“I don’t know how to be rich yet, but I do know how we can get out of poverty.”
“When I was studying in university, my father’s business fell through and because of that, my family lived in poverty during that time. We were in a very bad situation but we didn’t blame my father because we understood that things like this can happen and it was a test for our family.
Normally, I won’t ask my father for money unless I only have like RM1 or 50 cents left. One day, I didn’t have much money and had to ask him for some money. My father gave me 20 ringgit to survive for a week and he said this is the only money I can give to you, so spend it wisely. But after three days, I was left with only 5 ringgit in my pocket.
I couldn’t buy rice or a proper meal or else I would not have money for the rest of the week. So instead, I bought a comb of bananas and I ate bananas in the morning and at night. That’s how I managed to survive the remaining days. I tell this story to my students to motivate them that despite hardships, I still studied. I still completed my assignments and I still managed to get good grades.
Anyway, there’s one conversation that I had with my brother which changed my perspective. I went back home during the semester break, and was sitting with my younger brother when I told him “I don’t like being poor, I cannot stand this. How do we become rich?”. It was a straightforward question between brothers to which my younger brother replied, “I don’t know how to be rich yet, but I do know how we can get out of poverty”.
He said that we just need to study and work really hard. That’s how you get out of poverty. Maybe it was just a conversation for him but it made quite a big impact on me. When I went back to university, I studied harder, more than ever before, because I believed that if I could educate myself then I have a good shot at getting my family and I out of poverty and it became a part of my responsibility.
So I studied hard, completed my degree and Master’s, found a job and worked hard. I believe if you don’t work hard when you’re young, then be prepared to work hard when you’re old. That’s one of the reasons I joined education. I believe that proper education can bring people out of poverty.
Previously I worked in the banking industry. And I liked it because I love numbers but I didn’t get that sense of fulfilment like I do here. When students struggle and ask for help, I can directly impact them. I can give them advice, tell them how to build self-discipline and pick up good habits. Things I wished people told me when I was younger.
Until now, some students still text me – thanking me. Some of them tell me that they are glad I gave them advice. I am still connected with some of them on Facebook, WhatsApp, during meetups and sometimes when they get married they invite me to go to their weddings. I would say the lecturers and students here are close and we do whatever we can to help each other out.”
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Mohd Mutaqqin is currently a Senior Lecturer and Program Director for Pre-University Studies at Taylor’s College Malaysia.
Humans of Kuala Lumpur is working with academics from Taylor’s College to share stories which embody their values; Hope, Grit and Slay
