Jarod Yong

It is an honour to be featured. Thank you, Mdm Mallika Vasugi. I'm not sure if I deserve to be painted in such a noble light. Today, I was featured in The Star together with Cikgu Warid who teaches at SK Balar , an Orang Asli school in Gua Musang, Kelantan. I have a lot of respect for what Warid does at his school. He is as passionate & persistent in educating rural children as I am. Congrats, buddy! You deserve it! Furthermore, I want to say that Warid & I are NOT unique. There are plenty of teachers out there serving with all their hearts both in the pedalaman & in the concrete jungles. They deserve just as much plaudit & recognition as the both of us. Many of them are slaving away year after year without even a word of thanks from anyone because they are meek or introverted. Also, there are plenty of teachers serving in situations far worse than mine. Shout out to those serving in rural areas which require way longer travelling hours in 4WD or on boats a...

The Remedial Instruction Workshop in Kapit Can you tell from this photo that we had fun together? In memory of Cikgu Henry Nyambar. He has always been a fine example to me of humility & kindness. Do you teach the English language to students from low socio-economic backgrounds & whose guardians are illiterate? What if English is not used in this rural community & English is a foreign language your students are forced to learn? What if the English language has consistently performed very badly in PMR & SPM? What if more than 30% of your students can't even achieve a mere pass? What if your students are not motivated to learn? What if it is easier to make a hole in a concrete wall with your face than to get some of them to complete their assigned work? What if some of them have already given up from years of failing & verbal abuse? Such is the classroom situation here in Kapit. A small town which has no road access. You have to ride on an express boat ...

The Aram Katibas! Team I am truly blessed to be working with the individuals pictured here as well as the many who were not able to attend the photography session. With their time, care & effort, they made this programme happen. It's interesting how making a stand for something & fighting for it attracts kindred spirits. Back in 2011, an eloquent & intelligent teenager from Penang read a series of teacher articles I wrote for Loyarburok.com . She then decided to interview this obscure teacher & write  an article about me for The Star . She was the first person to recognise this crazy slaving hermit in the jungle & slingshot me into the limelight. Never in my wildest dreams had I expected to host her & her merry band of altruistic adventurers at the very school she wrote about 3 years ago. What were they up to at my school? What were they like? What were the outcomes? How much did I pay them for their 'services'?