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The 8th global gathering of Nantah graduates which was attended by 600 people, came to a close on June 9. As we parted in Sabah, we wished each other well and promised to meet again in Penang in two years’ time.
On June 10, Kota Kinabalu Airport was packed with Nantah alumni who were returning either to Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, Indonesia or Hong Kong. Some were on their way to visit Sandakan or other tourist spots in Sabah. It seemed as though the participants had come and left in great haste. Nevertheless, the biennial event never fails to draw alumni from all over the world to meet and catch up with one another.
Founded in 1955, Nantah merged with the University of Singapore in 1980 to become the National University of Singapore.
In 1983, the Nantah Alumni Association in Singapore began organising a series of “Nantah Nights” which were attended by both local alumni as well as those from the various states in Malaysia. Soon, the alumni associations in Singapore and Malaysia were taking turns to host these gatherings.
Then, in 1992, alumni in Canada initiated the First Global Reunion of Nantah Alumni in Toronto. Thereafter, the event was held every year at different venues until 1995, when it was decided that it would instead be organised once every two years. Over a period of 10 years, eight worldwide reunions have been held, a number that all alumni could feel proud of.
What motivates Nantah alumni associations all over the world to put in money and hard work to vie for the honour of hosting a reunion? What makes alumni drop their work and business to show up at a get-together?
“It is the call of the Nantah spirit.”;”It shows that the Chinese-educated value the friendships of fellow students.”; “It is the influence of the Chinese culture.” All these reasons have been suggested.
There is no doubt that the Nantah spirit is the key factor that bonds the alumni. Right from the first to the last batch, all former Nantah students had studied in an environment that was less than secure. In the early years, facilities were poor and Nantah degrees were not recognised. Over time, things improved and Nantah degrees also received the recognition of the government. However, a succession of reports on the viability of Nantah and a series of measures to alter its system soon followed. But learning in an atmosphere of uncertainty about the future helped students then to forge a sense of “common destiny”.
When Nantah was closed in 1980, many felt they had lost a pillar of strength and an alma mater for them to contribute something in return. Yet it strengthened the sense of cohesion among them. The gathering of Nantah graduates has been a regular event since 1983 - from the early “Nantah Nights” which culminated in a global reunion of alumni.
It is a tradition for Chinese-educated students in Singapore and Malaysia to meet up regularly after graduating from school. For instance, the Chung Ling High School in Penang has a longer history than Nantah of organising such reunions. Held every year at a different place in the world, it is a grand event with a big turnout to boot. Alumni of Pei Feng Secondary School in Malacca who also keep in touch through such gatherings are even setting up a property fund for their alma mater. Yet another example is alumni of Ipoh’s Yu Cai Secondary School who broke with tradition this year to have a reunion on a cruise.
In May this year, alumni of The Chinese High in Singapore who live in various parts of the world, reunited in Guangzhou, China. Whenever its alumni association holds the annual dinner to mark the school’s anniversary, response from alumni in Malaysia and China will be overwhelming. The same can be said of the anniversary celebrations of Chung Cheng High and Yuying Secondary.
All this is a clear reflection of the value people from traditional Chinese schools attach to friendships developed over the years in the campus.
Alumni of Nantah, Chung Ling High School, Chinese High, Chung Cheng High and other schools had all studied in an environment that stressed self-reliance and had also received an education steeped in Chinese culture. Perhaps a sense of cultural identification has created a unique bond among them.
The situation is rather different now for younger generations of students. They learn under an uniform education system in campuses which are well taken care of by the government, but which lack a strong ambience of Chinese culture. I wonder if their friendships will last after they leave school, as in the case of students in the past.
（The writer is a retired Zaobao journalist. Translated by Yap Gee Poh.）
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600人参加的第8届全球南大校友联欢会已经在6月9日落幕了，在沙巴分手时，大家互言珍重，相约2年后在槟城再见。
6月10日的亚庇机场，南大校友济济一堂，有的回返吉隆坡，有的回返新加坡，有的回印尼，有的回香港，有的续程到山打根或沙巴的其他旅游地点。来也匆匆，去也匆匆，只为了两年一度的聚会，校友们千里迢迢地从世界各地赶到一个约定的地方聚会。
南洋大学于1955年开学，1980年与新加坡大学合并为国立大学，1983年新加坡南洋大学毕业生协会发起举办“南大之夜”，除了本地校友参加之外，马来西亚各州的校友也来赴会。接着新马各地的南大校友会轮流主办“南大之夜”。
到了1992年，加拿大校友发起在多伦多举办第一届全球南大校友联欢会，接着每年轮流在各地举行，1995年起才改为两年一次，前后10年就举办了8届的联欢会，次数相当频繁。
是什么因素促使各地的南大校友不畏艰难，不怕辛苦，出钱出力争取主办联欢会？是什么力量召唤世界各地的校友放下工作，搁下业务依约赴会？
有人说：“这是南大精神的召唤”；有人说：“这是华校生重视同窗之谊的表现”；有人说：“这是受了中华文化的熏陶”。
当然，南大精神的召唤是最重要的因素，南大校友从第一届的老大哥和老大姐到最后一届的“关门子弟”都是在不安定的环境求学，早期生活设施不完善，学位不受承认。后来，生活设施改善了，学位也受到本地政府的承认，可是评估南大的报告书层出不穷，改制的措施接二连三，同学们在“前程未卜”的气氛中学习，大家有着“共同命运”的感受。
1980年南大被关闭了，大家仿佛失去了精神的支柱，失去了反哺的对象，凝聚力反而加强。因此，从1983年起，从未间断地举行聚会，从新马校友轮流举行的“南大之夜”到全球南大校友联欢会。
举办校友联欢会或嘉年华会可以说是新马华校生的传统，槟城钟灵中学校友举办嘉年华会的历史比南大校友联欢会更加悠久，钟灵校友嘉年华会每年轮流在世界各地举行，参加人数众多，声势浩大。散居各地的马六甲培风中学的校友不但定期举办嘉年华会，他们还为母校筹募置业基金。怡保育才中学的校友也轮流在各地举行嘉年华会，今年他们别出心裁地在游轮上聚会。
今年5月，散居各地的新加坡华侨中学校友在广州举行嘉年华会。向来华中校友会举办校庆晚宴时，中国及马来西亚的校友都踊跃出席。此外，中正、育英等校友会举办校庆晚宴时，不少散居各地的校友都前来参与，反映了这些传统华校的校友珍惜在校园建立起来的友谊。
南大、钟灵、华中以及中正等的校友都曾在自力更生的学校就读，都曾接受过中华文化的熏陶，也许文化上的共识把他们结合在一起，产生浓浓的凝聚力。现在，新一代的各校校友在统一教育源流的环境求学，在政府照顾得很好的校园学习，在中华文化已经淡薄的气氛中受教育，就不知道以后他们的凝聚力能否像前辈一样。
·作者是刚退休的本报记者
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