“Position yourself so that the other person values you more because you have the qualities”
“I started my teaching career with just a teaching certificate.
When I was younger, I was one of the top students in school and was expected to achieve great things, but I didn’t do very well in Form 5 as my inclination towards sciences just wasn’t there – that closed a lot of windows for me. So, I decided to enrol into a teachers training college.
But deep down, I still had the desire to further my studies, it was always in my subconscious mind. My first teaching post was in Sabah, which was a good thing because there wasn’t much to do there, so I spent my time studying. My dream at the time was to do my high school certification (HSC) – now they call it STPM. I managed to get good results but when I sent my application to a few universities, my applications were always rejected.
Sometime in 1995, God opened my eyes and I had the urge to keep on trying to get a place in the university. For a start, I took the opportunity to join the Advanced Teaching Certification Course in TESL by the Ministry of Education. At the time, the government was also offering scholarships for English teachers to go abroad, so I tried my luck.
One fine day, I received news that I was offered the scholarship and went to further my studies in Glasgow! After getting my degree, I didn’t want to stop studying, so I studied for my masters in USM and was lucky to be awarded another JPA scholarship.
I was determined to land myself another scholarship – this time to continue with my PhD. At the time, many told me, ‘Wah you have already received two scholarships’ ‘You can’t possibly get another one’. But I was determined to get a third scholarship and I did.
That’s something I take pride in because not everybody has that determination. I had such a burning desire, it felt like a fire inside me – I needed to do this because the disappointment from Form 5 was still there and I wanted to prove that I am capable of more.
I think that God works mysteriously. I say this because back in 1994-95 when I was at an under-12 hockey tournament, I met a fellow teacher who told me he was going to the UK, on a scholarship. That struck me hard. I realised that God had sent this guy my way to tell me ‘look Siva you’re wasting time on the hockey pitch when your actual destination is somewhere else’. I didn’t know about these JPA scholarships before meeting the guy, but after that, I started researching a lot about it.
My advice to people is that you should look into what people need and make sure that you fulfil those needs. Position yourself so that the other person values you more because you have the qualities; always try to stand out from others but don’t cheat. I always tell younger people – it takes smart thinking and initiative to make it in this world, it’s not just pure luck.
Whatever it is, in life, never let your fire die. Always count your blessings and reflect on things. Sometimes I tell people, not because I want to boast, but because some people can be very pessimistic – things didn’t happen for me until I was in my 30s. I didn’t give up even though there was a time I told my wife that I was going to resign from teaching because I didn’t like it anymore. But little did I know, God had bigger plans for me.”
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Dr Sivabala Naidu is currently the Head of Schools of 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
