James Kon
Teachers, who received the Special Mention Teacher’s Day Appreciation awards on October 4 in conjunction with Brunei Darussalam’s 32nd Teacher’s Day Celebration, expressed their motivation to continue imparting knowledge and skills to students, who are the future asset of the country.
One recipient was Faridah binti Haji Mustapa, a Malay language teacher from Nusa Laila Puteri School, Kampong Sungai Buloh.
“Alhamdullilah, I am happy to receive this prestigious award,” she said. “I would like to share that to reach any achievement, it is important to not only work hard but to be trustworthy. With hard work and a never-say-die attitude as well as support from the school, we can do our best in providing the best education for students.”
She said, “I always encourage my students to work hard, especially in Year 6, when they are about to take the Primary School Assessment (PSR) examination.”
Faridah, who has been teaching for 24 years, reflected on her career as an educator.
“A career as a teacher is challenging. You need to be patient as well as determined in educating students as they are the future of the country,” she said.
“It is important to be sincere with the students because a teacher is entrusted with the responsibility to shape a student’s future.”
She shared, “I had always been interested in teaching. I want to see success in my students.
Teacher’s support is important to students as it helps them to progress and be successful in whatever field they pursue.”
Fellow recipient Haji Muhammad Zuwaini bin Haji Aliyani of Ma’had Islam Brunei said, “With this award, I feel that my nine years of hard work have been recognised.
“I will continue with my passion by introducing more creativity into my teaching. I will not only teach in class but also outside of school, by holding activities such as talent shows and dakwah song performances.”
He also recalled how he started his career as a teacher.
“After graduating from Universiti Brunei Darussalam (UBD), I worked as a relief teacher. A year later, I was appointed as an education officer. I teach geography and social studies subjects as well as being active in national or international competitions.
“My biggest competition was Asia Pacific ICT Alliance Awards (APICTA) in 2019, during which me and my students won a merit award, and were named champions in Brunei’s ICT Awards (BICTA) competition.
“I actually didn’t have plans to become a teacher. But, my parents were my inspiration and had asked me to continue my studies. I followed their advice and fell in love with teaching during my time at Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah Institute of Education (SHBIE),” he admitted.
He added, “From there, my passion, energy and spirit to become a good teacher have continued until today, to inspire other teachers and students.”
Meanwhile, Kwan Fui San, a Mandarin language teacher of 25 years at Chung Hwa Middle School BSB, shared, “I am honoured to receive the award. I feel that my hard work has paid off. I will continue teach Mandarin to students in my school.
“There is an increasing number of non-Chinese students interested in learning Mandarin and many Malay students have also gotten ‘A’ in their tests.”
She also said, “Thanks to my mother, I had always wanted to be teacher. I like to share ideas and also be a leader to teachers and students, while always looking to explore a new approach or fun way to teach.”
