TAIPING, June 5 (Sin Chew Daily) — A Pakistani couple insist on sending all their seven children to a Chinese primary school to learn an additional language.

Apart from Urdu, they also learn six other languages – Chinese, Punjabi, Hindi, English, Malay and Indonesian.

Malaysia is a multiracial and multicultural country where the Chinese generally master three languages along with a few Chinese dialects. But it is rare for a family where all seven children master seven languages!

Like his father, Pakistani businessman Anwar married an Indonesian woman in Medan.

Anwar and his wife Hanunisha are fluent in many languages. Apart from the few common languages in Pakistan, they also know Chinese. Anwar's wife also speaks Hokkien in Medan.

The couple knew that mastering an additional language would be an added advantage, and have sent their children to a Chinese kindergarten at the age of three and later Chinese primary school.

The couple also taught the children other languages at home.

Currently, two of their children are pursuing medicine, one is studying law, two are in pre-university and another two in secondary school.

During an interview, Hanunisha said she was surrounded by people speaking Hokkien while living in Medan, and picked up the dialect since young.

Her family was poor as her father died when she was only 10. Except for sending their regards, the relatives did not extend any support to them. Nevertheless, the Chinese merchants supplied gold and accessories for her mother to sell, and her mother only paid them after she had made some profit.

"All Chinese friends helped my mother. They trusted her. She only paid after selling the goods. This helped our family to move on," she said.

Hanunisha said her family used to dine in Chinese homes. Her mother would also share her dishes with her Chinese friends.

After marrying Anwar and settled down in Taiping, they decided to send their eldest child to a Chinese kindergarten to learn the language before signing the child up for Chinese primary school.

She feels that mastering an additional language will give one an added advantage.

Hasnah, the eldest daughter, said she used to be scolded by teachers for not completing her homework.

"But my father insisted that we should learn the language and requested teachers to spend more time guiding us.

"This was how all my siblings started the journey of learning Chinese," she added.

While studying in a Chinese primary school, Hasnah said she had to work harder and attended tuition classes. It proved that her parents' decision was right. All her siblings have been able to read and write in Chinese today.

"Besides learning the language, we also get to know more about the Chinese culture and make Chinese friends. I still keep in touch with some of my primary school mates," she said.

The siblings used to converse in Mandarin at home whenever they wanted to share a secret, so that the parents would not know what they were talking about.

Hasnah has no regrets learning an additional language although she indeed had difficulties learning Chinese initially.

She would be able to communicate with Chinese patients in future when she becomes a doctor.