Back To School...Again?

Going to the airport, for some, has become a habitual routine. Which other Malaysian college has two week-long breaks in a month to celebrate four national festivals? Granted, it is a magnificent effort to recognize diversity, but it is taking its toll on the Borneo/East Coast dwellers who have to endure a jumpy 12-hour bus ride or 2-hour flight. And that's not counting waiting time.

It would be more logical, perhaps, to extend the year-end holidays till the last day of Chinese New Year/Awal Muharram, like Australia has done. Funnily enough, they don't EVEN celebrate Chinese New Year there.

Let's work this out together: We have a total of 8 weeks holidays. If our year-end holidays had started in mid-December, instead of late November, the 8 weeks' hiatus would end on Valentines' Day. TODAY. And we would only have to purchase 2 flight tickets instead of SIX.

AirAsia website: Flight ticket, one way to Miri (which for everyone's information is the midpoint between Kuching and Kota Kinabalu, so fares to Miri are a good mean of the wildly varying fares to various East Malaysian destinations): RM 109.99

The difference between 2 tickets and 6 tickets: RM 109.99 x (6-2) = RM 439.96.

Pretty penny. All you JPA scholars, that sum is roughly HALF your allowance this year.

And if that isn't enough, that fare is non-inclusive of airport taxes, transport to airports (notably KLIA), the hugely inflated price of food in airports and on AirAsia, and man-hours lost drumming one's foot in an airport with a sub-par novel.

Yes, we are a minority, almost insignificant (Data obtained from the Eco-Trip 2005 committee suggests HALF the junior medics are from KL/Selangor.), but sheer geographical distance should not impede us from grasping at the same educational opportunities as you do. Yes, KL living costs are high, the money we save in living costs can more than accommodate the inflated tickets, some may immediately argue in a knee-jerk reaction.

We request the new SC takes definite measures to ensure the school holidays are well-planned. The only alternative, it seems (considering college authorities are adamant in not letting us stay on) is not going home both holidays. Easier said than done.

Of course, to pacify certain disgruntled readers (most likely ex-readers now, though) who think Veritas Online is my personal vendetta sounding board, I am persuaded to add this disclaimer: These represent the views of myself, tempered by the fact I AM a Sabahan who is hopping mad at enduring 4-hour delays in airports THREE TIMES in a month while my Kay Ell friends are cooling their heels in Hartamas. My KLIA mates will vouch for us: our flight was delayed 3 times, 4 hours in total, during the recent Chinese New Year.

It is already an ordeal for us to have to part from our families and homes every time. All we implore is for the schedule not to make it any harder on us.