Tour d'horizon on the Subject of Education

Written by Dato Freida Pilus, Founder Mentor of Cempaka Group of Schools & Chairman of Cempaka International Ladies College

It is difficult to pin-point an exact time when education started. It was probably about two hundred thousand years ago, when we emerged as a species called Homo sapiens, and developed an instinct from our daily experiences of where opportunities and dangers lay. 

We learned to see them as patterns (for example, fire is hot, predators are dangerous, the river provides water) and passed them on in simple signs and language to others in the group and to the young offspring. That sort of education was informal but invaluable in accumulating knowledge. It took a great stride when we learned to make symbols of such bits of knowledge. The Assyrians and Phoenicians were producers of agricultural and household goods. They traveled and sailed to distant lands, and were among the earliest known traders. They were also the first known communities to 'write' and record their possessions and trading transactions.

Among the first major civilizations that 'wrote' was Egypt, with its hieroglyphics and accounts of pharaohs in their tombs. The Egyptians also produced a medium for writing from the reeds (papyrus) along the Nile River. In the second century AD the Chinese invented paper, and this freed a large amount of silk (hitherto used as writing material) for export to Europe. Later paper followed the Silk Road to Europe. Here was a latent basis for an explosion of knowledge and education in Europe. This was ignited by a German craftsman, Guttenberg, who invented the first movable type of printing. Before the movable type, the most important book, the Bible, was handwritten on valium — each an ornate work of art.  But they were limited in number, and were kept safe as the property of the church. Only the clergy and members of the aristocracy were literate. In the UK, since the thirteenth century, only the clergy and the aristocrats were admitted to the teaching houses of the two old universities, Oxford and Cambridge. These houses were incorporated formally as largely independent colleges as members of the universities. 

Education as an activity can be traced to Socrates, a wise Athenian, in the fourth century BC. The form was informal. The sons of the city's aristocrats would gather around Socrates who, one might say, was the first formal teacher in history. Scholars might argue that the first teacher was really Thales (pronounced 'They-leez') in Meletus, a Greek colony near Anatolia in present day Turkey. Thales was perhaps the first teacher, in the sense that during a time of rampant superstition, he introduced reason and the scientific method. When it was common to attribute earthquakes or floods or any natural disaster to an angry god or gods, Thales taught that there was no need to look for supernatural explanations in life. He taught, "For every natural event, there was a natural explanation." This was the beginning of the scientific method.

Socrates; The Pioneer of Education

Two centuries later, in Athens, Socrates taught the same message. He went further, and introduced questions as the primary driver in education. The Socratic method was simply to ask questions, to probe, and to seek answers, as well as to reveal unsound beliefs, assumptions and ideas. In short, Socrates used questions to lead to the truth, and to uncover pretension, hypocrisy and sham. He was popular among the young, and one of his star pupils was Alcibiades, a young aristocrat, who later joined his teacher, Socrates, as soldiers in the long Athenian wars against Sparta. Another star pupil (from whom we were to know so much about Socrates' life and ideas) was Plato.

Plato; A star pupil of Socrates

The format of education was simple and informal. They would gather around the teacher and discuss mathematics, philosophy, literature and poetry. Socrates believed in dialogue, and thought that true education exists only when there was "contact" between two minds.  As I mentioned earlier, one of Socrates' pupils was Plato. Plato was a man consumed with ideas. Today, we have the term 'platonic' meaning as of ideas, not material. 

Plato set up the first formal Academy in Athens to carry on his teacher's legacy. And one of his star pupils, whose influence was to be greater than his, was Aristotle, another great teacher in the Greek tradition. His Ethics and Logic was to influence the course of science and education to this day. His ideas of analysis and synthesis and classification remain the core of scientific method even today.  Without Aristotelian logic and method of classification, there would be no biology or exploratory science today. Such was the influence of classical educators upon our lives today.

When Greece declined in power and Rome emerged as an empire, Roman aristocrats sent their sons to Greece, or had Greek tutors in Rome. It was the prestigious thing for a Roman aristocrat to do. They spoke in Greek more than Latin. To have a Greek mind, a mind that is open to ideas and yet disciplined and precise in its method was the ultimate aim, the ideal education.

The great works of the classical education were nearly lost, with the decline of the Roman empire and Europe broken up in bits in the Dark Ages that followed. But the Dark Ages applied only to Europe. The rise of Islam from the eight century AD over the next seven hundred years saved the great works of the Greco-Roman period. Muslim scholars together with Christians and Jews, gathered in centres of learning in Baghdad, Mecca, Cairo and Andalusian Spain, where they translated and studied the works of Greek scholars into Arabic. European scholars later translated them into Latin and later into their various vernacular languages.

As I mentioned above, education in Europe was reserved only to the few, fortunate well-born. School education was found only in private schools, and only the well-to-do could afford to be privately schooled. Again, there were very few universities, only five in the British Isles, and they were all incorporated by charter, and private. Education was mainly confined to a few subjects - Divinity, Classics, Mathematics, Law, Medicine and the Natural Sciences. Divinity was an early course to supply candidates for Ecclesiastical positions, Classics, Mathematics and the Natural Sciences for the sons of gentlemen, Law, Medicine and Natural sciences for the professions and sons of tradesmen.

At all times education was a reflection of society. When society was classified, so was education. When society gradually became de-classified, so did education. 

Throughout the early and middle Medieval period, books were rare and expensive. The process of making paper was still evolving, and printing was set, and labour intensive. However, from the middle of the fifteenth century onwards, with the widespread use of the Guttenberg printing process books became plentiful. The Bible was no longer the sacred property of the Church. It was translated in the British Isles into English, the King James Version, and elsewhere into the vernacular. The grip that the Church had on the minds of the people was, for the first time, loosened. 

Education, too, became more secular. In the case of Malaysia, formal secular education became available in the early nineteenth century onwards, with the foundation of the first English-medium school in Penang. Both Church mission and government schools became available to the people. After Merdeka in 1957, the independent government set out to establish more national type schools throughout the country. The objective was to produce more citizens with patriotism and skills to build a stable and prosperous nation.

How do I see the role of the teacher in this country? Very central. Everything begins in school. Today’s leaders and professionals and administrators all began as school children. Tomorrow’s leaders and professionals and administrators are in today’s school. They are being taught by today’s teachers.

We have a diverse society. It is the role of teachers not only to impart the skills in the three Rs, but also to develop the character of future Malaysians. The next generation of leaders, now still in school, should develop to be strong, skilled, honest, and empathic. 

It is the responsibility of teachers to shape the skills and ethos of the future generation of Malaysians. That is how important it is.

I have my own vision of a good education. I want an education that produces a disciplined, yet open and creative mind. That was the reason, in 1983, why I founded Cempaka School. I had the education of my own children in mind. Yes, Cempaka School was founded expressly for Dr. Rizal, Encik Fareed, Encik Raphael, Encik Hisham, and Encik Zahir. But now it is for thousands of other young minds.

First Cempaka Schools Campus, taken from Yearbook Committee 2013 page

My idea of a good teacher is one who produces the next generation of Malaysians who have the skills and the strength of character to build an even better society than the one they found. 

As to whether an ideal teacher exists, I would say no. The point of an ideal is that it is a destination that we must maintain our aim for. It comes from the Platonic concept of the ideal, the perfect, form that exists just beyond the reach of imperfect humans. Therefore by definition, an ideal teacher, or an ideal anything, is a point just beyond reach, beckoning us to move ahead and continue to make progress.

Photo Credit: Encik Khairul

As I have always said, nothing is impossible, but then we are all work in progress, trying to reach the perfect ideal with our imperfect human capacity.

Photo Credit: Encik Syariz

A Letter From The Philippines To Cempakans

by Dave Ryan Aguirre Buaron, Special Projects Officer-Community Manager, Cempaka International Schools

Dear fellow Cempakans,

Most of you are probably wondering who I am. I am your Special Projects Officer-Community Manager, in-charge of our school’s Social Media. Today however, I will not be lecturing you about digital media but something more personal, something more intimate.

At half past midnight on the 8th of November 2013, I received a call from my mother. A call that I knew I would be getting sooner or later. After suffering more than six months due to cancer of the urinary bladder, my father passed away. I was devastated. But I really did not have the time to mourn. I was alone in my apartment with my two cats, and my father’s passing made every moment even lonelier. It wasn’t over however. 

At this time, I knew from news all over Twitter and Facebook that a very powerful typhoon was roaring towards my country. And my hometown and surviving family looked like they were right in its direct path. I frantically contacted my mother and sister to make sure that our house was secured, and that they and my father's body were safe. In 2008, our house was flooded during the onslaught of Typhoon Fengshen. I did not want to relive the memories of not being able to contact my entire family for two whole days again.

You see, typhoons and earthquakes are common in the Philippines. Not only do we sit on the Ring of Fire, but we are also right on the path of typhoons forming in the Western Pacific. In one year, we average 20-30 typhoons strikes. However, Haiyan (or what we call Yolanda, as we have a different naming convention for storms entering the Philippines) was different. The ferocity of which, was unmatched in recent memory. With winds gusting around 380kph and sustained winds at 315kph, it’s equivalent would be standing at the back of a jumbo jet taking off. 

I had already booked tickets prior to my father’s passing. I meant to go home on the 13th of November - a day before my father’s birthday, and mine. Due to debris on the runway, the airport was shut down for three days, and I had to move my flight to the 11th when commercial flights were allowed to land. When I landed in Manila, I went to the Philippine Airlines office to have my tickets coming back to be moved as well. One of the people queueing was a man who worked for the immigration. 

When I asked him where he was going, he replied that he was looking for flights to Tacloban or anywhere nearby. When I asked how his family was, he replied that they were still looking for them as there was hardly any communication coming out from the city of over 200,000. I tried to reassure him that perhaps his family was fine after all. To which he said that their house was right in the hardest hit area of the city. From the sound of his pained voice, he seemed resigned to the fact that he had very possibly lost ten members of his family. He then recounted to me how corpses were floating out in the bay and under the scenic San Juanico Bridge. There were too many bodies laying about with nobody giving them a proper burial. The grisly stories coming out definitely gave me a different perspective about my own personal loss.

I finally got on an earlier flight to Kalibo, my hometown, over 450 kilometers south of Manila, and there were only 14 passengers on that plane. I did not even know we were about to land because the entire city and province was pitch black - only a few buildings with their own generators had any light in them. The darkness was oppressive. On my way from the Kalibo International Airport to the funeral home where the wake was being held, I could see the outlines of fallen trees, electricity posts and damaged houses in the dark. When I got to the funeral home, I met my mother, sister and my father. We were using our own family’s generator which my father bought in 2008 after Typhoon Fengshen to ensure there was some light in case of emergencies. 

I looked out onto the balcony where I was confronted by darkness. Usually around this time of the year, the entire country is filled with twinkling Christmas lights. The Philippines celebrate the longest Christmas season in the world starting from the 1st of September until the first week of January. But there was none of that this year. At daybreak, I saw visible damage in some parts of the town centre, more noticeably along the outskirts and the river where houses made of light materials were partially to totally damaged. Thankfully, ours was fine. I visited the coastal village where I was born and majority of the houses sustained a significant amount of damage, including my late grandfather’s house which was pretty much destroyed. I haven’t been there since 1998. I visited the school which my father helped build and saw their school canteen damaged and the oldest room had lost parts of its roof. 

The next evening, relatives told me that the Congressman’s men went to the village to distribute relief goods, but only to their political supporters. I was furious. How can they politicise aid? We are talking about the lives of people here. For the most part when I was in my province, I did not see any visible nor even rushed relief efforts to help the victims. In fact the local Commission of Audit denied a request by a local council to release relief funds before the typhoon. The stories coming out from the government’s inefficiency and lack of human decency were absolutely horrendous.

Immediately after my father’s funeral, my family decided to do our own relief work, from our own pockets, in our living room, we bought and repacked rice and tinned goods, and had at least 100 food packs, together with donations from employees of the British Council Malaysia (flashlights, first aid kits) we handed out half of it to the coastal village while inside our van and the other half we endorsed to the local Catholic Church for distribution to another town hit even worse. Throughout this time, there was no power and hardly any internet connection but I couldn’t really complain. Thousands of lives had been lost and millions more are suffering so we have to think of things bigger than ourselves. 

When I returned to Cempaka this Monday, I was shocked to see the boxes upon boxes of aid inside the office at the Sick Bay. I nearly cried. When Dr. Rizal said Cempaka will send aid, I did not realise it would be this much. 

Photo Credit : En. Syariz

It was truly a humbling experience. It was heartening to see Cempakan students, parents, teachers, and staff help wrap and move goods into the Malaysian Red Crescent Society truck. Truly, it’s a privilege to give and in the spirit of Christmas, what is more appropriate but lend a hand to those in need?

Photo Credit : En. Syariz

Special thanks to the Soo family, Damansara parents who donated 440 boxes of bottled water. Thank you to Dato’ Freida, Dr. Rizal, the rest of management, staff, teachers, parents and students for making this possible.

While millions of my people are roofless, hungry, in the dark, they are not hopeless. On behalf of my countrymen, thank you very much, Cempakans. Maraming Salamat at Maligayang Pasko. Merry Christmas.

Sincerely yours,
Dave Ryan Aguirre Buaron

Goodbye Cempaka Damansara

by Encik Hisham, Director of Development & Business Studies Teacher, Class of 2001

Had I known on Friday the 9th of September, I would be teaching for the last time in the Damansara Campus for the year, I don't know what would have gone through my mind. Of course now, in hindsight, many memories come flooding back from my own school days at Damansara Campus. But at that moment in time, my mind was elsewhere. Probably like many other Cempakans I was thinking about the coming weekend, although United wasn't playing, about how it would be a nice time to rest and get to grading my IGCSE Trial papers. I was also thinking about the week ahead, like most teachers are wired to, looking forward to the class activities, the discussions and the lessons I would be delivering.

That all obviously changed very quickly on Friday night. I was relaxing after dinner, enjoying some Splinter Cell (a great game!), when I received a call from Encik Raphael. He sounded worried and confused at the same time, asking me if Damansara campus was on fire. The immediate image that appeared in my mind was a small fire, something trivial that wasn't a cause for concern. I looked out the window of my house which, I think a lot of Cempakans realize from many of Dato' Freida's tweets, has a perfect view of the campus. The image I saw will stay with me forever - bright and blazing. The next few minutes was a blur as I ran to get the keys, jumped into the car and sped to the school. The rest has already been well documented on Twitter, Facebook and our own Schoology.

As you know, a few days after the fire, myself, along with other teachers were in Cempaka Damansara helping to move equipment. Moving from class to class, seeing them empty and bare left a bittersweet feeling with me. I walked the corridors I have always walked since 1990, then as an incredibly cute and fat 5 year old. I recalled all the memories: my tadika days at the canteen level of the primary wing; Standard 2 taught by Ms Choo at the office level; Standard 6 with Mrs Goh at the IT level (which was an old fashioned library back then); Form 1 with Puan Rahimah at the hall level secondary wing; Form 3 with the all star team of Puan Aimi, Puan Sapura and Puan Jamaliah at the link bridge classrooms (no link bridge then either); Form 5 with Cik Zainab, Ms Sandra and of course Mr Sheat next to the IT Centre. Not forgetting my principal then at Form 5, as yours is now, Puan Farah.

On moving day, everyone was involved including the cleaners, gardeners, volunteer students, teachers, principals and even Dato Freida herself - truly a family affair. Yes it was tough, and I am quite sore and have cuts in some places but it was absolutely worth it. How can I justify not helping? My job as a teacher is to ensure you have your education with everything within my power. Right now, besides our Cempaka@Home, I can do that with my two bare hands. And every desk we moved from Cempaka Damansara, meant one more student's education continues. I am truly proud and honoured to be with your other teachers, shoulder to shoulder, working together to ensure your continued education.

As time passed and called me to move on, I felt the pain of saying a slow goodbye to a very dear friend. It's true that we were already planning to move in 2014, but this was sudden and unexpected. The move had to be hastened to get school up and running again, but maybe I wasn't ready to say goodbye yet. Cempaka Damansara, I've learnt over the last few days, means more to me than I ever realised.

This is where I grew up, in every sense of the phrase. I was always among the earliest to school, and would stay back late most of the time (I walked to and from school). School holidays were spent working in the school bookmart, family dinners listening to my parents discussing school matters. More recently during my summer holidays from university, I interned in various departments of the school. This was my childhood.

Yes, my parents were extremely busy running the school, and except during the later years of my school life, my older brothers were at university. Yet, I never ever begrudged them that, how could I? A whole school raised me! A school, created for myself and my brothers that has since evolved into an institution of learning that serves other children. That is perhaps the most important lesson I learnt from my parents - that our place on this Earth is to be of service to others, to make others' lives better. I truly believe that these values are absolutely core to being a Cempakan.

I love Cempaka. I care for the school. I hurt when it hurts. I know some will think it is ridiculous. How can one love a building or an organization? Of course you can't. I love the teachers that taught me and raised me like I love my own parents. I love all of you students like my younger siblings (not my children okay, I am not that old…). It may not always seem very obvious with me and my prickly nature sometimes, but it is true!

Furthermore, let's not forget Cempaka Cheras, who greeted Cempaka Damansara's call for help with open arms. As a proud alumni of both campuses, I was incredibly touched by the teachers and students of Cheras Campus who helped to unload equipment from Damansara without complaints but instead with warm smiles and open hearts. Once again, they embody the values of Cempaka - being of service to others.

We are a family together. We triumph together, we hurt together, and we persevere together.

I know this is not goodbye for good to Cempaka Damansara, but perhaps it is more of a "see you soon". We will be back, stronger than ever. #CempakaBoleh

Click here to read the full article or other pennings by Encik Hisham on his blog.
Side-note: Hashtag #CempakaBoleh when you tweet about the big move for Lumen Studet's special CempakaBoleh issue, or #DsaraDays for cherished memories of dear old Damansara.

Sportsmanship

By Justin Koh, Class of 2010, Ex-Cempakan

It has been two years since I’ve graduated from Sri Cempaka. Over the course of my stay in Cempaka, I have seen people with their entries and exits — new students coming in at every level, students migrating to other schools, seniors leaving after their SPM examinations. And then it was my turn to take my leave. In Cempaka, I learnt to grow up, to adapt, and to make friends. I truly treasure every experience I had there.

I visit Cempaka on occasions such as the Annual Swimming Gala and more recently, the Inter-house Games Carnival. Being there, and seeing everyone bustling about in their house colors brought back a sense of nostalgia. You could just stand at a side, watching everyone run, scream and cheer in support of their house. Yes indeed, it was such a beautiful sight

It reminded me of the years I spent as a Harimau, pushing forward in hopes of winning. Not only for personal satisfaction, but also for the glory of the house. When engaging in such competitions, we tend to think only for ourselves and nothing else. We completely miss the bigger picture. What are we really fighting for? Of course we will tend to strive for personal goals. And then what? It just ends there. I believe that there is always a bigger reason to do something on top of doing something for oneself. If we take a step back and look at the situation as a whole, we realize that there is a bigger goal in store for us, that is, to do your utmost best for the house. For everyone.

To the sportspeople, you see the mass of people standing at the side cheering. That is your motivation. Sometimes you get so lost in the moment until you don’t notice that they are there, but subconsciously, they matter a whole lot. Imagine playing basketball without an audience. You will definitely feel a enormous loss as if something is missing. Your drive to succeed and the feel of victory will diminish. This shows that not only will you strive for yourself, but for your team as well. So do work toward your goals, but never lose sight of the bigger picture. All it takes is just a change in mindset: “I want to win for myself,” compared to “I want to win for my house.” To know that everyone is counting on you to do your best, let that be your drive.

To the house members, together you are the backbone of the house. ‘United we stand’ will help you to form an unbreakable bond. You support the sportspeople throughout the whole course of the game. You are the reason they fight and that is why we cheer for the glory of the house and the satisfaction of being able to contribute to a greater goal. Imagine being able to hold the trophy in your hands, celebrating amongst your comrades over the win. Maybe you are at the sidelines, but you are still able to pat yourself on the back and proudly tell anyone, “Hey, I contributed to that.” However minute the contribution to the house is, when done wholeheartedly, should be something to be proud of.

As a house, as one, aim for the best and never give up on your hopes. Even in times of trouble, despite knowing there may be nothing much you can do, you should never throw in the towel. The excuse “Yeah... It wouldn’t have mattered anyway,” is a terrible one. It matters because you should have tried your best whatever happens. A pessimist would say it wouldn’t make a bit of difference. But what if it did? Shouldn’t that be enough a reason to keep you going? If you say that it would be too much effort to work for a small possibility of success, please change your defeatist attitude. Nothing great ever came from not trying. You won’t regret it.

Even if you don’t win, you tried your best, and that is all that matters. Be happy for the winners, congratulate them, and learn from them. The next time, try again. We must always strive to push our limits. If you win, celebrate your efforts, but remember to be gracious. Also, never forget to commend the efforts of your rivals as well. Everyone tried their best, after all. Celebrate the bonds you strengthened with your friends, the new ones you made, and the whole experience of being able to contest with them in a friendly manner.

Competition is different from selfishness. Just because you strive for something does not mean that you need to act condescendingly toward others and push everyone else aside. We strive to win, but if we don’t, it’s all part of life. Sometimes we are going to have our ups and downs. Yes, do your best at everything that you do, but win or lose, enjoy the whole experience altogether. You will never get it ever again. The moments with your friends from different backgrounds, different houses, cherish that. One day, you will look back at your high school experience, recalling all the things it encompassed; the laughs, the jokes, the memories and the fun times, and will never regret a single moment of it. So Cempakans, make every experience count!