Fenomena Pertambahan Murid Bukan Cina di Sekolah Kurang Murid Jenis Kebangsaan Cina di Daerah Kuala Pilah, Negeri Sembilan (The Phenomenon of Increased Number of Non-Chinese Students in Under-enrolled Chinese Primary Schools in Kuala Pilah)

Abstract

Abstrak
Kajian ini bertujuan untuk mengkaji perkembangan pendidikan Cina dan mendedah fenomena pertambahan enrolmen murid bukan Cina di Sekolah Kurang Murid Jenis Kebangsaan Cina (SKMJKC) daerah Kuala Pilah, Negeri Sembilan. Kajian ini dijalankan di dua buah Sekolah Jenis Kebangsaan Cina (SJKC) daerah Kuala Pilah yang mempunyai peratusan enrolmen murid bukan Cina yang tidak sama, di mana enrolmen murid bukan Cina bagi SJKC A mencapai sebanyak 92%, dan SJKC B sebanyak 44%. Teori Cross- Cultural Adaptation yang dikemukakan oleh Kim (1998) dijadikan landasan teoritikal dalam kajian ini. Kaedah yang digunakan untuk mengumpul data ialah temu bual dan semakan dokumen. Temu bual dijalankan dengan enam orang ibu bapa murid bukan Cina, enam orang guru dan dua orang guru besar. Kaedah semakan dokumen digunakan untuk mendapat lebih banyak data sokongan yang berkaitan dengan topik kajian. Analisis data menunjukkan bahawa bilangan murid sekolah Cina berkurang dengan cepat mulai tahun 1970-an kerana migrasi penduduk tempatan yang berterusan ke bandar, terutamanya daerah Seremban. Kini, 90% daripada SJKC daerah Kuala Pilah merupakan SKMJKC, di mana enrolmen muridnya kurang daripada 150 orang. Hakikatnya, murid majoriti SJKC yang pada asalnya merupakan etnik Cina telah bertukar kepada etnik bukan Cina, terutamanya etnik Melayu. Bagi ibu bapa Melayu, tujuan utama mereka menghantar anak ke SJKC termasuk menguasai lebih daripada satu bahasa serta kemahiran aritmatik, budaya SJKC yang tegas dapat mendisiplinkan murid dan guru bagaikan tutor peribadi bagi anaknya. Manakala pihak sekolah pula berpendapat bahawa tujuan sebenar etnik bukan Cina menuntut di SJKC adalah dipengaruh oleh trend global yang mempelajari Mandarin, menganggap SJKC sebagai tempat perlindungan daripada kumpulan etniknya dan mempunyai peluang yang lebih tinggi untuk mendapat kebajikan kerajaan. Kesimpulannya, keterbukaan etnik bukan Cina untuk menerima budaya baharu dan tekanan daripada kehidupan realiti mendorong mereka untuk menuntut di SJKC. Oleh yang demikian, pandangan-pandangan etnik bukan Cina dan pihak sekolah bukan sahaja memaparkan keadaan sebenar di sebalik fenomena yang berlaku ini, malahan ia juga telah mendedahkan perubahan fungsi SJKC mengikut perkembangan semasa.

Abstract
This study examines the phenomenon of increasing enrollment of non-Chinese student in the Chinese primary schools in Kuala Pilah, Negeri Sembilan. The study was carried out in two Chinese primary schools which are labelled as national-type Chinese schools or Sekolah Jenis Kebangsaan Cina (SJKC) in Malay language. The schools were selected on the basis of different enrollment rates, where School A recorded a 92% of non-Chinese students and School B 44%. The theoretical framework of this study was guided by Kim (1998)’s theory of Cross-Cultural Adaptation. Interview and documentary research were the two main research methods. Six non-Chinese parents, six school teachers and two principals were interviewed. Meanwhile, a sizeable amount of data presented here was collected through documentary research. Our findings show that migration of local population to urban areas since the 1970s has caused the decline of students in Chinese schools in Negeri Sembilan. Currently, 90% of Chinese schools (SJKC) in the district of Kuala Pilah are classified as Sekolah Kurang Murid Jenis Kebangsaan Cina (SKMJKC) or under-enrolled Chinese schools. A school is categorized as SKMJKC when less than 150 students enrolled to the school. Today, non-Chinese students, especially Malays, make up the majority of student in many SJKC. The major factors that drive the Malays to send their children to SJKC include acquiring a second language and arithmetic skill; the admiration of classroom discipline in schools and getting personal tutoring from school teachers.
On the driving factors, the school management added that the global trend of learning Mandarin also has an effect on Malay parents. Meanwhile, many Malay parents see SJKC as a “shelter” from the internal competition within their own ethnic group as they would stand better chances in receiving more assistance from the government. In conclusion, it is the openness attitude towards new culture and the life pressure that have driven the non- Chinese parents to send their children to SJKC. Based on the feedbacks of my interviewees who consist mainly of the non-Chinese parents and school management, this study not only explains the current phenomenon but also indicates that SJKC are prepared to change
with the times by adjusting its role and functions.