Russian stranded in Malaysia opens school for Orang Asli
PETALING JAYA: One year ago, Russian national Valerie Azure made headlines when she and her son Kyri, spent five stressful days at the klia2 transit area when they were refused entry into Thailand due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Today, however, Valerie’s phone is flooded with messages and calls from concerned friends for a very different reason – her six-month-long humanitarian initiative, the Pos Woh Education Centre for Orang Asli in Tapah, Perak has been making waves on social media.
The 32-year-old hostel manager who originally travelled to Malaysia for humanitarian work, explained to FMT that she first came to know of the Pos Woh village in August last year when she joined a group of individuals distributing food supplies to the Orang Asli there.
She said that while chatting with some of the members of the Semai Tribe, she learned that many of the parents were concerned about their kids’ education.
The village leader told her that only a handful of students attended the nearby school.
“However, the kids were really enthusiastic about learning, and within half an hour, 50 of them had surrounded me, attempting to sing their alphabets,” recalled Valerie.
It struck her then that what the community needed was a full-time teacher. She told the village leader that she was up to doing the job.
He didn’t take her seriously at first, she said, joking that she would miss the conveniences of television and air-conditioning should she stay in his village. But later he realised how serious the 32-year-old was about the teaching post.
Upon returning to Kuala Lumpur, Valerie spent two weeks gathering books, study material and furniture donated by other expatriates who answered her appeal in a Facebook post.
The ‘school’ was to be a building where the villages held gatherings. “The building has electricity and thankfully we got permission to transform it into a school by September,” she said.
It was quite a huge undertaking, Valerie admitted, but added that the villagers were not only hospitable and cooperative but very excited about the school.
“I have students as young as two and as old as 100. In total, I teach 87 children. 47 of them attend my classes every day and I have 14 adults as well,” gushed Valerie.
Despite very limited resources, Valerie prepares her classes by selecting a topic, then researching the relevant information in the textbooks and encyclopaedias donated to her, before making copies of it.
She even cuts up sections of information that she believes her students will find fascinating.
“Then I organise all these bits and pieces on a sheet of A4 paper – sticking them with tape. I make roughly 30 copies of the page and there you have it, the study book.
“For the exercise book, I stick the same bits and pieces but include riddles, mini crosswords and writing tasks with crayons and once again, make 30 copies of it!”
Teaching English is the main focus here, she said, explaining that the education centre also provides classes for a number of other subjects such as geography, biology, physics, mathematics and astronomy.
“I was initially the only teacher here but now two of my best students, Safina and Jenny are assisting me.
“In just five months, their command of English improved by leaps and bounds,” squeals Valerie, adding that a friend of hers is now sponsoring them.
Today the girls are paid RM400 a month to teach for two hours a day, five days a week.
When she’s not crafting lessons, Valerie is at the school teaching the kids from 8am to 8.30pm with a short break from 10am to 12.30pm, and from 3pm to 4pm.
Despite the long hours, Valerie said she couldn’t be prouder of the progress some of her students have made.
Many can now string together English words to form a simple sentence and some even attempt speaking English outside the classroom.
In recent weeks, the education centre run by Valerie has caught the attention of social media users, many of whom have responded to her appeals for more books, toys and colouring material.
“Thanks to everyone’s generosity, we now have a beautifully equipped classroom and enough stationery,” she said, adding that some people have even sent mobile phones while many others constantly enquire if the centre requires more help.
“These kids, they’ve never even held a mouse or a keyboard in their hands so we have computer classes every day at 5pm,” Valerie said, explaining that she teaches them basic computer skills.
Even her son Kyri, 10, assists his mother in class occasionally, when he isn’t swimming in the river or playing football with the other kids.
However, recent developments have put Valerie’s teaching post at the centre in jeopardy as she is facing issues with her Malaysian permit.
“I wish to stay for a few more years until one of my students, who has difficulty focusing, is able to speak English but everything is so unclear now,” said Valerie.
But her tone immediately perks up at the thought of her students, “They are so appreciative of everything. Even if someone donates a broken toy car with just two wheels, the kids are absolutely in love with it.
“I think I’ve learnt more from them than they from me. They’ve shown me how to climb trees and boulders, taught me about the different plants and fruits here, every second is amazing,” she said.
In her last communication with FMT, Valerie said she was no longer allowed to teach at the school she set-up, which is now under the guidance of her two students.
For more information and updates on the Pos Woh Education Centre for Orang Asli, check out their Facebook page. - FMT
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