Nostalgic night for former Kupu SB members

FORMER students and council members of the Seri Begawan Religious Teachers University College (Kupu SB) had a nostalgic trip down memory lane on Saturday night when the university college held an appreciation dinner for its former staff and students.

Over 100 people attended the event, consisting of members of the Kupu SB council and former council members from when the university was still a college, as well as former students from the religious institute's first intake in 1972.

Raes of Kupu SB Dr Hjh Masnon Hj Ibrahim said that the institute has so far produced nearly 4,000 religious teachers who are currently working in various positions in education.

"Hopefully, the guidance of the Islamic religious teachers will continue to illuminate the way and be a pillar in Islam till the end of time," she said.

There was a slideshow of old pictures which brought about a feeling of nostalgia and much laughter from the audience.

Dinner was followed by performances of the Tala' al-Badru 'Alayna (a traditional Islamic song), dzikir, recitation of poems and a tausyeh performance.

The finale saw the singing of the official song by the college's first intake of students.

Guest of honour at the ceremony was Minister of Religious Affairs Pehin Jawatan Luar Pekerma Raja Dato Seri Utama Dr Ustaz Hj Mohd Zain Hj Serudin, who was also Chairman of the former college council from 1972 to 1988.

The building of the university college's campus began in 1968 and was completed in 1970. The college began accepting students in January of 1972, with 30 students making up the first intake. A further 30 students were accepted in July of the same year.

It was opened officially in 1975 by His Majesty the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam, when 47 of its students became the first to receive the Seri Begawan Religious Teacher certificate. The institute became a university college in 2007.

Its vision is to achieve academic excellence in the training of religious teachers in Malay society that is world-class. While its mission is to increase the level of training of religious teachers through the integration of knowledge, training, research, services, skills, technology and identity-based Islamic principles and philosophy of education.

The Brunei Times