Boy Scout who'll never forget law No. 10
Interview and pictures by Syed Abdullah Syed Mohamed
2010/04/28
Abdul Rahman Johan, 72, is a teacher and a Boy Scout who believes in clean thoughts, words and deeds
 |
| Abdul Rahman Johan receiving the ‘Bintang Semangat Rimba Kelas 2’ award from the Yang Dipertua Negeri of Sarawak Tun Datuk Patinggi Abang Haji Mohammad Salahudin in Kuching in 2007. |
Joining the Boy Scouts movement was fun, exciting and courageous, and of course, provided me with the chance to interact with friends of different races.
It all started when I joined the uniformed body in Standard Four in Batu Pahat in 1952.
Prior to joining the movement, I was a member of the Cub Scouts, which is its junior group.
Among the exciting moments were when I learned the skills of tying different kinds of knots, erecting camping tents, singing the movement's songs in four different languages with the accompaniment of a folk guitar, memorising the Scout Promise and the 10 Scout Laws.
I will always remember law number 10, that is, a scout has to be clean in thoughts, words and deeds.
After completing my primary education, I was accepted to become a teacher under the TUOS (Teachers Under Other Schools) programme.
Trainees under this three-year training programme would teach in normal primary schools on weekdays but would return to the training centre on school off-days, in this case, every Friday and Saturday.
Trainees' allowances and courses were financed by the state government.
As a qualified teacher, I decided to upgrade my qualification so as to enjoy a higher salary.
Thus I sat for the Lower Certificate of Education (now Penilaian Menengah Rendah) and later on, advanced to the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia level.
My successes in both the exams upgraded my position in the teaching profession, and so I was transferred to prime schools in Johor Baru in early 1962.
In each school that I taught, namely Bukit Senyum, Kebun Teh and Ayer Molek, I would be appointed the Boy Scouts or Cub Scouts adviser.
Whenever the district's senior scouts group organised campfires, camping or job-weeks, I would make sure that a few of my selected pupils joined the event, with the approval of their parents, of course.
The national jamboree held in Johor Baru 36 years ago still sticks in my mind as one of the most colourful events ever held by the movement.
The week-long jamboree was not only participated by scouting associations from throughout the nation but also from countries like Brunei, Indonesia, Sri Lanka and the United Kingdom.
In 1979, I was posted as a headmaster to a primary school in Kangkar Pulai, a small village between the border of Skudai and Pontian.
The six-classroom school, originally a police barrack, was enough to cater to 250 children, mostly children of the police staff and nearby Kampung Melayu neighbourhood.
The school was also well protected as a small police station was built within its vicinity. A corporal, assisted by five constables, manned the station.
The school and the old police station building has since been demolished to make way for a bigger police station.
By 1983, I was attached to the state Education Department and was placed under the co-curriculum section.
This job suited me well as I oversaw the uniformed bodies, which included the Boy Scouts movement.
In the decade that followed, there was strong participation in the movement. In the mid-1980s, the movement recorded the highest number of members, with 20,000 members from all schools in the state.
Over a span of 10 years (1979-1989), I ended up as the movement's Johor Baru district commissioner.
Alongside Boy Scouts activists Yusof Hussein, Yaacob Abdul Karim, Hassan Mohd, Idros Paiman and officials from other districts, the movement organised many activities like jamborees at state and district levels, campfires, camping, job-weeks and other activities at school, district and state level.
After a couple of years at the Education Department, I was transferred to Sekolah Menengah Gelang Patah (SMGP) as its senior assistant.
During my six-year stint at the school, I utilised the members of the school's Boy Scouts.
Apart from beautifying the school and assisting the traffic and disciplinary committee each time the school organised a programme, the boys also played a role in assisting in private functions held by the Gelang Patah community.
The 1990s was a trying time for me. I lost my wife, Mohaya Isman, who was also a teacher. She passed on in 1990.
The following year, I left SMGP to be the headmaster of the Ungku Aziz primary school in Bukit Chagar.
Though it was a promotion exercise, I left with a heavy heart because my six-year stint at SMGP was merry and memorable.
After retiring from service at the end of 1992, I concentrated on my scout activities.
At present, I am the state scout assistant commissioner.
As one of the four elected assistant commissioners, I oversee the administration of the scouting association for Johor Baru, Pontian and Kulaijaya districts.
My most memorable moment in the scouting association was in 2007, when I was conferred the Bintang Semangat Rimba Kelas 2 medal by the Yang Dipertua Negeri of Sarawak Tun Datuk Patinggi Abang Haji Mohammad Salahudin in Kuching.
The Yang Dipertua Negeri was also the patron of the Scouting Association of Malaysia.
|
