THE LONG, LONG RIDE
07 May 2006
LAU MEISAN
Every morning, 5,000 Malaysian students cross the Causeway to go to
schools in Singapore. Their day starts as early as 3am as they need
to beat the traffic congestion, reports LAU MEISAN.
JOHOR BARU:Like any nine-year- old, Jeremy Tan would like to sleep
a little longer. But he cannot.
It is 4.50am and it is time to wake up for school across the
Causeway.
Jeremy is one of the thousands of schoolchildren in Johor known as
the "Incredible Kids".
A more apt description, however, would be the "Sleepy Kids" or the
"Pitiful Kids".
Many schoolchildren here, some as young as seven, get up as early
as 4am to beat the traffic congestion at the Causeway and make it
on time to school in Singapore.
This daily routine, five days a week, would take a toll even on
adults, but these children take it all in their stride in the
pursuit of a supposedly better education in the republic.
Not only do they have to sacrifice their sleep, they also battle
the notorious Causeway traffic jam.
It is not uncommon to see the children walk a kilometre to the
Immigration checkpoint in Woodlands whenever their school buses are
caught in the peak-hour jams.
Lugging heavy schoolbags and files, they make their way in the
pre-dawn hours together with thousands of Malaysian workers.
The journey is at times fraught with peril as inconsiderate
motorcyclists whizz into their lanes, while pickpockets and thieves
wait to pounce on unsuspecting victims. The children also have to
contend with factory buses and lorries.
"I am used to this routine," said Jeremy, a Primary Three student
of Woodlands Ring Primary School.
"But if there is no traffic jam, I would remain in the bus and
sleep. I sleep a lot as I wake up very early."
No official figures are available, but it is estimated that no
fewer than 5,000 Malaysian students cross the Causeway daily.
The primary school pupils usually travel in school buses while the
older children take public transport. More than 110,000 commuters,
including some 40,000 motorists, cross to Singapore every morning.
The peak-hour traffic congestion starts around 4.30am and ends
about 10am.
To ensure that they make it on time , some are forced to wake up as
early as 3am.
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Worse than what Spore kids face.
Perhaps we can be good neighbours=help them in their education
system....or perhaps we can be one country again?
so sad.
.
