Changing Schools

Everyone has their own style and own pace for doing things.

The really uptight ones (like me) plan well ahead, and agonise well ahead too! Which isn't always necessary.

The easy going ones just know that the big move is coming up but never really bother up until maybe the last couple of months.

Then there's the in-betweens, the well balanced ones. Who have a healthy schedule yet are able to keep their stress levels down.

My own move

We seriously talked about moving back to Ipoh 2 years before the event.

Then my first born entered Standard One in PJ and we knew for certain the event would take place at the end of that year. So for that whole year I was preoccupied with when to resign from my job, when to start packing up the house, when to apply for a transfer of school. And in the middle of that, we were finalizing our plans about where to live in Ipoh!

Before March of that academic year, I had already spoken to my son's school about his transfer to Ipoh and gotten the relevant information. We had also approached our school of choice in Ipoh about enrolling our son there. The transfer process is a matter between the schools so there is no need to trouble yourself with the Ministry of Education (who in their right mind would go to any Ministry of Malaysia anyway???)

We had 2 overseas trips that year, one in September and one in October. So I only started packing in earnest in October. We moved in late December.

About SJKC

There is something peculiar about transferring from another state's Chinese school to one of the "premier" SJK Chinese schools in Ipoh. Apparently, it can't be done.

You would have to transfer to a "normal" SJKC and then after a little while, reapply to transfer to your chosen "premier" SJKC.

In our case, we had chosen Sam Tet. The principal of Sam Tet had informed us that there were vacancies for year two the following year so there should be no problem. But the final decision was to be made by the Perak State Education Department. Sigh!! That's where the trouble stems from.

Come late November, the State Edu. Dept. informed us that my son had been assigned to another SJKC which firstly, was not our choice at all and secondly, was far from our home. (what did I tell you about government departments??) We wrote in numerous times to the State Edu. Dept. explaining our position and when we were physically in Ipoh, I went personally to see the relevant person in the Dept on a daily basis!

As is the practice with government departments, the relevant person is never there, is having a tea break, is in the lavatory, is sick, or is attending a meeting today and a seminar tomorrow. As late as 30 December, the kerani at the Dept still could not give me a conclusive answer as to which school my son would be attending once term begins in the first week of January!

Being almost a fixture there, the kerani had said to me, "Puan baliklah dulu. Kami akan telefon Puan nanti." (Madam, why don't you go home. We will call you shortly.)
I replied, "Tak apa. Saya suka duduk di sini." (It's alright. I like sitting here.)

Perhaps it was the sight of me sitting right there in front of their counters, sheer persistence or a blessing, but I finally got my answer and the school of my choice. The things mothers have to do!