AMINRANT Episode-04: Remaja Perlu Di Ajar Berkerja, Mengurus Masa, Bertanggungjawab Sejak Awal

Original video: https://youtu.be/ciIzigNplR4

Other Episodes on #Aminrant Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLwV1_FXIg4BgoGTlQGgeqdNYs2dzr6JMr

Dalam episod ini, pencerita, Amin, membincangkan perbandingan antara bersekolah harian dengan sekolah berasrama penuh (boarding school), berdasarkan pengalaman peribadinya.

Setelah mendapat keputusan cemerlang dalam peperiksaan agama semasa darjah enam, beliau menerima beberapa tawaran untuk melanjutkan pelajaran ke sekolah agama berasrama yang elit. Namun, beliau membuat keputusan untuk menolaknya.

Sebab utama keputusan itu adalah kerana beliau tidak mahu membebankan ibunya yang merupakan seorang ibu tunggal dan sedang bergelut dari segi kewangan untuk membiayai abang-abangnya yang sedang belajar di universiti. Beliau juga tidak sanggup meninggalkan ibunya sendirian di rumah. Dengan matang, beliau mengeluarkan semua wang simpanannya di Tabung Haji (lebih RM3,000) bukan untuk dirinya, tetapi untuk membantu ibunya dan memberikan sebahagian besar wang tersebut kepada abangnya.

Akibat tidak ke sekolah berasrama dan didorong oleh keadaan kewangan keluarga, beliau terpaksa mula bekerja sejak di Tingkatan 2. Beliau melakukan pelbagai pekerjaan, bermula dengan mengambil alih tugas ibunya di kantin sekolah, bekerja di pasar, menjadi penghantar surat khabar, dan membuat pelbagai kerja sampingan lain sambil tetap cemerlang dalam pelajaran tanpa sebarang tuisyen.

Kesimpulannya, Amin berpendapat bahawa walaupun beliau terlepas peluang membina sahsiah di sekolah berasrama, beliau telah mendapat pendedahan awal kepada "universiti kehidupan". Pengalaman bekerja sejak muda telah mengajarnya erti tanggungjawab, pengurusan masa, nilai wang, dan kemahiran hidup yang membentuk dirinya menjadi lebih matang dan cekap. Beliau menasihatkan ibu bapa agar tidak memandang rendah sekolah harian dan menggalakkan anak-anak diberi tanggungjawab atau pekerjaan kecil untuk membina karakter jika mereka tidak berpeluang ke sekolah berasrama.

Video Transkrip:

Hello, everyone! Welcome back to episode four of #Aminrant. Yesterday, we talked about Firdaus, who had to be "it" for a thousand years. It's okay, we'll continue our game in heaven. I'm still sick with a fever, so I'm eating yogurt to soothe myself while working—that's adult life for you. You don't get to choose when you're sick; you just have to keep going. I'm so tired I'm just leaning against the wall right now.

Today, I want to talk about daily school versus boarding school, and which environment is better for students who are fully dedicated to their studies.

When I was in primary school in Perak, we had to take a state-level religious exam in addition to the UPSR. The test covered various subjects, and I scored quite high—around 380 out of 400. That was pretty impressive for a kid who didn't attend religious school. My parents and grandparents didn't believe in sending me to religious school, even though my grandfather was a respected Haji and imam. It was as if they wanted me to focus on my main education.

Because of my good religious exam results, I received offers from several boarding schools. I remember two in particular: one was a school in Labu, Negeri Sembilan, and the other was an elite Madrasah in Bukit Chandan, Kuala Kangsar, which was under the patronage of the Sultan. I showed the offer letter from the Bukit Chandan school to my mom, and she was happy. She saw it as an answer to her prayers for a religious child, unlike my brothers who were more "worldly."

I had the money to go, thanks to a Tabung Haji account my dad had encouraged me to open. By the time he passed away, I had over RM3,000, which was a lot of money back then. It was money I had saved myself from allowances and Hari Raya gifts. However, I decided not to accept the offer. I saw that my mom was already struggling to make ends meet and support my brothers, who were in university. I didn't want to add to her burden by making her buy a new uniform and other supplies for boarding school. At twelve years old, I did a quick mental calculation and realized it would be too much for her.

My twelve-year-old brain was also worried about leaving my mom alone. It would have been difficult for her to handle all the bills and errands, which were all done manually back then. I also didn't want my mom to worry excessively. My dad's teaching about empathy was working, and I put her needs ahead of my own. I even took my dad's death certificate to Tabung Haji to get full custody of my account, and I withdrew a significant amount of money. I gave a large portion of it to my brother to help him with his car and university expenses. Can you imagine a twelve-year-old giving money to an older brother in university?

My mom eventually tried to find work at a school canteen to make more money. After just two weeks, her fingers became infected from constantly washing dishes. Seeing her in pain, I decided to take over. I told the owner, "Wak Din," that my mom wouldn't be coming to work anymore, and I would do the job instead. I would go to the canteen every morning, after Subuh prayers, and work until my school in the afternoon. I wasn't just a dishwasher; I became a cook, a server, and a cashier. I even learned to count in Javanese from my coworkers. Wak Din and his wife, Wak Semah, were surprised that the daily drink sales tripled under my care. My peers didn't know I was an excellent student in class. They probably thought I was a screw-up because I had to work. But I was so efficient that I was able to finish my homework and schoolwork and still work long hours.

This work experience, along with other odd jobs I took, taught me valuable life skills. I missed out on the character-building opportunities that a boarding school would have provided, but I gained something even more profound: a firsthand education from the "university of life." Working at the canteen, the market, and as a newspaper vendor taught me to be resourceful, mindful, and responsible. It developed my psychomotor skills, making me a fast and efficient worker, which later helped me excel in my lab work in the UK.

So, my advice to parents is this: It's not wrong to send your child to a daily school. A daily school won't make a child a failure. In fact, many boarding school kids can be just as clueless. What's important is giving your child some form of responsibility and a job, even a small one. This will teach them the importance of money, time management, and life skills. It will make them more mature and prepared for life's challenges. If your child can get a spot in a boarding school, that's great for other reasons. But if not, don't worry. The real world offers plenty of opportunities for growth.

Working helped me become a successful, time-conscious, and financially aware individual. If you're an orphan and you're listening to this, don't cry and give up. There are so many opportunities out there. If you don't know where to start, watch a YouTube tutorial on how to make karipap, and go sell them. My first job was making 500 karipaps for a hospital event. I made them while watching Pokemon Johto, and my fingers were so tired!

It's all about character building, and the earlier children get exposed to it, the better. We need a generation that is mature, resourceful, and capable of managing their own lives, not a generation that is "soft" and expects things to be handed to them.

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