Vijayakumaran, a mechanic by trade, knew that his 18-year-old son Naveenkumar will need money and a laptop to further his studies, after scoring 8As and 1B in his SPM.

However, times have not been easy for the mechanic whose income has not been consistent, making him worry about whether he can provide for his son’s higher education.

“There was a time when I didn’t have a single motorcycle to repair, forcing me to take on part-time jobs. Naveenkumar would always help me fix customers’ motorcycles.

“I always wonder if I will be able to give my children the best. There were times that I couldn’t even give my children pocket money for school,” he told FMT.

Vijayakumaran used to be a mechanic at a factory for 13 years, before an accident left him with a broken leg.

He was given medical leave for two weeks, but he had to take an additional day off, which eventually saw him fired from the job.

“The company manager was angry and sacked me on the spot. I begged the company to keep me but to no avail. After that, I only repaired motorcycles from my home in order to provide for the family.”

His wife, A Deivaletchumy, 52, works at a factory near their home in Taman Mas, Buntong, in Perak.

Vijayakumaran said to earn extra income, he even sang Tamil songs at events but there were not many opportunities.

“My son will be applying to go to university, so he will need some money for the deposit and a laptop. We’re hoping that someone will be able to help,” he said.

Naveenkumar, a Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Sungai Pari student, is Vijayakumaran and Deivaletchumy’s second child.

Their eldest, 20-year-old Janani, is currently studying chemical engineering at Universiti Malaysia Perlis (Unimap) after also scoring 8As in her SPM previously.

Vijayakumaran and his wife are now banking on their children to provide a better future for the family.