今天有两项好消息！

 

开尔文（Kelvin）今早捎来一则短信，通知我他今天开始在美里一家公司上班，担任农学家（Agronomist）一职。他毕业于博特拉大学，念的是农业工程。

 

2010年，当我第一次走进砂州内陆巴南地区弄斯里丹时，他刚小学毕业。之后到离家270公里外的马鲁蒂寄宿学校读中学。离校后，申请到民都鲁的博特拉大学读了2年的文凭班，然后在2018年9月才到吉隆坡的博特拉大学念本科。

 

开尔文是少数能念到大学的，来自内陆地区的学生，来到中学后，很多在半途就辍学了，主要是面对交通和经费问题。在来自美里朋友的协助和安排下，我们开始每个月给这些本南学生零用钱，同时安排交通，解决了他们上学的基本问题。

 

转眼8年过去了，今天开尔文已毕业而且有了工作，令我深感安慰！

 

收到他的好消息后，令我想起另一位本南学生瓦蒂，她和开尔文来自同个村庄，也是我一直帮助的学生，去年5月在师训学院毕业。我马上发了一则短信给她，问她教育局是否已有了安排。不久获得回音，说她今天正在州教育局报到，被派到离家数十公里的Lg Bedian国小执教。

 

想不到今天竟同时捎来他们俩人的好消息！但愿作为老师的瓦蒂能影响更多的本南学生，继续念书，帮助内陆减少辍学的问题；学农业的开尔文，希望他能帮助家乡发展农业，族人不必单靠游猎过活。

 

Received two good news today. One from Kelvin, the Penan student who graduated from UPM with an Agriculture Engineering Degree. He told me that he already got a job in Miri as Agronomist in a private company.

 

Another good news was from Wasty, another Penan student from the same village as Kelvin. She graduated from The Teacher Training College in Kuching last year, she told me that she just reported to the Education Department Sarawak today and was posted to a primary school in Lg Bedian, a small town not far away from her village.  

 

I met these two students way back in 2010, my very first trip to Lg Seridan. They just finished std 6, and are about to enroll in a secondary school in Marudi, about 270 KM from their home. They were facing transport and financial problems. Together with a few friends from Miri, we later helped to pay for the transport for them. We also gave them some pocket money during their stay in Marudi. 

 

I am glad that these two students can make it to tertiary education, and hope that as a teacher, Wasty can guide and help other students to excel and for Kelvin with scientific agricultural knowledge can help the Penan to explore the agricultural fields so as not to solely depending on hunting and gathering!   

2/9/2018 Kelvin report to UPM