HM visit inspires students

DESPITE having only a day in between entertaining the Prime Minister of Malaysia and taking part in the celebration of His Majesty's own birthday, His Majesty, Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu'izzaddin Waddaulah, the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam took the time to look into the welfare of students in a surprise visit to two schools in the Brunei-Muara district yesterday.

The Sultan first visited the Katok Sixth Form Centre (PTE Katok) in Kampung Katok in the capital and followed by a short visit to the Al-Falaah Primary School in Ban 5, Kampung Mulaut.

The monarch, who was accompanied by His Royal Highness Prince 'Abdul 'Azim visited the PTE Katok school first, catching everyone by surprise. According to sources at the scene, His Majesty had arrived first, with officials from the Ministry of Education arriving shortly after.

His Majesty's visits were more than just looking at the school's infrastructure, with the working monarch taking time yesterday to ask many of the students on what they were involved in and what they aspired to be.

"His Majesty asked what subjects I had taken," said Mohd Ridha @ Ruzaini Hj Alim, who is studying Syariah and Maths. "His Majesty also asked why I did not apply to a university abroad, and only to KUPU SB, and when I told him that it was because my English was not strong enough, he encouraged me to try and improve my English."

Nurhanisah Hosni, Nur Raihana Yussof and Mohd Fauzul Azlim, who were in the PTE Katok Careers and Further Education Unit when His Majesty arrived, said that they were filling out forms for their UCAS applications when His Majesty appeared.

"He asked where we wanted to go and study and whether we had already decided on what we wanted to do," said Nur Hanisah. His Majesty also told each of the three to study hard, before moving onto the auditorium hall.

Here, His Majesty witnessed two groups of students participating in the martial arts, Tae Kwon Do and Kendo. The monarch asked a number of them how long they had trained in the sport, and in the case of the Kendo students about their sport and equipment.

His Majesty then consented to mingle with the students of the Sixth Form Centre, signing autographs while finding out more about their academic endeavours.

One student the monarch had spoken to was Lower Sixth Form student Siti Noor Syafiqah Abd Latif from class BE17. She said excitedly, "His Majesty asked me what phone I was using and then he autographed it."

Hazirah Hj Mohd from class BE1 said that His Majesty asked her what subjects she took and told her to work hard for her upcoming exams.

Meanwhile, Abdul Azim Hj Ladi from Upper Sixth Form, AE5, said that the Sultan had asked him about his preparations for his upcoming 'A' Level exams and encouraged him to work hard.

Abdul Hakam Hj Ibrahim, a member of the student council, said that the visit by His Majesty has spurred him on.

"I will try my best to study, so I can give back to Brunei in the future," he said.

His Majesty then proceeded to the Arts & Design section, taking in the art work of students and sculptures. It was a proud moment for Hj Ahmad Zulkhairi, whose crafted portrait of His Majesty using spray paint on plywood was signed by the monarch.

His Majesty took in several presentations at the Co-Curricular Activities room, enquiring about the activities that the students participated in.

During His Majesty's tour to the Subjects Gallery, student Neo Hwee Yong presented a video on the great white sharks.

"I was pretty nervous as I would really like His Majesty to see this video on the great white sharks as my studies have proven that the sharks have become an endangered species. His Majesty's visit today and his attention on this particular matter really means a lot to us," said Neo.

The Upper Sixth Form student said that His Majesty's visit has motivated him to study harder.

His Majesty then proceeded to Al-Falaah Primary School, a private school that teaches children the Arabic language. Here, the Sultan toured the school briefly and was greeted with prayer and dzikir from the children studying at the Ban 5 institution. During the school visits, His Majesty was joined by Pehin Orang Kaya Seri Kerna Dato Seri Setia Dr Haji Abu Bakar bin Hj Apong, Minister of Education as well as senior officials from the Ministry of Education and the Prime Minister's Office.The Brunei Times