“Snakes, Tigers & Elephants” This Teacher Talks About The Wild Things That Orang Asli Kids Face Just To Go To School
Cikgu Shawn was made this year’s winner of the Taylor’s Collage RISE Educator Award for his exceptional efforts in going above and beyond for his students.
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Step into a classroom where the curriculum includes a wild encounter, or two. This is the daily routine for the students and staff of Sekolah Kebangsaan (SK) RPS Banun, as recounted by Cikgu Shawn Stanly Anthony Dass, who taught there for a couple of years.
Perched in a secluded Orang Asli hamlet in Gerik, Perak, SK RPS Banun serves as a lifeline for the 18 neighbouring villages in the area. It’s a place where youths and the young at heart can come to learn.
“Some villages are about an hour boat ride away from school,” said Shawn when asked by reporters during the Taylor’s Collage RISE Educator Award 2024 ceremony at Taylor’s Lakeside Campus over the weekend.
The teacher revealed that most students there have to commute to school by crossing a small lake by boat and taking a four-wheeler through the forest. “And if it rains on a particular day, then they don’t come to school at all,” he added.
If the terrain and weather weren’t wild enough, the school’s occupants must also deal with some rather unexpected guests.
(It’s) more than (just) snakes. Tigers, elephants… Things that we don’t really get in the cities, right!
Shawn Stanly Anthony Dass.
Isolation and Prejudice
Throughout his two-year tenure, Shawn observed that his students’ isolation from the outside world negatively affected their literacy level and self-esteem, as the kids rarely have contact with those outside their community.
He shared that adjusting his teaching methods to suit students’ needs was a gradual process and it took some time for the kids to warm up to him.
I think this is a common thing across most Orang Asli schools when we speak about students not having basic abilities, like in literacy and numeracy. Imagine a class with 20 students and only two are literate. So how do you teach the syllabus or the textbooks to a class when only one can read? So it made me think of different methodologies in enabling learning opportunities and (ensuring) that learning doesn’t stop for them.
Shawn Stanly Anthony Dass.
Shawn also points out persistent biases faced by the Orang Asli community, where despite attending school, they are often met with low expectations and scepticism about the value of their education, and potential.
When I first started, a lot of people said that; you don’t have to put much effort into educating these children because it’s just a waste of time because today you teach them, tomorrow they’ll forget. Or giving them worksheets doesn’t work, it will be in the garbage the next day. These are common prejudices that my kids have been living with. So breaking this stereotype and challenging these (beliefs) as (mere) myths, is also another battle (I’ve fought) together with some of my colleagues.
Shawn Stanly Anthony Dass.
Teacher of the Year!
Shawn was made this year’s winner of the RISE Educator Award for his exceptional efforts in going above and beyond for his students by creating engaging projects like a flight simulator and a beach-themed marine class to help his charges learn better.
He even organised educational trips to Penang and went as far as Mumbai, India with his students.
For his hard work, Shawn received a RM5,000 reward, plus an additional RM20,000 for the school. He believes this money will aid the effort to create a special learning hub at SK RPS Banun and offer amenities that will raise the standard of the rural school to match those in the cities.
Shawn said that the hub was designed with help from his students as a space for the community to learn, play and work together.
It will not be limited to my students but also open to the community, because we do have parents who come for classes at school. It’s always been a dream of mine to envision this learning space which will encourage more students and their parents to use the space, and also help in reducing illiteracy and dropout rates in school.
Shawn Stanly Anthony Dass.
Although he didn’t plan on becoming a teacher, Shawn is leaving SK RPS Banun with a sense of accomplishment after his time there, following the end of his tenure.
The Cikgu discovered his passion for teaching while taking on a part-time gig as a tutor after finishing his STPMs (Sijil Tinggi Persekolahan Malaysia).
I would love to really continue on teaching. But if there’s an opportunity in the future for me to take back teaching, I would definitely take that on.
Shawn Stanly Anthony Dass.
The RISE Educator Award 2024 featured a total of 10 outstanding teachers who were selected for their inspiring stories. Five finalists each received RM1,000, and their schools were given RM10,000 to improve the learning environment.
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