How I joined the Labour Department

I was serving in Alor Setar when I came to know that the situation at home in Ipoh was not improving.

My father was in Hospital at a town known as Batu Gajah most of the time.This hospital took in patients who were suffering from tuberculosis to provide them with close attention and to keep them away from others as TB was regarded as a contagious disease and could spread easily. One day I received the bad news. My father had passed on and the funeral was to be on the same day. Since I was in Alor Setar it was not possible for me to attend the funeral. I did not have funds to return home. By the time I reached home the funeral would be over; I opted to stay behind and let my mother handle it.

My boss heard of the sad news. He was a kind soul and told me in view of the circumstances at home he will arrange to transfer me back to my hometown without a replacement. Soon I heard the news of my transfer back to my hometown. That would help me save on my food and lodging bills as I could stay at home. I began searching for books to study for my A levels. A number of friends who completed their A levels passed their books to me. Though half the year had passed I set out to complete my A levels by the end of the following year. I was successful in this and completed my A levels the following year. While my friends were busy applying for places at Universities I was busy applying for jobs in the Government service as I could not afford the fees and also could not afford to be a full time student as my family was dependent on my earnings.After a few interviews I was successful in obtaining a job with the Labour Department. The job was a pass degree job meaning one needed a pass degree to qualify for the job. But there was a shortage of graduates and the Federal Establishment Office (now known as the Public Services Department) relaxed the entry qualifications to that of A levels so that candidates with A levels could apply for these jobs. So the recruitment for Labour Officers that year saw a mix of graduates and A level candidates.

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My name is Gana

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