BESUT: Four armed forces veterans assigned as wardens at Maktab Rendah Sains Mara (MRSM) in Besut will carry out their duties guided by the principle of “wisdom in firmness”, a value instilled in the military.
They are Azman Zahari from Desa Pahlawan Camp, Kota Baru, Kelantan; Kamarul Azron Che Kamaruddin from Gong Kedak Air Base, Besut; Rohaniza Wahab from Syed Sirajuddin Camp, Gemas, Negri Sembilan; and Rohayah Mohamed from KD Pelandok, Lumut, Perak.
Azman, 44, along with his three colleagues, expressed gratitude to Mara for entrusting the veterans with the responsibility of tackling bullying among students.
“With our extensive military experience, we will do our best to achieve the objectives of this project,” he said when met at Besut MRSM yesterday.
Their duty runs from 10pm to 7am, during which several activities are carried out as part of efforts to instil discipline among students.
Although their military experience is applied at MRSM, Azman said the approach was different, as every instruction and activity was tailored to suit the students’ needs.
“In the military, we were trained with firmness and toughness, but in school we apply it differently.
“We need to take on many roles because the students are like our own children. At times we must be firm, at times gentle; sometimes we treat them as friends, and at other times as our children.
“There is no need to use excessive force. Instead, by being firmly subtle, they will naturally feel embarrassed, become more reserved, and develop respect for us.
“Without realising it, discipline becomes ingrained in them. With discipline, students will respect their peers, teachers, elders, and of course, their parents and families,” he said.
Meanwhile, after a week on duty, Kamarul Azron, 44, observed that students’ discipline had improved.
Based on feedback from teachers and security guards, he said that previously, some students were still moving around the hostel compound after 11.30pm, when they were supposed to be asleep and the dormitory lights switched off.
With the appointment of the external wardens, such behaviour no longer occurs.
From 10pm, he said, a briefing is held after Isyak prayers and before returning to the hostel, checks are conducted to ensure that nearly 600 students are accounted for before being allowed back into the dormitories at 11pm.
“Now, once the lights are switched off, the night is quiet. There are no more sounds of talking or loitering around the hostel compound,” he said.
© New Straits Times Press (M) Bhd
