7 minute read
Sailing Through an Eventful Journey
The happiest moment of my life was to be able to care for my parents
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SAILING THROUGH AN EVENTFUL JOURNEY
A Grateful Son
At the age of nineteen when many young adults are mulling over their true self-identity, Imran was already on his way to shoulder huge responsibilities to his family and his career. “When I came back to Malaysia A young scholar at the in 1975, I really wanted to do University of Liverpool UK the best I could as a grateful son to my parents, to return their kindness in bringing me up and making me what I am. I wish to make them happy and that they do not have to live a hard life anymore.” Imran reminisces, “I looked back at all those years and saw how far I had come and how much they had done for me from infancy to adulthood. Every time I fell, they were there to encourage me to get back on track. All those testing times when life was hard, it was with their tender guiding hands that I had overcome fear, conquered disappointments and confronted frustrations.”
A Versatile Lecturer
Imran marched on his first few years as a lecturer in the Politeknik Ungku Omar making the most of his expertise in two disciplines, engineering and education. He found himself experiencing and learning new things day by day, managing people and maintaining equipment. “Politeknik Ungku Omar is an established polytechnic. The graduates then were well respected and well regarded by the public and private sectors. This I thought was related to both the performance of the staff and also the performance of the students. The students showed consistent results in exams. This goes to prove the correlation between the two. Good teachers produce good students. I guess, it takes two to tango.”
Named after the late Dato’ Profesor Ungku Omar Ahmad, Politeknik Ungku Omar (PUO) was the first polytechnic established in Malaysia. It started its operation in 1969 and has produced competent technicians in the engineering field, executive officers and semi professionals in the both public and private sectors. In 2010, PUO was recognized as a Premier Polytechnic, ready to lead the process of transformation.
ARetirement Tribute to
Dato’ Haji
Imran bin Idris 12
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Escorting a VIP on a visit to PUO
In recalling his past experience, Imran mentions how learning by doing was so much emphasized in the classrooms and workshops. Lecturers and students gained practical experience when they had to maintain equipment themselves. A natural learning environment should be created in the classrooms so that knowledge can be gained through research, trial and error and networking. It is important to create a learning environment where knowledge can be acquired from many resources. Involving students in project work, for instance, allows the students to assume responsibilities. They are responsible for what they learn. When empowered, students ask questions, seek answers and begin to analyze information, hence leading them to be more critical and creative and gradually training them to be independent learners. Imran emphasises, “Students need to be guided and nurtured. They need to be given a strong foundation before they are left on their own.” A close relationship between lecturers and students would result in better interaction and improved performance
An Outstanding School Principal
A young Imran thought that he would be a lecturer forever, but his career path took a turning when he was promoted to become a school principal at the age of 27. He felt that during his time it was rather Principal of SMV Ipoh unusual for an engineering degree holder to be leading a school. To him it was a big challenge to prove the common perception wrong, that technical people are not good at leading an institution. When he stepped into Sek. Men. Vokasional Ipoh as a Principal he had to bear the pressure to do well.
SMV Ipoh PTA’S AGM
Sekolah Menengah Vokasional Ipoh has undergone various changes since its establishment in 1930 as a Goverment Trade School. Now known as Sekolah Menengah Teknik Lebuh Cator the school offers several technical and vocational subjects aimed at developing students’ technical competencies.
However, his experience in playing a multi-faceted role in Politeknik Ungku Omar was all that he needed to fall back on.
He managed to make a significant improvement in the students’ academic performance despite having to face the challenges in disciplining them. At the point when the academic results showed an upward trend he had to leave Sek. Men. Vokasional Ipoh to report for duty at the Batu Pahat Polytechnic.
A Tenacious Principal
Politeknik Batu Pahat was then sharing its premises with Sekolah Menengah Teknik Johor Baharu when Imran was appointed the Principal.
PBP Community event He found himself given a new role to play. With patience and determination things were put in place. He thought the geographical location of the polytechnic had its advantage. Being near Singapore, the staff of the polytechnic had quite a number of chances of visiting technical exhibitions held in Singapore.
Politeknik Batu Pahat started its operation in 1983 and was made a Training Centre for the Polytechnic Staff in 1993. Today, the institution is better known as University Tun Hussein Onn (UTHM).
“The lecturers took a log book with them to note the specifications of mechanical and civil engineering equipment they saw at the exhibitions, giving them the advantage of being at the front line, to be informed of the latest updates on technology.” Lecturers need to equip themselves not only with learning and thinking skills but they need to also aquire information and communication technology literacy. Imran advises lecturers to keep abreast of changing trends in technical education.
ARetirement Tribute to
Dato’ Haji
Imran bin Idris 14
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A Persistent Leader
the polytechnic. It also benefited the staff and students of the polytechnic.”
A Visionary Director
POLIMAS management team
Imran, spent a longer time serving in the Politeknik Sultan Abdul Halim Mu’adzam Shah (POLIMAS). It was in POLIMAS that he paved the way to establish collaborative relationships with the industries. The initiative to engage the industry came about after participating in a six-week study visit to Canada in 1997. The opportunity to visit their community colleges made him realize how much could be gained from mutual relationships with the industry. “The engagement with the industry was very intense. There were activities involving both parties.” Imran did just the right thing in bridging POLIMAS and the industries, as Kedah was just being industrialized. He adds, “there was a great opportunity to be engaged with the industry like Kedah Marble and Siemens in Jitra. The collaboration uplifted the image of When Imran left POLIMAS and climbed up the ladder to assume the post of Director of Technical and Vocational Curriculum Division, he had the opportunity to make a difference. “Curriculum is a very influential tool; it is the basis of the whole process, so when I am asked to lead the Curriculum Division. I got the opportunity to put in all the theory, to realize what I thought should be there.” He realized that it was the curriculum that would determine in the output. In other words the
“Curriculum is a very curriculum determines the quality of influential tool; it is the the students produced. basis of the whole process, “We are accountable for developing so when I am asked to students who are knowledgeable lead the Curriculum and skilful and at the same time
Department I got the enthusiastic about their own learning. opportunity to put in Ultimately they should be able to use their knowledge and skills to function all the theory, to realize effectively in their undertakings. We what I thought should be need to be comprehensive but yet be there.” realistic in achieving our goals.” Imran explains his vision, “The real process of learning is to relate what is learned in the classroom to the real world outside the classroom.”
