Year 1 - 2011

A new islamic integrasi school was built and has started operation since Jun last year. It was very near to our house, less than 5 minutes drive with smooth crossing over the going to be busy street going out of our housing area. As usual, to enter any Islamic Integrasi school, there'll be entrance exam. We had registered Alif who was born in 2004 for that school and now, he has to take and pass the entrance exam, scheduled on 29 May at 0830hrs.

29 May -- 0800hrs
We, Alif and I, arrived to the school. The letter said, to be there by 8am. And the letter said, there won't be any further notice, we're just to go to the school as stated on the exam card (that was given once you registered). So, I parked in front of the school compound, outside the gate. There were 2 cars already there. There's like no life at all inside the school compound. Didn't look like there's anything going on. Hmm... wait awhile.. Aa... there' s someone coming out from the school compound just as I alighted from the car. He asked what's going on.. and there's more cars coming. By then, there's at least 5 cars in front of the school. I told him about the exam. Then he mentioned that as far he knows, it has been postponed. He's just a canteen guy, went to the school to pick up his catering stuffs. Good thing that he got the sense to straight away contact the headmistress who told him that it is postponed to Jun 19 and that JAIS had already sent letters to inform the new date. She didn't sound friendly at all from the one-sided conversation that I heard -- "suruh diaorang balik". Well, of course, we have to go back , but that kind of tone, I don't like it at all. Maybe it's just the catering guy punya words, I shouldn't judge her from another person's mouth.
Anyway, I left. And I guess the others left as well.

1 June
I finally remember to bring the registration letter to office to enable me to make the call to JAIS to confirm. And to give my peace of mind since I didn't get the letter. But guess what, the number given in the letter - "Penyelia Integrasi" with office phone number turns out to be bogus number. The operator announced "telah ditamatkan perkhidmatan". Cannot be... I dialed again, same reply. Then I called the number given for the school. Both are handphone numbers. The first number brought me straight to voice message. The second number was answered by a lady, who turned out to be the headmistress herself.

So, I asked to confirm that the exam was indeed postponed and to confirm on the new date. I told her I went to the school last Saturday only to find out that there's no exam.
Her answers was -- (in Malay) - "We had send letter to all about the new date".
Well, I said, I didn't get the letter.
Then she said, "Was the address you give correct or not? We had sent to all 250 candidates already". Her tone was like annoyed, irritated. She then gave the school number and telling that this the the Gurubesar's number.
Like I shouldn't be calling the Gurubesar ke?
So then, I was, short of being a little bit rude, which later I mildly regret it (actually, kind of not) ... I said, "Puan Gurubesar, saya TIDAK terima surat, sebab tu saya pergi sekolah last Saturday. Of course, saya bagi alamat betul. Sekarang nak confirm je, tarikh baru."

Oh well... when the letter send was not received, was it always the fault of the person who give the address? There's many reason it could get lost on the way and if the address was written wrongly, it could also be the person who re-wrote the address on the envelope make a mistake. I had instances where my neighbor's letter down the road had gotten into my mailbox.

She could have just apologize first that the postponement caused this trouble to the parents, and give confirm the new date, instead of first trying to put the blame back on the parent! In the first place, she should have expected that some letters may get lost, arrived late and so many other possibilities that the intendees may not received it - then, the school could have taken the initiatives to put a notice on the gate to inform the change of plan. But no, nothing of that happen. I was already biased on my perception of the school when I visited it last year for Ahmad to transfer there. With this, it added on to the not-so-good perception. But because it was so near, and so convenient to send Alif there, I'll give it another chance la.....maybe it'll improve ...hmm...