Dino told his children one night: ‘I can no longer support your schooling.
‘All of you can drop out and look for jobs, whatever job. My health doesn’t permit me to work. And your mother earns so little it is barely enough to feed us.’
These were the words that greeted Soraya and her sisters one night at her small house in Kampung Orang Asli, Serendah, Selangor.
Soraya a/p Dino is an exceptional girl.She is the eldest in a family of five, all girls.
I caught up with her last week at her kampung.She took time off from her part-time job at a restaurant to meet up with volunteers from Yayasan Salam.
Soraya scored 7As in the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) examination last year,a result that is about to change her life and that of her family.
Let’s hear her story:‘I attended Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Serendah. I sat for my SPM exams last year and I came away with 7As.
‘I studied really hard to get this result.It was an uphill struggle all the way. At one stage,I almost gave up when my father told me he had no money to support my schooling.
‘That almost shattered my dreams.I did everything in school to make my parents proud and happy.
‘I managed to stay in school despite what my father said.
‘My mother gave a bit of pocket money to buy food. But I saved the money to buy school needs. Every little helps.
‘Every day I told myself this. I’m from a poor family.I told myself I must lead the change in my family.I can’t bear to see my parents continue to have a hard life.
‘I must show a good example to my sisters, who are still struggling with their studies.I want to show everyone that the Orang Asli is not a weak community.’
Soraya’s achievement is by no means small.Orang Asli children face a huge problem where school is concerned.
In villages located not far from towns and cities,they attend school regularly.
But in rural and semi-rural environments, many of these children skip school and drop out early.
In Kuala Tahan, in Taman Negara (national park), many Orang Asli children ran away from school.
The concept of school simply doesn’t exist in their community.
They require a lot of help to go back to school and finish basic education.
But today, many of them are returning to school with guidance from community leaders, volunteers and good Samaritans.
In Soraya’s case, she battled against all odds. Her success is nothing short of a miracle.
As another step in her pursuit of academic excellence, she has been offered a place in a public university. In fact, she is registering at UiTM Raub today where she will further her studies in accountancy.
Dino said:‘I’m very proud that my daughter is entering university.I myself can’t do what she has done.’
How did you do so well, I asked Soraya. She said: ‘I keep telling myself.I must do well.I have no other option but to do well.I didn’t have books, and that was the biggest problem. But I have good friends.They gave me their books which they had already used.
‘I erased their work.And I used the book just like new. My routine is simple.Once I get home,I rest and help with the housework.
‘At night I studied.I studied late into the night because I must do well to change the destiny of my family.
‘I also took part in school drama and won best dramatist at the district level.I want to do well and to prove to everyone that nothing is impossible.I want to work hard to achieve my ambition ‘get a good result, get a good job and support my family.
‘I don’t want to burden my family.I look at my mother breaking her back to feed the family. I can’t bear it.I want to show everyone that I’m not weak, that I’m not going to be defeated by these obstacles.’
The school’s counselling teacher, Ahmad Niza Mat Nor, had this to say about Soraya:‘We know her father doesn’t have a permanent job.But Soraya is very determined to help her parents.
‘And getting a good education is her way of helping her parents.
‘Soraya is a model student.She behaves well, respects her teachers and elders, is very obliging and always helpful to whoever needs help. We are not surprised she did so well in her studies.’
All is not over for Soraya. Yesterday, she left in a car borrowed by her father to send her to campus in Raub, Pahang. She went with plenty of guts but with very little resources.She’s in urgent need of financial assistance to see her through the first few weeks in campus.
If you wish to help her, please contact Yayasan Salam at 03-79584021 (Zakiah or Devi, 9am to 5pm, weekdays). Let’s help Soraya achieve her dream and be all that she can be!
The writer is a former NST group editor. His first column appeared on Aug 27, 1995, as ‘Kurang Manis’