Spell-It-Right: Malay students from Chinese school become ‘celebrities’

(NST) KOTA BARU: The spotlight was on the team from SJK (C) Kai Chih in Pasir Putih at the RHB New Straits Times Spell-It-Right challenge yesterday despite not winning any of the top prizes in the competition. 

The two Malay students in the Chinese-medium school's team were "celebrities" as many had expected all four members to be Chinese.

But Putri Nur Hanissha Hashim, 12, and Ettien Noir Mohd Don, 11, were nonchalant about their presence in the team as almost half the 500 students at the school are Malays.

Parent Lee Kim Yean said the school had always been popular with Malays in the district who had been sending their children there for years.

"The number of Malay students has been increasing from year to year and many of them speak excellent Mandarin," she added.

Ettien Noir's mother Naridah Jaafar, 43, said three of her eight children had studied at the school including Juita Ilyana who completed Year Six at the school last year.

She said her youngest child, Erni Marlina, a Year Three student at the school, was having an enjoyable time mixing with Chinese students and learning Mandarin.

"My husband and I decided to send our three youngest children to the school as we want them to learn Mandarin for a better future.

"I am happy that Juita is now conversant in the language," she added.