M'sian Teacher Helps Beautify Johor School Yard With Own Money

Teacher helps spruce up school yard in flood-prone zone

Malaysia is a country with a tropical climate, so we’re no strangers to warmer weather and bouts of rain. But come flash floods from heavier-than-usual rainfall, and we’re left scrambling to find what gets swept away in the wet spell.

Not letting this detour him, a Malaysian teacher Jamil decided to help beautify his school’s courtyard in Segamat, Johor even though the school is located in a flood-prone area. And the outcome is an impressive sight that he helped bring to life with money out of his own pocket and donations from other teachers and staff.

School yard given a new makeover

The story was shared on Twitter by Jamil, of Orang Asli descent, who took to his account @jasli_jamil to post before-and-after photos of the humble yard at Segamat Kecil National School. This cosy school of over 70 students in Segamat, Johor is where he teaches.

Image credit: @jasli_jamil

The before shot shows the yard with just a few pots of plants and algae growing on the ground. This is because the school is located in a flood-prone area, as he shared in another tweet.

Image credit: @jasli_jamil

Jamil received warnings from those around him trying to convince him not to work on the yard with frequent flooding in the area. In December 2019, a bad case of flooding in Johor saw 4,000 victims evacuated from their homes, with over 300 of them from the town of Segamat, as reported by The Straits Times. Despite knowing that the area is flood-prone, he carried on with his project.

He shared, “If we keep worrying about when the flood comes then we’ll never start to beautify the place.”

The after photo showed off the results of 2 months of his labour after relaxed guidelines under the MCO saw schools throughout Malaysia reopening their doors. He had added carpet grass, a fresh coat of blue and red paint on the walls, a wooden bench, and more pots of plants and flowers in the yard to create a fairytale-like scene for kids to enjoy while at school.

Image credit:@jasli_jamil

Teamwork makes the dream work

Image credit: @jasli_jamil

The whole project did not come alive without a hitch. While Jamil shared with The Smart Local Malaysia that he had to contribute his own money to the project, he humbly said that it was really the result of donations received from teachers and other staff members. This was because the cost of the whole project was more than he expected.

In the end, he managed to collect RM245 for the project.

He posted several more photos of the many helping hands he received while working on the project too. These showed school staff giving pots of plants new coats of grey paint while others were seen re-potting plants.

Image credit:@jasli_jamil

The beautifully revamped yard has become a popular fairytale-like photoshoot spot for students at the school.

Image credit: @jasli_jamil

And while Jamil said that the project is still an ongoing process, school staff have also been taking full advantage of the spot by using it as a backdrop for group photos too.

Image credit: @jasli_jamil

Teacher decorates school yard in flood zone with scenic garden

No doubt, it’s been hard for anyone who has been affected by flash floods in Malaysia. This is why we applaud Jamil and teachers for helping to give the yard at Segamat Kecil National School an impressive makeover that’s been bringing smiles to students and staff now settling back to school life in Malaysia.