Teacher braves waist-high floods to save exam papers

 

Ruzita Che Him speaking to newsmen while standing in flood waters after “rescuing” the answer sheets from her house. (Bernama pic)

DENGKIL: Aided by her husband, a 52-year-old teacher waded across waist-high flood waters to “rescue” from her house answer sheets that her students had submitted for their final year examination.

“I was only thinking of my students’ final year Geography examination answer sheets that were still in the house,” said Ruzita Che Him, whose house in Kampung Chemperai, here, was flooded following heavy rain today.

The Form Two teacher at Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan (SMK) Bukit Changgang, Banting and her husband, Baharuddin Mohd Yonan, 61, waded through about 600m of waist-high floodwaters to save the answer sheets, taking approximately an hour.

Recounting the anxious moment, Ruzita said she felt uneasy when she had to leave her house this morning without taking the answer sheets for the Geography subject with her.

“When I left this morning, I took with me the examination papers for the Design and Technology subject and only managed to put the Geography answer sheets in a higher place.

“Alhamdulillah, I managed to save them,” she said.

Ruzita Che Him showing the papers she “saved” by keeping them wrapped in plastic. (Bernama pic)

Describing the floods as the worst so far, Ruzita said today’s incident was the most unnerving experience for her since becoming an educator in 1996.

“This is my first experience wading through floodwaters. Of course, I will never forget this. What is more important is that all are safe,” said the Kelantan-born teacher.

The non-stop downpour since yesterday afternoon caused several residential areas around Kota Warisan and Dengkil in Sepang to be heavily flooded which caused Sungai Langat to overflow.

Meanwhile, Sepang district police chief Wan Kamarul Azran Wan Yusof said six relief centres have been opened since noon at Bandar Baru Salak Tinggi and Dengkil to house the flood victims.

Five routes in the Sepang district have to be closed temporarily to all vehicles. Among the stretches are Jalan Labu-Taman Dataran Abadi, Jalan Kota Warisan-Bandar Baru Salak Tinggi and Jalan Bukit Changgang – Bandar Baru Salak Tinggi. - FMT