Penan girl Bonia a shining star to follow with 5As in UPSR
MIRI: A Penan girl has scored 5As in this year’s UPSR, overcoming the odds of a frugal education to nurse her dream of becoming a teacher.
The Penan lass, Bonia Galang, hails from Ba Pakan but studied at SK Long Kevuk in Tutoh Apoh, Baram.
She was thrilled to no end with the results, relieved that all her sacrifices over the years have paid off. The Borneo Post caught up with her here yesterday.
“Of course, I am happy. I targeted 5As, but still I could not believe that I was able to achieve it,” the 12-year- old girl admitted.
SK Long Kevuk is situated about six hours’ drive from here. The remote school has 13 teachers and 149 students, and is making the headlines thanks to Bonia, a shining star for desolate students in the rural areas to emulate.
She shot to prominence at SK Long Kevuk’s dinner held at a leading hotel here on Saturday, praised no less by Telang Usan assemblyman Dennis Ngau who decried the lack of infrastructure in interior schools but hailed Bonia for overcoming the odds.
Bonia was accompanied by two other classmates, Doris Jalong, also a Penan who scored 4As and 1B, and Stamina Kuchin with 3As and 2Bs, both lending credence to the odds of education at faraway SK Long Kevuk.
In the limelight now, Bonia said she hoped to enter SM Sains Miri, an excellent school here to pursue her studies.
“I do not know yet whether I will be offered to study there or not, but if they accept me, I am willing to go and be far from my family to achieve my dream of becoming a teacher,” she said.
Bonia acknowledged the hard work of her teachers and parents who encouraged her.
In giving advice, in particular to Orang Ulu in the remote to emulate , Dennis said poor infrastructure faced by teachers and students in the interior should not be made the end-all in excuses but they should instead overcome desolation to achieve excellence.
“Despite studying in rural areas where we may lack in many aspects, the students are still able to achieve excellent results. I am very proud of them. It shows that we can go further and can produce excellent students if we have the same focus and aim and be as competitive as those in urban areas,” Dennis surmised at SK Long Kevuk’s dinner for a homecoming star.