Sabah teachers brave rough boat rides
SANDAKAN: Rough seas and engine breakdowns are part of life for a teacher who first thought Pulau Nunuyan, off here, was no place for him.
That was 12 years ago. Religious studies teacher Rosli Shamsuddin, 42, said when he was transferred to SK Nunuyan Laut, his mind was bent on getting a transfer back to Peninsular Malaysia.
Now, Rosli cherishes each day he gets to spend with the schoolchildren, despite having to take a 3km boat ride from here to the island, which is occupied by a fishing community.
“I thought I would not be able to get used to this kind of life.
“But, it now feels like home,” he said.
“When I met my colleagues and the people on the island, who are mostly fishermen, they treated me like family, and it didn’t take long for me to blend in,” he said adding that being a teacher here had its perks.
“They sell fish cheap here. Back in the peninsula, we would not have been able to afford fish the size of an arm. But here, they are sold cheaply,” he said when met at the Teachers Day celebration here on Tuesday.
He said for teachers in rural schools, it was a major challenge to change the children’s mindset on the importance of getting an education.
“There are parents who are oblivious to the importance of education because of their lifestyle,” Rosli said.
Established in 1976, SK Nunuyan Laut has 19 teachers and 186 pupils.
Another teacher, Suhaimi Bakar, 40, from Pendang, Kedah, said the responsibility fell on the teachers to make sure the children become useful individuals.
SK Nunuyan Laut headmaster Mohd Busrah Nordin said most of the teachers took 30 minutes to commute to the island as there was a shortage of quarters for the school staff.