serom实廊 johor date of completion

SEROMABSTRACTSerom is an old village which existed before the World War 2. “Serom”is named aftera plant that growsin the neighbouring town, Muar. Nowadays, Serom has apopulation of 10 thousand and the fruits producedhere are exported to Singapore andChina. The nearby towns around Serom include Bukit Gambir, Sungai Mati, Muar,Tangkak, and Malacca. Gunung Ledang is a popular tourist attraction which is only30 minutes away from Serom. Serom is inhabited by people of various races who livein peace and harmony.1

SEROMINTRODUCTIONSerom is a place which has over 100 years of history. It is located south ofLedang. The name “Serom” is derived from a type of plant that grows along the MuarRiver. The flower of this plant produces a characteristic odour, called “Seom”(Malay).The natives name the village as “Seom” which subsequently became “Serom”as time went by. This is how this lovely village got its name from.The village’s population stands at 10 thousand consisting of Chinese, Malaysand Indians, the majority of whom are Chinese. There are 10 main rivers runningthrough Serom dividing it into ten different areas e.g.: Serom1, Serom 2, Serom 3,Serom 4, Serom 5, Serom 6, Serom 7, Serom 8, Serom 9 and Serom10 (Parit Zing).In the early days, the villagers stayed along the banks of this river which were vital totheir lives not only as a route of transportation but also a source of water and fish.Places around Serom include Bukit Gambir, Tangkak, Mount Ophir (GunungLedang), Muar as well as Malacca. Bukit Gambir is the nearest small town. It liesabout 10km away from Serom,a mere 8-minute drive away. Tangkak is also nearby, a15-min drive through a shortcut at Serom 8. Driving to Muar orMalacca would takeat least 40 min.A toll plaza is currently under construction at Parit Zing which willprovide access to the North-South Expresswaybringing convenience to the nativevillagers.2

SEROMThe entrance toGunungLedangRest place (Left side) and the path to the waterfall (right side)3

SEROMThe shops in Bukit GambirTangkak Toll Plaza along North-South Expressway4

SEROMThe palm oil fieldThis is the mature palm oilSeromis considered a developing area with almost 100 shops and thousands ofhouses within its vicinity. The villagers have also established a small commercial areawithin Serom with shops selling motorbikes, mobile phones, car maintenance services,and so on.7

SEROMOther industries in Serom include factories which manufacture umbrellasandgarments, as well aspalm oil processing plants.The newly established shop-lots for commercial use8

SEROMSOCIAL,CULTURAL& REGIONAL PRACTICESSerom has a population of 10 thousand: 50% are Malays, and 40%areChinese.The rest are made up of Indians and foreigners. All the villagers live inharmony because they are tolerantand understanding of each other. Sometimes, wecan see the Malays using Hokkian to communicate with Chinese villagers. Eventhough they can’t speak fluent Hokkian, they nevertheless get the message across.Similarly, the Chinese will use Malay to chat with other Chinese and Malays. SinceSerom is populated with Chinese and Malays, there are temples and mosques in thevillage. Serom has about 5 mosques and 8 Chinese temples.The Buddhist temple in Serom 99

SEROMThe mosque in Serom 10 (Parit Zing)10

SEROMEDUCATIONThe government has built 5 primary schools and one secondary school inSerom. One of the primary school is named SJK(C)KhayHian. This primary schoolwas established in 1928. It was renovatedaround 2010 to deal with termiteinfestation.It has 35 students and 11 teachers. Mr Eng Pier Seng was elected asthe19th headmaster.According to him, the number of students has been on a steady decline. This isdue not only to the declining population in Serom 8 and 9 but also due to the presenceof another primary school just 3 to 4 km away.Although the number of students is small, the school has been able to providea conducive and stimulating environment for learning. This is the result ofcollaboration between the residents and the government in providing facilities such asa desktop computer for each class room as well as anair conditioned library.The primary school in Parit Zing- SJKC KhayHian11

SEROMThe School CompoundStudents enjoying their breakfast in the canteen12

SEROMSMK Tengku Mahmud Iskandar is the only secondary school in Serom. It wasestablished in 1965.There are 1551 students and 111 teachers including the principal.Majority of students in this school are Malayswith only 20 Chinese students in theschool. Most of the Chinese students choose to study at the private school located inSungai Mati,5 km or 5 minute’s drive from SMK Tengku Mahmud Iskandar. Thereare about 200 households around SMK Tengku Mahmud Iskandar. The number ofstudents in this school has been increasing over the years. All its facilities areprovided by the government.The entrance of SMK Tengku Mahmud Iskandar13

SEROMThe Teacher is briefing regarding the peer mentoring program to the lower six studentsThe classroom for the form 1and form 2 students14

SEROMINFRASTRUCTURE AND FACILITYAlthough there are no hospitals in Serom, there are quite a number ofgovernment clinicsproviding healthcare to the villagers. In case of emergency,patients will be rushed to the nearest hospital located in Tangkak or Muar.There is also a police station in Serom. The police officers are dedicated tofight crime and protect the property of the villagers. They have the welfare of thevillagers in mind when performing their duties.Post boxes are scattered around Serom. The post office in Bukit Gambirprovides courier services and other services to the people of Serom and Bukit Gambir.Lastly, the district council have also built a community hall and a MCA forumin Serom. Inside theMCA forum , there is a library that opensevery weekday.Sometimes, teachers will rent the MCA forum for tuition classes.The Police Station located in Serom 315

SEROMMCA forum located in Serom 3Clinic located in Parit Zing16

SEROMPROBLEMSSerom lacks the following facilities: a fire station, a post office, a recreationpark and more police presence. This is an area which the authorities should look into.Many villagers have converted their fruit orchards into oil palm plantations.This has led to a decline in the production of tropical fruit for export.17

SEROMRECOMMENDATIONSThe head of village should consider submitting formal requests to theTangkak district council department for the following facilities in Serom: fire station,post office and police station.To halt the decline in production of tropical fruit, the authorities may want toconsider providing incentives and benefitsto villagers who plant fruit trees. This willboost our country’s tropical fruit export indirectly. Besides that our government couldsend professionals to help fruit orchard owners increase their productivity byproviding training.18

SEROMENTREPRENEURSHIP OPPORTUNITIESThe main source of income in Serom is fruit and the palm oil export. A foodprocessing factory could be established tocreate jobsfor the localsand boostdevelopment in the area. An entrepreneurcould also set up a palm oil processingplant.Thiscould increase the value of palm oil products.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 noresponsibility whatsoever for any errors or omissions, if any, the University reserves the right to makechanges 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 CompetencyTel: 03-78582628 ext8274, 8656, 8269 (Klang Valley Campus)05- 4688888 ext 2297/2299/2300 (Perak Campus)19