The hostel years that shaped Abang Jimmy

When Abang Jimmy Abang Mordian stepped into a school dormitory in Betong recently, the sight of neatly arranged beds and lockers immediately took him back several decades.

His own boarding-school days had looked very different. The mattresses were thin, broken window panes let rain blow into the room during storms, and mosquitoes were a constant nuisance.

Clothes were washed by hand because there were no washing machines.

“I truly understand the experiences and challenges of students staying in hostels because I’ve been there,” the 50-year-old told Bernama.

Today, Abang Jimmy holds a senior leadership role in the energy sector. But from Form One to Form Five, he was simply another student living away from home at Kolej Datu Patinggi Abang Haji Abdillah in Kuching.

A second home

Abang Jimmy grew up in Kampung Melayu Tebakang in Serian, about 65km from Kuching, in a family where money was often tight.

He remembers watching relatives and neighbours rely on whatever they could obtain from the river and jungle. One childhood image has stayed with him: a single chicken being shared among 10 to 15 family members.

Nothing went to waste: even the skin was fried and saved as a snack.

Those experiences shaped the way he looked at education. He did not imagine studying overseas or one day becoming the head of a major company; his ambition was simply to make it to a local university.

“I only wanted to go to Universiti Malaya,” he recalled. At the hostel, he studied late into the night, sometimes until 2am, determined to do well in SPM.

Before his results were even released, an unexpected opportunity arrived. Based on his trial examination results, he received scholarship offers from two oil companies, including one that would take him to Australia.

“I never imagined I would be offered the chance to study overseas,” he shared. He accepted the scholarship and eventually built a career that took him far beyond what he had pictured as a teenager.

Decades later, Abang Jimmy found himself visiting SMK Pusa in Betong, where four hostel blocks had recently been upgraded.

For him, the improvements were not abstract. Ceiling fans, repaired electrical systems, window netting, washing machines and proper beds were exactly the kinds of things his younger self would have appreciated.

The school’s hostel population has grown from 205 students last year to 230 this year, while attendance has also improved. All boarding students who sat for SPM 2025 qualified for the certificate, with one scoring 8As.

Abang Jimmy believes the value of hostel life goes beyond better grades. Living away from home taught him independence and resilience, while also forcing him to manage his time and responsibilities from a young age.

“Knowledge alone is not enough. It’s also about the character you build,” he said.

For students at SMK Pusa, a more comfortable dormitory may simply mean getting a better night’s sleep, having somewhere dry to study, and not having to worry as much about basic daily chores.

For Abang Jimmy, stepping back into a hostel also meant coming face to face with a version of himself he has never quite forgotten – the schoolboy who stayed up late, swatted away mosquitoes, and hoped education might open a door.

It eventually did.

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