TWO small-town schools are bursting with pride after winning a Johor choral speaking competition against big-city rivals.
Twenty-two schools took part, but SK Yong Peng and SMK Yong Peng in Batu Pahat, Johor, took the top prize in the competition organised by Yayasan Johor Corporation (Yayasan JCorp).
Nur Dhaniyah Batrisyia Ridzauddin, 16, said their victory proved that rural students were just as good as their urban peers.
“I was proud to represent my school, SMK Yong Peng.
“I was also nervous but the experience has improved my confidence,” she said, adding that she hoped to join more competitions.
Her schoolmate, S. Soteswary, 16, agreed that it was nerve-racking but rewarding.
“I did not have much experience on stage, so I was nervous.
“Teamwork is key and accepting each other’s strengths and weaknesses made us stronger as a group,” she added.
SK Yong Peng teacher Nur Afiqah Zainal said the competition was a valuable opportunity for her pupils to practise English outside the classroom.
“My pupils come from the surrounding villages and English is not spoken at home.
“This competition enabled them to learn English in a fun way,” she said.
She added that while there were challenges during practice, she was happy her pupils were improving their English.
“They have short attention spans and many of the words were unfamiliar, so I had to play it by ear.
“Sometimes we would stop practising and dance or watch a short video,” she said.
According to Yayasan JCorp, 440 students participated in this third edition of the state-level Choral Speaking Challenge.
“The energy, rhythm and powerful voices reflected Johor’s brightest young minds in celebration of unity, language and imagination,” said its chief executive officer Zaidatul Zurita Abdul Rahman.
Themed “Digital Dreams, Real Futures”, the competition highlighted the students’ role in shaping the future.
“They combined vocal harmony, expressive storytelling and bold ideas, leaving the audience inspired,” she said, adding that both champions received RM5,000 in cash.
Also present was Johor Education Department director Mohd Hanafi Samad who said the initiative helped build up communication skills and confidence.
