UTAR NEW VILLAGE COMMUNITY PROJECT

REPORT

NAME OF NEW VILLAGE:

BERTAM ULU柏淡乌鲁

MELAKA

Project carried out by:

Student Name

ID Number Course Year/Semester

1. Chong Chui Li 1200394 Business Administration Y1S2

2. Chong Chui Shian 1003398 Public Relation Y3S1

3. Ooi Wein En 1004684 Public Relation Y3S1

DATE OF COMPLETION:

AUGUST 2012

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ABSTRACT

Bertam Ulu is an old village which was founded 200 years ago. The village is

named after the “Bertam” tress found in this area. Nowadays, Bertam has

population of about 4800 people. The main concerns of the villagers are absence

of secondary schools in the village and the lack of public transportation. Villagers

have to travel 25 km or more to attend secondary school in nearby towns.

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HISTORY

According to the President of JKKK Bertam Ulu, Mr Sidang Abdullah

Latip Mohamed, the village had many Bertam trees and was therefore named after

these trees. Mr. Sidang informed us that the village was founded 200 years age.

Once upon a time, a Malay patient, Hang Tuah, came to this village for medical

treatment. There is an old mosque in the village. It was built in 1923 by Mr. Haji

Ahmad. Traditional houses in the village were made of wood. Most if the houses

are now replaced by cement/brick structures.

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POPULATION

The total number of residents has increased steadily since 2000. In 2000,

there were more than 1446 people living in Bertam Ulu. Nowadays, there are

about 4800 people in Bertam Ulu. Most of the residents of Bertam Ulu are elderly

villagers. This is because many younger villagers of Bertam Ulu have moved to

cities such as Kuala Lumpur for better job opportunities. The villagers in Bertam

Ulu are mostly Malays but there is also a small number of Chinese and Indians.

The Chinese villagers of Bertam Ulu are mainly Buddhists and most of them

speak Cantonese and Mandarin.

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FACILITIES AND TRANSPORTATION

Police station which is located close to the clinic

The nearest towns are Melaka town and Pekan Sungai Udang which are

located 14 Kilometers and 6 Kilometers away respectively. There are other towns

nearby such as Pekan Cheng. The most popular mode of transport in the villager is

cars and motorcycles. Villagers often use public transport when they wish to

travel out of town. The only public transport in Bertam Ulu is taxi. Villagers

complain the public transport service is inadequate. In fact, when this project team

visited Bertam Ulu, public bus service had stopped for 3 months without any

reason.

As informed by the Pengerusi JKKK Bertam Ulu, Mr Sidang Abdullah

Latip Mohamed, basic public amenities are very important for the villager’s

quality of life. Fortunately, the village has piped water supply, electricity, schools,

health facilities and other public facilities. Public facilities are administered by the

Village Security and Development Committee (JKKK). Electricity is supplied by

Tenaga Nasional Bhd (TNB).

Mobile phone services are used widely in Bertam Ulu. Besides that,

TELEKOM Malaysia provides telecommunication services including fixed lines

and internet dial-up facilities to the villagers. Several public telephone booths are

located around Bertam Ulu.

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Shoplots at Bertam Ulu

Wooden houses in Bertam Ulu

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The only clinic at Bertam Ulu

The only public library at Bertam Ulu

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EDUCATION

There are only five pre-schools and two primary schools in the village.

The primary schools are SJK (C) Bertam Ulu and SK Bertam Hulu.

SK Bertam Hulu was established in 1910 by O.T. Dussek. This school was

previously known as Melayu Bertam Hulu. It located 13.6 kilometers away from

Melaka Town. Currently, it has 48 teachers and 585 students only. The

headmaster of this school is PN Rokiah BT Haron. Special features of SK Bertam

Hulu are its pre-school and its special education programme called Program

Pendidikan Khas Bermasalah Pembelajaran.

The other school in the village, SJK (C) Bertam Ulu, was established in

1937. It is located 15 kilometers away from Melaka Town. Currently, it has 141

students only. The headmaster of this school is Pn. Khoo Ah Yoot.

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Front view of SK Bertam Ulu

Field at SK Bertam Ulu

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Staff room at SK Bertam Ulu

Teacher in SK Bertam Ulu teaching his students

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Special education class in SK Bertam Ulu

Front view of SJK(C) Bertam Ulu

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Field in SJK© Bertam Ulu

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CULTURE

There are 2 Hindu temples, 1 Chinese temple and 1 mosque in Bertam Ulu area.

Mosque in Bertam Ulu

Chinese temple

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Hindu temple

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ORGANIZATIONS

There are a few local organizations at Bertam Ulu such as:

Belia

Rukun Tetangga

Rakan Muda

Parent Teacher Association (PIBG)

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PROBLEMS

One major problem which Bertam Ulu villagers face is the lack of public

transportation. Many villagers relied on public buses to travel to nearby towns.

However, according to Mr. Sidang Abdullah Latip Mohamed, the bus service

stopped about 3 months ago. As a result, villagers have to resort to taxis which

cost much more.

Another problem is the absence of secondary schools in the village.

Villagers have to travel 25 km or more to attend secondary school in nearby towns.

Travel to and from secondary school costs the villagers considerable time and

money.

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RECOMMENDATION

The JKKK of Bertam Ulu needs to highlight its problems with public

transport to the relevant authorities. Perhaps the village could appeal for

government subsidies so that the bus company can continue its services in Bertam

Ulu.

Besides that, the JKKK could send an appeal to the authorities to establish

a secondary a secondary school in the village. This would benefit many students

in Bertam Ulu and save their families the expense of paying transport to and from

school.

DISCLAIMER:

Information contained in this report was compiled by the University’s students on voluntary basis.

Although every effort has been made to check the accuracy of the report, the University accepts no

responsibility whatsoever for any errors or omissions, if any, the University reserves the right to

make changes on the information at any time without prior notice.

Should there be any queries regarding contents of the report, please contact:

Department of Soft Skills Competency

Tel: 03-78582628 ext 8274, 8656, 8269 (Klang Valley Campus)

05- 4688888 ext 2297/2299/2300 (Perak Campus)