KAMPAR, Sept 20 — In her younger days, veterinarian Dr Nurul Ashikin Sapian used to complain about her parents decision to send her to a Chinese medium school.

"Life was tough then. As neither of my parents spoke Mandarin, I had to do everything by myself,” she said, adding that the teachers at the school were also very strict.

"You will get beating on your hand if you write something incorrectly.”

However, after graduating and opening her own practice in Kampar, Dr Nurul Ashikin realised her knowledge of the Mandarin language actually helped her as the town is predominantly made up of Chinese people.

"When my clients come to my clinic, they want to speak to a Chinese but I tell them that there are no Chinese staff. Realising that I can speak Mandarin, it puts them at ease,” said Dr Nurul Ashikin, who can also get by with the Cantonese dialect.

Realising how being able to converse in Mandarin has helped her in her daily affairs, veterinarian Dr Nurul Ashikin Sapian has decided to enrol her daughter in a Chinese school at Malim Nawar. — Picture by Farhan Najib

Looking back, the mother of a four-month-old daughter said she was thankful that her parents decided to send her to a Chinese school.

"It is tough yes. No doubt about it, but it builds your character. It makes you persevere and have the never-give-up attitude,” she said.

"Being in a Chinese school did not make me a lesser Malay.”

Realising the good that she had from a Chinese school education, Dr Nurul Ashikin has decided to send her daughter to a Chinese school.

"I have even targeted which school to send her.”