It’s arigato Malaysia, as Japanese teaching assistants bid farewell

 

The Japanese teaching assistants and their Malaysian partners celebrate the final leg of the programme.

KUALA LUMPUR: 

Teaching assistant Utsunomiya Shie will carry home to Japan fond memories of the effort put in by Form 3 and Form 4 Malaysian students to sing the popular Japanese ballad, “Sukiyaki” on Teacher’s Day.

The students of La Salle school in Klang, Selangor, practised for hours, memorising the 1961 hit song.

“I was very happy because they were not shy, they gave it a try. We enjoyed it,” said Utsunomiya. “It was important that they enjoyed the process and were not worried too much about the results.”

Utsunomiya, from Fukuoka, was among the 10 teaching assistants sent by the Japan Foundation in Tokyo to support local Japanese-language teachers in Malaysia in a programme started in 2015.

Fatimatuzzahrah Zainol (left) of Kolej Sultan Abdul Hamid, Kedah, with her Nihongo partner Yasugahira Natsuko (right).

Nagamine Sawa, another teaching assistant (known as Nihongo Partner), said she had felt lonely when posted to SMS Tuanku Jaafar in Negeri Sembilan, because of the language barrier.

But the staff and teachers were very warm and welcoming and made it easier for her to cope.

“It’s not just teachers and students, even the canteen staff and guard have been very kind to me,” she told FMT. “The canteen operators doubled up as my Bahasa Malaysia teachers. I can order food and drinks in Malay now,” said Nagamine, who hails from Okinawa.

Kurabe Naruho’s most memorable experience at SMK Ismail Petra, Kelantan, was getting the students to write to their counterparts in Japan in Japanese.

She also arranged an online meeting for her students with their new-found Japanese friends, adding that meeting their Japanese friends virtually motivated the Kelantanese students even more to learn Japanese.

“Seeing them having such a good time made me feel glad.”

Teachers learnt a lot, too

Utsunomiya’s teaching partner, Tan Mei Shun, said their relationship extended outside school hours, adding that she had even introduced Utsunomiya to her immediate family.

“My children really loved her. She gave me a lot of new insight as a mother on how to raise children besides how to deal with my students,” Tan said.

Nagamine’s partner, Zairol Hisyam Zahari, 34, said he learned a lot of new ideas, such as the use of simple games to make lessons more enjoyable. “I discovered that using flashcards made my students more cooperative and enjoy the learning process more, thanks to her.”

Yusof Saleh, who studied and worked in Japan for a few years, said Kurabe brought back memories of the Japanese work ethic. “After she arrived, I was reminded again to always give my best.”

The Japan Foundation in Kuala Lumpur hopes to bring in 20 Nihongo Partners for the 2025 programme. - FMT