UNIQUE WAY BY A REMOTE VILLAGE

Last week I was outstation to the district of Keningau for some verification of some project initiated by the government to the remote primary schools in the Sook constituency. I traveled to almost every nook and corner of Sabah wherever our station is sited and most of them are very far from civilization and it is expected of what was in store. It was very much different compared between the private sector and government sector where in the private sector, all work are being quickly attended to in the earliest time possible.

I won’t be writing about any government department or the type of work that we did but just to share my experience when visiting those places which are really very remote and I was thinking why those people of all places, chooses to stay at the villages very far and only accessible by gravel and sometimes slippery roads when it rained. I didn’t have the privilege to interview the villagers about how did they ended staying in those places as I was only visiting the schools. I managed to ask one of the teachers of how he felt about knowing that he was posted to the remote village in the district of Sook.

Me : Good Morning teacher?

Teacher : Good morning too.

Me : How long have you been a teacher?

Teacher :
I was working before when I enrolled myself to become a teacher. I was sent to Kuching Teacher Training College for a teaching course and after completing my course was posted to this School. Thankfully they posted to my state of origin otherwise it might be somewhere else.

Me: How did you felt when you were posted to this remote village?

Teacher:
I was lucky that my in-laws were from this village and the shock of being posted here did not sadden me much. Every Friday I will be heading home to my place in Penampang.

There was another a lady teacher who is married from a nearby Keningau district said that the allowance of RM500.00 was too much to reject, as she is not far from Keningau town.

We lost once to look for one of the village but meeting one fellow in the forest was indeed very lucky to ask for the direction. I found out that to enter one particular village you have to enter through a simple gate, as the entire village was fenced. As the villages were inter-connected and fenced-up, there were many gates to open and closed after entering or exiting the villages. The fence double up as to keep their animals from wandering away and for their security I guess. It was indeed an eye opener for me that although their villages are very remote they still have the unique way of managing their vast village.