SJKC Kou Hua, choice of non-Chinese parents

While Sekolah Jenis Kebangsaan Cina (SJKC) is usually synonymous with the Chinese community, SJKC Kou Hua here is one of the few exceptions.

At this Chinese primary school, the 22 pupils who registered for Year One comprised 10 Malays, 11 Siamese and only one Chinese student.

The headmaster, Ooi Poh Heng said the new students would be taught Mandarin until they master the language.

"For Year One pupils, we will hold one extra class weekly to enable them to learn Mandarin to attain the standard when they enter Year Two next year," he said when met Sunday.

He said if the students could not cope within a year, the school would call the parents to resolve the problem.

Ooi said out of 75 pupils in the school, 19 boys and 18 girls were Siamese, nine boys and 16 girls were Malays while five boys and eight girls were from the Chinese community.

For Nurul Fahiza Faisol, 30, who lived in Kampung Bendang Raja near here, her eldest daughter Nurbatrisya Mohd Khairul Anwar, 7, had asked to be placed in an SJKC.

The mother of two children did not object her daughter's intention and would monitor her performance and send her for Mandarin tuition classes.

"SJKC is known for student discipline and the firmness of teachers in class. Maybe this is one of the attractions for my daughter to choose SJKC," she said.

Apart from learning Mandarin, Nurul Fahiza also hoped her daughter would master other languages such as the Thai language as there were many Siamese students there.

Noriza Muhammad, 46, said unlike her six other children, the youngest child Wan Nor Fashafikah Megat Mahazer was the only one studying in the Chinese primary school.

The housewife of Tunjang, Jitra said it would be a big challenge for her daughter to master Mandarin which is the main language in the school.

"I know it will be difficult in the beginning but I am confident my daughter can master the language. This is for her future, to master more than two languages," she said.