Testimonies from Sacred Heart Church – Bible Knowledge students

May 05, 2017

KUALA LUMPUR: By God’s grace, the Ministry of Education is still making provision for Malaysian Christian students to take up Bible Knowledge (BK) at SPM Level. But unfortunately, many of our students shun the paper, citing several reasons, such as:-

-- I am already burdened with a heavy study load, I do not want to take on another subject
-- Bible Knowledge is a tough paper and impossible to score an A
-- Bible Knowledge paper does not help in shaping my future.

Four students from Sacred Heart Church KL who sat for SPM BK in 2016 have proved them wrong. They are the proud knights of SHC who have stood up for their faith. Here are their testimonies and an article from their teacher:-

Jerome Ignatius Yuen Yi Xian
My parish offers BK classes to students from Form 3 onwards. I only enrolled mid-year, when I developed the desire. By then, the class was halfway through the Gospel of Luke. Luckily for me, my teachers and friends were very welcoming and friendly.

My teachers were focused on preparing us well for the SPM BK.

Having prepared myself for 3 years, I was greatly discouraged when the school refused to allow me to sit for BK. They said, if I scored badly, it would ruin the school’s reputation. However, a supporting letter from my parish priest, together with a letter written by my father to the school, led to them eventually withdrawing their objection. I was the only candidate in my school.

I am glad to have taken up BK. It was my foundation to develop a better understanding of the Gospel and further strengthen my faith.

Katrina Santha Chelliah
My journey with BK started when I was in Form 3, where I studied casually. In Form 5, I prayed about it and decided to take BK seriously. I realised that the world today tries so much to renounce the presence of God. How could I say I love God if I could not even give time and learn two books about Him?

As SPM was drawing near, my principal told me, very clearly, that if I failed BK, she would consider it as me failing in my religion. That was the last straw. From that day onwards, I was determined to stand up for my faith. My school teachers were also constantly checking on my progress as, besides BK, I also signed up for English Literature.

When the results were announced, I scored 11As straight. I thank my parents, my dedicated teachers and most of all, I thank God for being with me every step of the way and revealing the beauty of His words to me.

Shane Lazarus Bateman
It has been a pleasure these last 3 years to be able to learn BK. I was hesitant at first, thinking I have not much to gain from this subject but now, I realise how wrong I was.

Nowadays, BK is being neglected by students as a subject because they feel that it is very difficult and not worth the effort but, the truth is, it is easy to score in BK as it is based on stories and specific events. During BK classes, I did a lot of past year trial papers. This helped to perfect my answering techniques.

Initially, my principal and teacher objected to me signing up for BK, but thanks to my parish priest and BK teacher who paid a visit to the school, I was given the green light. By the time SPM came, I was ready and answered confidently.

Learning BK has helped me truly understand the works of Jesus in the Gospel of Luke, followed by the struggles of Peter and Paul in the Acts of the Apostles.

Justin Gilbert
I am utterly satisfied with the recent SPM BK results of SHC students which defined the performance of my first batch of students and my debut year as a BK teacher.

The choice to teach BK was rather easy as I have journeyed in BK as a student and I felt that I have something to offer the upcoming group of students.

Learning and teaching BK is an enjoyable experience for me. I crafted my own strategies and answering techniques which helped me and the students whom I taught.

With proven excellent results to back up my first year as a teacher, I hope to carry on and be an inspiration to all future takers of this subject.

Joshua James
The first thought that came to my mind when I was introduced to BK was, “an extra burden,” especially when the classes begin from Form 3, where PT3 was looming around the corner.

During my first year, the Gospel of Luke which I hear during Mass, began to take on a new perspective. There was a spark within me that made me stay on till SPM and I was determined to pull through.

My BK teachers were very helpful. They drilled into me the names of people, places and details by giving continuous exams, past year questions and quizzes. BK has definitely deepened my faith and has made me more steadfast to face any challenges that life may throw at me. I strongly recommend Catholic students to sit for BK at SPM level as it shapes one to be a better person.