KALUMPANG, Aug 25 — What happens to a school dropout who is expelled from school at the age of 13?
More importantly, the question of what kind of future would he or she have one day also arises.
These were some of the pertinent questions that MySkills Foundation director Pasupathi Sithamparam faced prior to establishing a school for students in 2010 who were rejected by the secondary education system.
Located in Kalumpang in Hulu Selangor, the institution that has 1,300 boys offers vocational courses such as plumbing, wiring, wielding, air-conditioning repair, farming and culinary arts those aged from 13 to 17.
Upon graduation, they receive their Malaysian Vocational Certificate before stepping into the workforce.
“When we first started in 2010, we rented a three-storey building in Puchong before moving to a rented bus terminal that was refurbished in Port Klang.
“It was only in 2018 that we moved to Kalumpang when we received a grant to set-up a more conducive space for the students.
“We currently have four main buildings which are the administrative office, sports centre, hostels for the boys and an enterprising skills building,” said Pasupathi.
Pasupathi also said that most students come from dysfunctional families and are exposed to gangsterism at a tender age coupled with the fact that they come from poor families.
“In order for them to secure a place in this institution, they need to be rejected by all formal institutions. Enrolment is also all year round.
“Students who join the institution do not need to pay any fees as the education is sponsored by donors and various institutions.”
A character transformation platform
According to its chief executive officer Devasharma Gangadaran, one of the key components in the institution is character transformation.
“Character transformation involves students acquiring healthy habits and eliminating their bad habits such as drinking or even spending too much time on their handphones.
“Here, a culture of care is important as we help identify the students’ talents and stream them to the vocational classes according to their interests.
“One of the reasons we take the students at the age of 13 is that they are able to be nurtured at the age and it's easier for the educators to stream them according to vocational courses based on their interests.”
Devasharma also said that during the initial years when MySkills was established, a lot of research was put into understanding these boys’ behaviours so that a more comprehensive education programme was put in place.
“Some of the habits we inculcate for the students is to wake up as early as 5am and to also join their green hour session every morning where they will be manning the organic farm.
“This is important for them for their future when they work in companies as they have to be in office at a certain time and also for their own time management skills,” said Devasharma.
On the kind of methods used to teach the students, Pasupathi said that out-of-the-box approaches and real-life examples have been employed for the students so that they would understand concepts better.
“For instance, we tell them that weeding is important as it removes unwanted plants that compete for water and nutrients just like how one needs to remove toxic friends too.
“Also because they’re not academically inclined, some of the lessons need to cater to their short attention spans such as going to the farms to learn about calculations instead of being stuck in classrooms.
“So we teach them to plot the land in the farm and that is how they learn the basic calculations and put them into practice.
“Sometimes during the wiring classes, teachers would also give the students the liberty to experiment with their innovations to allow their creative juices to work.”
He also said that because of the various vegetables and fruits planted, the produce is also sent to the kitchen where students would then cook them under the culinary arts training course.
“That way, the boys get to see the whole procedure from planting the vegetables to finally bringing them into the kitchen table.
“And throughout the entire process, they get to see their seeds grow into vegetables and fruits and it is not just therapeutic, but a fulfilling experience for them too.”
Transitioning into the workforce and getting decent jobs
At the age of 17 or when the students are deemed fit to step into the workforce, they would usually join small medium enterprises or individual contractors.
According to Devasharma, MySkills committee members would usually find employers who are willing to teach the students and be patient with them.
“About 80 to 100 students get employed in various companies every year and we also had our students join the Toyota service centre some time back and they learned how to change carburetors and also change the car’s spare parts.”
But on a sad note, certain companies still look for employees with a basic SPM qualification and that is something that ought to be changed, according to Pasupathi.
Pasupathi also hopes that in the future, more companies would open their eyes and hire graduates from MySkills Foundation and recognise their vocational certificates.
“Just imagine if our nation employs more graduates from vocational institutions, Malaysian can reduce its dependence on foreign workers and instead hire these graduates.
“For instance, the cost of servicing an air conditioner is currently about RM150, and if we have our local graduates from MySkills Foundation employed to fix the faulty air conditioners, they are able to get a decent income for the month.
He added that more opportunities needed to be open for the students so that they too would feel that they are contributing to the nation’s economic growth.
“And from a young age, students who cannot perform well in their academics should be given access to vocational schools equipped with their vocational training, basic accounting skills, and even basic language proficiency programmes.
“We have our local talents here and we should promote vocational education so that underperforming students also have a better chance to succeed in their lives too,” he said.
A rewarding experience for educators and students
For educator Aravind Thiyagan who manages the cafeteria, being a teacher with MySkills Foundation has definitely been a rewarding experience.
“It is no doubt difficult to handle them but when they learn something from me whether it is how to handle the cleanliness of the cafeteria, it gives me great satisfaction.
“It’s also tough to handle them at times, but because my job helps empower them to be better beings, it makes me soldier on and look forward to coming to work everyday.”
MalayMail also spoke to two students, Roshan Amprakash and Dineskumar Murthi, both aged 17, who have been taking electrical lessons under MySkills Foundation.
“We both enjoy going for the electrical vocational course and have also made many friends along the way.
“We hope that one day we will be able to apply our skills into the workforce.”
Anyone who is interested to learn more about MySkills Foundation can surf over to their website.
