.
“This is devastating because based on the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, every child aged six and above has the right to an education," he said.
The school itself lies in the shadier side of KL. Dwarfed by its surrounding buildings in Chow Kit, while the Sekolah Bimbingan Jalinan Kasih's building is a seemingly ordinary one to look at, it has become a symbol of hope for the city's homeless children.
Catering to students aged 4 to 19 in a fun learning concept, the school has 5 classrooms, a music room, a dental/treatment room and a lounge. In order to nurture their capabilities and inspire them, the teachers there identify the interest and talent of each student.
Students are provided with three meals a day, free books and stationery. The learning module differs from that of government schools.
Besides learning how to read, write and count through the Literacy and Numeracy programme, the children are also taught vocational skills such as sewing, cooking and painting, he added.
As many of the children are used to an independent and carefree life, Zulkernai and the other teachers arrange learning sessions accordingly, making it fun and interesting.
Describing his career as rewarding but highly challenging, Zulkernai said that at first they came for the free food. They are then drawn into the fun way of learning and start coming to school every day.
The teachers here are not only educators to these children. They also play the role of parents, dealing with their antics and ensuring they attend school every day and do not become bored in the classrooms.
“We use a psychological approach and a family concept. Each child is treated as if he or she is our own,” he said.
Despite the challenges, Norita Masek, a Malay language teacher at the school, believes that she is fortunate to do her part in ensuring the homeless children have a better future.
“Unlike in regular schools, we have to pay more attention to the learning process as some of the children are illiterate even though they are adolescents. We also act as counsellors for the children,” said the 36-year-old teacher.
We at SAYS are extremely glad to know about this fantastic and a farsighted initiative by the Education Ministry. It will not only get the kids off the streets and open new worlds and opportunities to them, it will also teach them to fish, instead of just giving it to them!
Education Minister Datuk Seri Mahdzir Khalid (middle) together with Federal Territory Kuala Lumpur education director Foziah Bunag (right) with the headmaster (left) of the school.
Image via The Star Online