| Lyna Mohamad |
AS PART of the annual activities of Awang Semaun Secondary School (SMAS) before the start of the GCE ‘O’ Level examinations, the school recently held an Izin Ilmu for its Year 11 students who will sit for the examinations to seek blessings from Allah the Almighty.
The ceremony began with the mass recitation of Surah Al-Fatihah and Doa Selamat by Ustaz Noordin bin Haji Abdul Rahman.
This was followed by a welcoming speech by the school’s Principal Siti Marienah binti Haji Umar who said that apart from seeking blessings from Allah the Almighty, the ceremony also served to seek for a smooth sailing process for the students in answering questions during the examinations. She also hoped the students would do their best and never give up.
During the ceremony, three former SMAS students who were successful in their studies were invited by the school to share their experience with the Year 11 students and their parents.
One of the speakers was former SMAS student (2002-2006) and now Special Duties Officer at the Information Department, Prime Minister’s Office Abdul Karim bin Hamdan. He said he likes to challenge himself to do better in his studies and advised the students to seek their parents’ blessings as well as focus on the subjects that they can score well and yet not leave other subjects behind.
Captain Dr Muhammad Nur Azwan bin Arrif, another speaker and former SMAS student (2005-2009) who is now a Dental Officer at the Royal Brunei Navy, Ministry of Defence, said that during his time he requested extra classes from his teachers.
Coming from an average family, he said what motivated him to do better in his studies was how he could help his parents while he desired to get a job with a good salary.
He advised the students to revise continuously step by step, plan their studies prior to the examinations and prioritise which subjects come first in the examinations.
The ceremony continued with the ‘recall’ session by the school’s Deputy Principal of Administration Haji Fadhillah bin Haji Ismail.
A teacher representing the school’s Year 11 teachers, Siti Salmiah binti Haji Suili, delivered a speech recalling memories with students during Year 9 until now. This was followed by a speech from a Year 11 representative Amirah Bazilah binti Haji Addy Helmi Eskandar Shah.
The ceremony ended with the recitation of Doa Peperiksaan and Ziarah session with parents and teachers.