It is interesting to read that The Star had two articles about two politicians from Batu Pahat. What caught my eye was that they remembered their primary school in BP. Tony talked about Mrs Yong and Cikgu Mariam. I remembered these two teachers! Cikgu Mariam was my form teacher in Primary 1! Mrs Yong was my English teacher.
If you realise in the recent election, there are quite a few people who are from Batu Pahat. But they are all not representing BP 
1. An active life
http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2008/3/30/education/20739195&sec=education
AFTER completing his primary education at SRK Montfort in Batu Pahat, Petaling Jaya Utara Member of Parliament Tony Pua Kiam Wee(pic) received ASEAN and Shaw Foundation scholarships to do his O- and A-levels in Singapore at Raffles Institution and Raffles Junior College (RJC), respectively.
Following that, Pua, now 35, studied Philosophy, Politics and Economics at Keeble College, Oxford University, on a scholarship.
Tell us about your alma mater.
I studied at extremely competitive schools, where the environment pushes you to your limits, not only in terms of grades but also in mental expectation and co-curricular involvement.
How were you as a student – naughty, quiet or goody-two-shoes?
I was in the middle, really. However, two of my primary school teachers, Mrs Yong and Cikgu Mariam, did complain to my parents about my behaviour.
I was not a school prefect and I never came close to any teacher-appointed positions. In fact, Mrs Yong attributed my straight As in the Year Five Penilaian exam (equivalent to UPSR today) to luck.
In Singapore, a teacher remarked: “You’re really smart to choose this group,” implying that I could relax when working on assignments.
These situations spurred me to prove myself and show that my achievements were no fluke.
Describe your co-curricular experiences in school.
Too many! I got involved in too many activities, to the point that I ran out of space in my report card.
I played badminton, football and chess, before moving on to choir, drama, as well as the history and geography clubs in secondary school. I was also sports house captain.
At Oxford, I participated in the Malaysia-Singapore forum and was a member of the Oxford Malaysian club. I played hockey and badminton at college level as well and rowed a lot.
Tony Pua (back row, right) with his Raffles Junior College mates.
How did I manage all that? I skipped some lectures. Attendance is not marked during lectures at Oxford and, on average, I only had about two hours of lectures a week.
Share your most cherished school memories.
All of them have to do with the friendships I formed. I developed strong bonds and the many good experiences my friends and I shared made me keep in touch with them up till today. They taught me to build trust as well as understand and accept differences of opinion.
Who were your favourite teachers and why?
I was fortunate that my teachers gave me room to explore and think. My favourite teacher was Jamie Reeves, who taught me A-level Economics at RJC before he joined ESPN.
There was still a lot of spoon-feeding in the Singaporean education system then. Reeves was different as he made me think of concepts and formulate my own ideas.
Was there something in your student life that sparked your interest in politics?
Politics was pretty much absent in my student days in Malaysia and Singapore.
I did, however, pick up an interest in politics from my father. He talked about the mismanagement of funds in financial cooperatives in the 1980s, for example.
What is your view of the current education system?
I believe the current policies emphasise quantity at the expense of quality.
The drive to have more universities, more university students, more PhD holders, etc, creates a lot of pressure and affects standards.
The quality of educators needs to be addressed to ensure that we provide good education.
What changes would you like to see in our education system?
I’d like to see educators receiving higher salaries. To get the best, you need to pay the best.
We need to attract the most suitable people to be teachers and lecturers. Educators should be hired based on merit, regardless of nationality, race and ideology.
What is the one thing that you would have liked to do as a student but never did?
I would have liked to score more As! I was never a straight As student and I wish I had studied harder.
– RICHARD LIM
2. Fighting fit
http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2008/3/30/education/20763230&sec=education
EVER since his school days, Sungai Pinang assemblyman Teng Chang Khim (pic), 45, has fought for equal treatment.
Tell us about your alma mater.
I went to SJK(C) Cheng Siu (2) in Batu Pahat, then SM Munshi Sulaiman. I did my Sixth Form at SM Datuk Bentara Luar.
How were you as a student – naughty, quiet or goody-two-shoes?
I was an active student and was also head prefect in secondary school. I mixed well with my schoolmates and was popular, even though I was quite playful.
Describe your co-curricular experiences in school.
I was chairman of the Science & Mathematics Society, captain of the softball team, head of scouts, and many more.
Share your most cherished school memories.
During my days at Munshi Sulaiman, the students of all races were like a family. There was no discrimination.
Who were your favourite teachers, and why?
My chemistry teacher, Goh Bak Hooi, was my favourite because he was caring and soft-spoken. In fact, I was very happy that I bumped into him during Chinese New Year recently, almost 26 years after I last saw him.
Was there something in your student life that sparked your interest in politics?
I was actively involved in the Chinese language society and fought for the purchase of Chinese books for our library, and the right to organise interschool debates in Chinese.
What is your view of the current education system?
It is examination-oriented. Students become like robots because of this. There is no fun in attending school anymore.
What changes would you like to see in our education system?
We should adopt the American method of teaching and learning, whereby student participation at all levels is encouraged, to the extent that they manage certain things, such as the school library.
We should de-centralise the education system and inculcate pluralism.
What is the one thing that you would have liked to do as a student but never did?
Date a girl I liked.
– TAN EE LOO
