BENCHMARK VISIT: (From sixth left, front) Serina, Ira, and other participants at SM Sains Miri.
MIRI: Twenty trainee teachers from the Teacher Education Institute, Sarawak Campus (IPGKS) made a benchmark visit to SM Sains Miri (Sainsri) in Bakam here recently.
Accompanied by lecturer-advisor Ira Bhattacharyya from IPGKS, they were welcomed by Sainsri principal Hajah Serina Sauni, who is also an ‘Excellent Principal’ (“Pengetua Cemerlang”), together with her team of ‘Excellent Teachers’ (“Guru Cemerlang”) and four young ambassadors of selected students.
“Our main purpose is to meet the team consisting of ‘Excellent Principal and Excellent Teachers’ of Sainsri to learn how they instil the culture of excellence in their school,” said trainee teacher and organising chairman Mohamad Khairuddin Mohamad Zatar.
The trainees from the PISMP intake for Primary School Mathematics, now in their sixth semester, took the opportunity to learn from the experience of ‘Excellent Teacher’ in Mathematics, Norsyafikhoh Abdul Ghani in preparing for a career path leading to an ‘Excellent Teacher’.
“We admire the enthusiasm shown by Hajah Serina, Cikgu Norsyafikhoh and all the teachers in putting their skills, passion, and knowledge into action, while the young ambassadors impressed us with their confidence and leadership abilities,”remarked Khairuddin.
The Teachers’ Character Building (BIG) programme, now in its sixth phase, provided the trainees the chance to develop their knowledge and leadership potential by participating in camps, seminars, talks, forums and benchmark visits to ‘Excellent Schools’ (“Sekolah Cemerlang”).
It is also a means to inculcate a spirit of cooperation and solidarity among trainees with the community outside the campus.
Meanwhile, Ira said that the visit to a ‘High Performance School’ would help trainees identify and analyse the qualities necessary to develop excellence in the teaching profession, as well as to prepare them for challenging tasks in future, particularly to fulfil the nation’s vision for excellence in all fields of education.
In the closing ceremony, Ira accompanied by Khairuddin presented a book “SPM Maths Made Easy” to Serina as a token of their appreciation.
The book is a compilation of SPM questions based on the latest format designed to help students solve challenging mathematics questions, and also marks the first time the group published their work.
The visit was completed with visits to the Academic Building, a walk through the state-level award-winning anti-dadah corridor and around the school compound with beautifully landscaped garden.
Serina advised trainees to start now and start it right, never underestimating the teaching profession.
“Smile whenever facing your students in class – they will be more cheerful, relaxed and attentive, you’ll be surprised at how effective your lesson will be,” said Serina who emphasised on the importance of catering to the students’ needs and working as a team.
Serina also highlighted human resource development as the key to success.
Holding on to these principles helped Sainsri to be listed as one of the 23 ‘High Performing Schools, Second Phase’ in 2011.
Sainsri which started in 1990 with only five teachers including the principal has consistently produced excellent students and most of the alumni hold prominent positions in society today.