A tribute to Ms Chang

Sara gazed thoughtfully at her parents while holding a letter. All her hard work and sacrifices had paid off. She was accepted to pursue the Electrical Engineering degree programme at Universiti Pertanian Malaysia in Selangor. Being the eldest of 9 siblings, she knew that her family could not afford to pay the university entrance fees. Her father was only a settler in Felda Gunung Besout, working on a palm oil estate.

Sara planned to decline the offer but decided to inform Ms Chang first regarding her decision. Ms Chang was her class teacher and also taught her Physics when she was in Form Five. Sara chose to stay in the hostel provided by the school so she could concentrate on her studies while sitting for the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) examination.

Sara worked as a food stall helper in Sungkai while waiting for her SPM results and was planning to study nursing. On the day the SPM results were out, Sara stood in disbelief as her principal announced that she had scored well in the examination and was the top student in her school.

"Congratulations Sara, I am so proud of you," Ms Chang said excitedly when Sara shared the news about her university acceptance. “I’m afraid I have to reject the offer, cikgu Chang because my family is unable to bear the cost of enrolling me there”, Sara replied in a low tone. Ms Chang looked at her intently and told her not to worry about finance.

Before travelling on an express bus with her father to Serdang to enrol for university in 1984, her principal, Mr Salim, called her to his office.  Mr Salim handed her an envelope. He said, “Someone asked me to hand this to you.” Sara opened the envelope and saw a large sum of cash. It was more than what she needed.

Sara begged Mr Salim to reveal who had given him the cash. He told her that the person wanted to remain anonymous. Throughout her journey on the bus, her mind was reeling. “Who is this kind soul that made this contribution?" she pondered. 

One month later, someone had banked some money into her bank account. She called her father, “Abah, you don't have to send money to me. I can manage on my own." Sara said. Her father was stunned and clarified, “I didn’t, Sara.” Sara was confused and curious. She continued to receive cash every few months while she was at UPM. She seldom returned to Sungkai as she spent the semester holidays working at fast food outlets in Kuala Lumpur. 

After five years, Sara graduated and worked in Puchong, Selangor. Now, she runs a consulting business online. One day, she bumped into Mr Salim at a mall in Putrajaya. He revealed that Ms Chang was the one who asked him to give Sara the money. Sara had always known at the back of her mind that it was Ms Chang. She also believed that Ms Chang had deposited the money for her regularly.

Ms Chang was one of the most dedicated teachers that Sara knew. She used to have extra classes for Sara and her classmates during the weekend and school holidays. Ms Chang also bought reference books and revision books for them. Sometimes, she took them out for lunch and assured them they would succeed in life. Ms Chang herself was from a humble beginning. Her father was a fisherman from Pangkor Island who had to raise 5 children. Ms Chang supported herself at the Teachers' Training College by teaching tuition.

Sara tried to locate Ms Chang and even went to her former school in Gunung Besout to look through the records about her, but no one knew her whereabouts. All the pictures Sara took during her school days were damaged with her wedding album during the floods which hit her old house in Kuala Selangor in 2001.

Sara, now a mother of three, persistently tried to track down Ms Chang, whom she fondly called 'Cikgu Chang', for over three decades. During the school holidays, Sara’s niece, Sheila, helped her to do some spring cleaning. Sheila found an old photo of Sara and showed it to her. Sara exclaimed, “That’s me with Ms Chang.” “Why don’t you upload this photo on social media, Mak Long?” Sheila suggested.

Sara decided to share the picture on Facebook, hoping that someone who knows Ms Chang would come forward. Some of her friends, who were also teachers, helped to share the photo in their WhatsApp groups. Her efforts paid off when she managed to track her down last December after a Facebook posting about her mission took social media by storm.

Sara’s posting went viral then she started to get many responses. Some people from Ms Chang’s hometown in Kuala Selangor recognised her, and a classmate from the United States contacted her to provide information. The best part is that she managed to get in touch with Ms Chang and some of her long-lost friends. Sara discovered that Ms Chang had opted for early retirement for health reasons. Sara obtained her former teacher's contact number from several of Ms Chang's close friends and kept in touch through phone calls.

On the second day of Hari Raya Aidilfitri, Sara was so excited when Ms Chang came to her house. It was an emotional moment when Ms Chang stepped into her home with her family. Ms Chang looked so frail due to her battle with cancer for the past few years. Sara greeted her in tears before they embraced each other tightly. “Thank you, Cikgu, for all you have done for me. I am a qualified engineer now because of you.” Sara expressed. Ms Chang assured Sara, “Your hard work and persistence contributed to all your achievements and accomplishments.” Several of Sara’s friends, including classmates, joined the reunion.

It was a nostalgic gathering. They shared memories of school days at SMK Gunung Besout with their family and friends. Sara showed Ms Chang photographs taken during their young days at school, and she slowly managed to identify them though Sara and her classmates look much older now. Sara learned that throughout Ms Chang’s career, she had helped and assisted many of her students.

Sara’s house was filled with laughter and tears of happiness as everyone took turns catching up with Ms Chang. That Aidilfitri celebration will forever be etched in Sara’s memory. After 35 years, the 52-year-old was reunited with her former secondary school Physics teacher Ms Chang Lai Ling, 67, whom she last met in 1984.

After the first meeting, Sara and her classmates planned a grand reunion with the rest of her classmates for Ms Chang. However, it had to be postponed due to the Covid 19 pandemic. The long-awaited gathering was supposed to be held in their school, SMK Gunung Besout, this year. Sadly, Ms Chang succumbed to her illness and passed away on 4 February 2023. 

Many students and teachers came to pay their last respect to this great teacher who had made a lasting impact on the lives of many. Sara and her classmates decided to set up a foundation in memory of Ms Chang, to offer scholarships for deserving students from low-income families who want to further their studies in universities or colleges.