Chapter 29: Motivation to do Voluntary Service

The other day, in the online chat with my grandchildren in Perth, my grandson Nathan told me that his school teacher has started a new scheme to encourage the students to volunteer to carry out extra duties. For any task executed such as cleaning the white board, collect exercise books etc, the student concerned will be rewarded with a specific sum of mock money. Different chore has different price tag. In the end, the money earned can be used to purchase certain class facility or to off-set certain "debts". It is an initiative to motivate students to do voluntary service and simultaneously to learn about simple trading and to engage in simple economic activity.

This scheme instantly reminded me of what some of the voluntary service we did in my high school at Lok Yuk School, Signal Hill, KK way back in the 1960's. 

It is probably not entirely correct to classify these as voluntary service. As a student in those period, it was almost incumbent upon a student to do what was directed by the teachers. One could not make demand for incentive to execute the task. From the teacher's perspective, it was an exertion of a combination of "pressure" - persuasion, encouragement, favorable testimonial and even a bit of threat occasionally.

****************************

Two days before the school term resumed after a holiday break, the school would undergo a cleanup in preparation for the new school term. Students would be required to bring their own buckets, brushes and clothes to wash and clean the wooden desks and chairs and to do a general cleanup of the school compound.

Cleanup exercise in action!

When the school compound was overgrown with tall grass and weeds, the male students would be called upon to do the cutting and clearing. Occasionally, this could be meted out as a form of punishment for students found to have infringed certain school rules and regulation!

When the school planned to repaint some of the old buildings or to fill up some uneven ground in the compound, some of the physically fit male students would be asked to come back at weekends to do this rather physically demanding chore. This was normally led by the male teachers in the school.

With teacher, Edward Greenawald
to do repainting work.

With teacher, Robert Gores.

After the school relocated from the old school at Signal Hill to the new school premise at Likas, the new school compound was barren and without any tree or turf. The school was dusty especially during the dry weather. The Principal came up with a rather brilliant idea to turf the compound. Turf were secured from the nearby villages and transported by lorries to the school. The barren school compound was divided into ten strips and each placed under the responsibility of a class. It was a sort of competition among the classes to create the best turf for the school. Both male and female students pulled up their socks and completed this rather labor-intensive exercise in a sprit of public duty and festivity!

It was customary for the school to organize an annual school bazaar or extravaganza to raise fund to meet the expenses of running the school. Every student was expected to help in selling the bazaar coupons and to contribute old or new items for the sale. Some who were selected to man the counters were to report before 7am in early morning at the KK Community Centre where the bazaar was normally held. They helped to set up the booths, arranged items for sale and to clean up once the bazaar was over in the late afternoon.

A reported published in the maiden school magazine, "The Hornbill" in 1968 about the annual school bazaar. The article was written by a teacher Ruth Moody (Read here).

I could not remember being asked to do the labor intensive chores in the old school at Signal Hill, thing likes filling up the school compound. I could only conclude it was probably because of me being the youngest in the class and of a small build. Some of the my classmates were four years my senior.

At an outing to Kiansom waterfall in 1965 when I was in Form 1. I am at left partially hidden in second row. I looked so much younger and shorter compared to my other classmates who were much taller and older!

**************************************************

Since the 1960's, the new generations that emerged might view voluntary service very differently. These days, it is hard to imagine that students would be asked to do physically demanding and labor intensive chores in school! Still it won't be wrong to say that parents and educators alike hope to see students are nurtured to view voluntary service as a positive trait to have.

Today, teachers will find it hard to teach students about certain value system simply by saying "Do what I tell you!". It is no wonder that many political leadership in many countries including Malaysia today find it hard to get people to listen to them when they are perceived as self serving and corrupt! One needs to lead by example!

Note: Many of the old photos shared in this post have been uploaded in a private Facebook group called "Lok Yuk School, Kota Kinabalu Old Photos". Anyone who has a Facebook account and is interested to see more old photos of the School can apply to be invited to join the private group.