Drop-out at fourteen
Pic from archives
Male 14 years old. Tanned by the sun, 1.76m and still growing. Short crew cut hair and a dimpled smile.
Bengkung : Sorry so long i no come see Uncle Beng.
Bengbeng : You know why you are here?
Bengkung : Mama say I see Uncle Beng and Auntie Amy.
Bb: Help me understand why you want to stop schooling.
Bengkung : No use i go school. I not clever. I not understand teacher speak English Maths and Sains. I go school, I waste time. U know, my brothers all stop Form 2.
Bb: But your mum says you are different.
Bengkung : I leave school with hand nothing. What for I wait Form 5. Teachers hate me. I not understand teacher. I make noise, I run play. Girls say I stupid. I not small boy.
BB: All the more reason for you to finish your schooling.
Bengkung; Thanks! I get money in factory. I am happy. I got money. I buy play station last week. Bye-bye Uncle Beng. Tell mama I come see you.
A boy at the age of fourteen firm in his stand that he wants to stop schooling. I found out that he is excellent in Mandarin and very capable in Mathematics. He however is not adept in English or Bahasa Malaysia.
He is under-aged to be working legally I suppose. But boys like these help out in running errands and get paid for odd jobs. Normally they are given less risky and less heavy jobs like sweeping, tidying up and fetching stuff. But if he really stops permanently I prefer him to work in a job where he can be an apprentice and learn real skills.
Will he regret this decision in the future? I foresee this boy will have a future. He will not turn bad. He may even enjoy a certain measure of success in his own field that does not require much education.
But I still harbor hopes that boys like this will resume schooling once the initial euphoria over earning a living subsides. There is time enough for leading a working life. Why hurry?
Bengbeng | interesting characters
A lot of boys his age is like that. I think I posted something similar in previous post about the future of education. I do understand why they want to stop schooling, two of my cousins my age stopped after form 5. They couldnt continue because they failed their spm.
The current education system plays an important role in their drop-out. It is the way things are being done and run that does not caters to these kids’ needs. I pity them a lot!
A nice post, Bengbeng!
any suggestions?
that boy surely will regret in future wan coz that boy is me
nolah u r a success story..a local boy made good
Dude… 14 yo eh… You cannot stop them also la… But until now I still believe that hardworking will earn! So if he hardworking and clever (In terms of society kind) he has the future… Can buy PS in that age, not bad not bad…
he can wait ..he still has so much time..why hurry?
Omg just 14, i bet he will regret when he growing up in the near future. Cost he will feel difference from his fren who study higher than him.
how do u tell someone who has made up his mind?
I believe they have the right to choose their paths and no one should have the right to stop them besides their parents, but mostly of them will regret of this naive wrong decision that was made and hugely impact their future later on..
parents can advise but not force..they oledi have a mind of their own
Sounds to me that his teachers are not doing a good job motivating him to learn.
the teachers have about 45 students per class and they have like maybe average 5 to 8 classes. they spend an average of 3 periods a week with them n have a syllabus to complete and lots of paper work, extra curricular activities n administrative work
if we want to blame some body where do we start? the primary school, the secondary school, the environment, the family? there is no beginning n no end.
“Sigh”,
it’s really difficult to survive without a certificate nowadays. Hopefully, he will realised it soon enough.
all his brothers left school early. You will be surprised how tall, manly n good looking they all are but they never finish school.