NIBONG TEBAL: The proverb that a great teacher can singlehandedly produce thousands of great students seems apt for Pakatan Harapan candidate Dr Joohari Ariffin, who is contesting the Sungai Bakap state by-election.
This sentiment was shared by his former student, Nor Asyikin Abdullah, who attended Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Agama (SMKA) Nibong Tebal, now known as SMKA Sheikh Abdullah Fahim.
Recalling her time as Joohari's student in Form 2 in 1997, Nor Asyikin, 41, vividly remembered Cikgu Joohari's diligence as a math teacher by day and a school dormitory warden by night.
Nor Asyikin described Joohari as soft-spoken and patient in tutoring his students. Inspired by Joohari, she is now a math teacher at Sekolah Kebangsaan Sungai Burong in Kuala Kurau, Perak.
"Many of us felt comfortable with him. His teaching was focused on not one but many facets of a student's character," she told Bernama on Monday (June 24) after meeting Joohari at Taman Sungai Kechil.
As a school warden, Joohari cared for the students like his own children, showing genuine concern for their welfare.
Another former SMKA Nibong Tebal student, Mohd Hafiz Ali Mohd Anuar, 40, said Joohari went beyond the call of duty as a teacher and warden, spending his money to buy school equipment for less able students.
Mohd Hafiz Ali, an officer at Universiti Sains Malaysia, said Joohari would reach out to students and listen to their problems.
These two former students believe that if Joohari is given the mandate to be a representative of the Sungai Bakap constituents, he will go beyond his best ability to help people in need, just as he has done for his students.
Joohari is being challenged by Nibong Tebal PAS vice president Abidin Ismail of Perikatan Nasional in a one-on-one clash on July 6.
The seat for the constituency, which has 39,279 registered voters, including 57 police personnel, fell vacant following the death of its incumbent, Nor Zamri Latiff, on May 24 due to stomach inflammation. – Bernama
