Sandakan school wants more students

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The herb garden which boasts 120 types of herbs including husband and wife tongkat ali and kacip fatimah.

SANDAKAN: While most Chinese schools in Sabah urban centres are overpopulated, there is at least one school here with ample room for more student intake.

With an UPSR passing rate increase of 26.43 per cent between 2007 and 2012, SKJC Lok Yuk, established in 1932, needs more students to continue its excellence in line with its ambition to provide quality Malaysian education.

In 2007, Lok Yuk had an UPSR pass rate of 28.57 per cent but rose steadily over the years to 31.20 per cent in 2008, 41.94 per cent in 2009, 31.82 per cent in 2010, 43.75 per cent in 2011 and 55 per cent this year. For two consecutive years in 2011 and 2012, Lok Yuk scored a 100 per cent passing rate for subjects in Science and Mathematics.

Currently, the primary school has 128 students, categorising it as ‘Sekolah Kurang Murid’ (SKM). To reach a grade B, Lok Yuk would need over 150 students while grade A requires over 500.

“I think our location has a lot to do with our lack of students. Some parents tell me that the road leading to our school is winding and we’re also located between three other schools.

“There’s also Sung Siew and Yuk Choi on Cecily Road and Tai Tong on Sibuga Road, so we’re in the middle of all these schools,” said school principal Chang Fui Chew.

However, the primary school board vice chairman Chong Hon Min said a road was currently under construction that would allow the school to be more accessible.

“There’s a new road under construction leading towards this area from Bandar Indah. It’s only 1.5 kilometers.

“It was sanctioned by the state government and we worked hard for it to be approved. It will be completed by June next year,” said Chong who was a student of Lok Yuk in the 60s.

Tucked away in the hills of Cecily, here, Lok Yuk is located in a quiet area overlooking hills and forests. It boasts complete facilities including a computer room, music room, library, a herb garden, a science room and a hall.

Aside from facilities, Lok Yuk boasts student development programs for UPSR such as extra classes, parents’ day, language week, examination postmortem program, motivational camps and storytelling competitions.

“We work very hard to make everything complete,” said Chong.

The school also provides an adoption program where teachers are assigned to selected students to help them improve on their weaker subjects.

“This way, we teach the students on a more personal level to help them cope with studies and improve,” said Principal Chang.

“A lot of the students here are also from the lower middle income group, so we provide them with extra classes for free to compensate for private tuition,” said Chong.

Lok Yuk also has a phonetics class to help the students improve on their English and pronunciation.

“I’d like to think that this is a nature school. We provide a natural and relaxed environment for our students to learn because we’re surrounded by trees and hills.

“There’s a Chinese saying: “We (the school) are like a pigeon. We are small but we have our intestines intact,” said Chong.