TASEK GELUGOR: There was not a dry eye at SK Lahar Yooi recently when pupils gathered at a special assembly to say goodbye to their beloved teacher, Hairunnisha Kallahan.
It was Hairunnisha’s last day of teaching. The 58-year-old from Serdang, Kedah, who has been a teacher for the past 34 years, demonstrated unparalleled love and dedication to her pupils that such a heart-rending farewell was anticipated.
In 2007, Hairunnisha, who was then the school’s senior assistant or penolong kanan (PK1), had relinquished her position and taken on a regular teaching job to be with her pupils and her then young children.
“Being a PK1 comes with responsibilities. My time was spent in meetings and travelling,” she said.
“As a PK1, I could teach only one class, but when I relinquished that position I could teach more pupils as a regular teacher.”
Her pupils loved her in return. They showed remarkable progress in their academic and personal development as a result of her dedication.
“I used to be a strict teacher when I taught at SK Pasir Gebu in Penang.
“There was a boy from a remedial class with whom I had a hard time. Years later, a young man visited me at school, but I could not recognise him. He introduced himself as the boy whom I used to discipline.”
She said the man thanked her for all that she had done for him.
“He said he got into university because of me.
“He thanked me for my patience. It’s things like these that I will carry with me forever,” Hairunnisha said.
She recalled a funny incident when a Year Two pupil gave her a present for her retirement recently.
“It was a bag containing a pair of ladies’ shoes. They looked small and I told him that I couldn’t accept it. Later that day, I called the boy’s mother to thank her for her kind gesture.
“But she was puzzled when she learned about it. That’s when she told me that the pupil had taken her new pair of shoes to give me as a present for my retirement!”
At the farewell ceremony, Year Three pupil Nurul Alya Rosli thanked Hairunnisha for making her a better person.
Year Four pupil Nurul Aqima Dania wrote a special note which read: “The world changes from year to year, our lives from day to day, but the memory of you shall never pass away.”
Hairunnisha received her education at SM Sultanah Asma before joining the Sungai Petani Teachers Training College.
Her first teaching stint was at SK Pasir Gebu in Penaga, Penang, in 1986.
She was promoted to senior assistant in 1990.
She remained in that position until she was transferred to SK Lahar Yooi in 2001.
To her colleagues, Hairunnisha was a source of inspiration.
Teacher Nurain Ahmad said Hairunnisha was her role model.
“Hairunnisha is full of love. She is a great person. She has a quiet and calm demeanour. She loves her friends, pupils and family.
“I have asked her to pray for me, so I can be a great mother like her. I want to raise great children.
“She is an inspiration to teachers.”
Hairunnisha’s eldest son, Amir Hilmi, is a doctor, her second son, Amir Hariz, a dentist, while the third son, Ahmad Ridhwan, is a fourth-year dental student.
“My youngest child, Ahmad Mirza, is studying nursing. As a mother, I am happy with their achievements.”
She said her husband, Abd Aziz Arshad, is her strongest supporter.
“He has been my rock. Aziz has never let me down and understands me well. He is happy that our children are contributing to society.”
As for her retirement plans, Hairunnisha said she wanted to travel to Pakistan to explore her roots as her father was from there and deepen her knowledge of Quran.
