LOOKING at Low Cern Yinn and her brother Tinn Juin’s busy schedule, it’s hard to imagine how they have time for fun but the siblings who recently became the youngest in Asia to pass the LCCI (London Chamber of Commerce and Industry) Levels One and Two English for Business (Reading and Writing) this year, put it all down to time management.
A typical day for the SJKC Chan Wa Seremban pupils include doing their own chores, going to school, finishing their homework, attending tuition and extra-curricular activities and revising for their LCCI papers.
Tinn Juin, 11, who passed the Level Two paper said he found the experience challenging yet rewarding.
“The paper was tough but with hard work and determination, it is not impossible to pass.
“As long as I complete my revision on schedule, I still have time to play, read and watch TV,” he said confessing that he enjoyed reading Mr Mystery story books and watching Ben10 on TV.
High achievers: Tinn Juin, 11 (left) and Cern Yinn, nine holding up the certificates they received for passing the LCCI English for Business examination papers recently. Tinn Juin sat for the Level 2 paper while his sister did Level 1. Their achievement made them the youngest in Asia to graduate with the qualification this year. The children do not have a maid at home and with working parents, they have to do chores like keeping their rooms tidy and cooking simple meals themselves.
“I can even make pizza on my own,” said Tinn Juin who is now studying for the LCCI Diploma in Accounting.
His sister Cern Yinn, who enjoys ballet in her free time and aspires to be an inventor when she grows up, said she was encouraged to try her hand at the English for Business paper after her brother had sailed through it.
“I’m lucky that he is there to turn to when I need help.
“I love English and I find learning new things enjoyable,” she said.
Following in her brother’s footsteps, Cern Yinn will be attempting the Level Two English for Business (Reading and Writing) paper next.
The siblings do not attend classes for their LCCI papers and instead study on their own with help from their ‘personal’ tutor — their mother Cheah Kwai Fong.
Cheah, who tutors LCCI students, spends her evenings guiding Tinn Juin and Cern Yinn with their work and going through past year questions and answers with them.
The 39-year-old mother of three (the siblings have a five-month-old sister) said she encouraged her two older children to attempt the papers in a bid to improve their English language skills.
“I find that many Chinese-educated children struggle with English and I think that should not be the case.
“Since I was already tutoring LCCI students, I thought the children would also benefit from taking the English for Business papers,” she said.
She said both she and her husband accountant Low Yoon Chong came from humble beginnings and knew first hand the value of hard work and a good education.
“I couldn’t afford college tuition fees after my first semester and was forced to study on my own but I still managed to graduate.
“My children are motivated to study because they know that dedication and hard work will pay off,” she said, adding that the children were rewarded with overseas trips each year to widen their horizons.
A representative from the LCCI Asia office in Kuala Lumpur said although younger candidates could register for the LCCI examination papers, not many took up the challenge.
“There have been a few other candidates besides the Low siblings this year, another nine-year-old passed the Level Three Business Statistics paper,” she said.
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