KUCHING: It was an event that spoke volumes when 75 civil servants received excellent service awards (ASP) 2019 from the Education Department here.
The recipients of ASP 2019 were those officers and teachers who have made outstanding contributions throughout the state.
One of the recipients, Lim Siew Hoon, a senior assistant at SMK Seri Setia Kuching, has been enjoying teaching English for more than a decade.
“I served my first school in Serian for two years and then I taught at SMK Sematan for thirteen years. For me, teaching is all about enjoying life because nothing is more important than serving the community,” she said.
Having graduated with a Master of TESL from Universiti Sains Malaysia, she revealed that the most difficult thing is reaching out to students whose backgrounds are very challenging.
Siew Hoon thinks she is fortunate to be able to teach at SMK Seri Setia which has become a turning point to transform the children’s life through education.
“I am thankful that this school exists because without it, I think the community would find it even more difficult to transform itself.
Education is not just about academic pursuits, but also the values that will be carried out throughout life,” she said.
Another recipient, Ananthan Subramaniam, explained that his role as principal has different challenges as he has 3,400 students at SMK Bintulu, the biggest school in Sarawak.
“My role is basically the same as others but the size of the school, the locality and area affects my tasks and roles as principal. SMK Bintulu is the second biggest school in Malaysia.
“The challenges that schools are facing now are in terms of its facilities. But we are very thankful that the state government and Education Department have been helping the teachers to ensure that the schools upgrade their infrastructure,” he said.
