KOTA KINABALU: Every morning, a mother in a small village nestled in Telupid about 200km from here, offers a quiet prayer that her seven children will live a life better than her own.
The mother, who wants to be known only as Suzana, 43, has spent the last three decades working alongside her husband on a modest oil palm plot.
Their income is supplemented by planting padi and fruit trees, but it has never been quite enough.
To make ends meet, Suzana works as a cleaner, while her husband Jestrie, 48, earns a small wage as a school security guard.
Yet through all their challenges, the couple has held on to the belief that their children must finish school.
“Life has not been terrible, but it has not been easy either. My husband and I work hard so our children would not have to live the way we do. Education is the only way out,” said Suzana.
Having completed her SPM while her husband finished up to Form Three, Suzana said although the children occasionally help with light chores, they are always reminded that school comes first.
The payoff is now clear.
Two of their children are currently pursuing degrees at public universities – one majoring in Forestry at Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) and another at Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (Unimas) doing Social Sciences.
The younger ones are still in secondary and primary schools.
One of them, Suzana’s 18-year-old daughter, who wants to be known only as Avy, scored 6As, 2Bs, and 2Cs in her SPM, a proud achievement, especially considering her rural background.
“My parents work on a plantation, but that doesn’t mean our future is limited. We may come from humble beginnings, but that doesn’t mean we cannot succeed like city kids,” said the teenager.
Her dream is to become a teacher, a path inspired by her parents’ unwavering belief in the power of education.
Despite their limited income, Suzana and her husband have always prioritised education.
“Everything we have done comes from the little we earn from the land. We don’t encourage our children to become farmers, but if they choose to work the land, we would not stop them. For now, though, education comes first,” said Suzana, her voice calm but determined.
She hopes her daughter’s journey can help challenge negative stereotypes often associated with children from rural communities.
“Don’t look down on oil palm workers. Just because we work the land does not mean we do not have dreams or the ability to achieve them,” Avy added.
