Teen wants to go to school : Breadwinner wants to take up wiring or welding course to help family fora brighter future

KOTA BARU:  Muhammad Zulhairie Zainudin, who dropped out of school to care for his younger siblings, is  keen to go back to the classroom to learn new skills.

The 17-year-old said he hoped that the authorities could help him get a place in a vocational school so that he could train in wiring or welding.

"I am interested in learning about wiring or welding skills, so I can get a better job," he said, adding that it would be better if he could register at the vocational school in Padang Tembak in Pengkalan Chepa here.

He quit school when he was in Form One to help his poor family and became the sole breadwinner after his father died in May and his mother in 2008.

The parents' deaths forced him to raise his four brothers and sisters, aged between 7 and 15, by working as a foodstall helper in Kampung Chekok here

With an income of RM150 a month now, he said he needed to earn more to ensure his siblings could continue with their schooling without interruptions.

"I need to plan ahead and equipping myself with vocational skills is part of my plan to improve our condition."

When he quit school in 2008, he was driven more by the need to help his father who was sick then.

"I didn't have the heart to let him struggle alone to feed us and the only way for me to help him was to find a job."

Muhammad Zulhairie Zainudin (left) and his four siblings seeking forgiveness from and receiving duit raya from businessman Datuk Seri Sunny in Kota Baru yesterday. Pic by Fathil Asri