JOHOR BARU: It was a sad day for the 921 staff and students of Sultan Ibrahim Girls School (SIGS) as they bid their school principal Rosliza Taib farewell.
The dynamic teacher recently retired from service, after two years as its principal.
Her stint as principal had brought about positive changes in the school.
Not only did its academic performance in the public examinations improve significantly, the school also underwent a physical facelift, redeveloping its library, improving the classrooms standard for the fifth formers and beautifying the landscape of the school.
She was also responsible for the networking and linking programme with strategic partners between Japan and Indonesia.
The energetic principal was also the primary force behind the school's digitalisation plan and the Alumni Hi-Tea school fundraising project.
In her farewell speech, she said: "It was a journey of trials and tribulations, but I have no regrets today because I know I have done my best to give you the best."
Rosliza, who was appointed SIGS principal in 2020, said she had many fond memories of the school.
She began her teaching career in 1990 in Kota Tinggi and later saw attachment at several schools in Johor Baru before being promoted as principal of SMK Bandar Uda Utama in 2017.
In 1997, 2002, 2009, 2014 and 2021 she received the excellent service awards from the Education Ministry, and in 2021 was appointed as an excellent principal.
Earlier in the school hall, there were performances by the school band, choir and combo groups. Students presented a line-up of entertainment including songs, poetry recitation and dance.
Present were Parent-Teachers-Association (PTA) chairman Mohd Radzi Harun, teachers, staff and invited guests.
"Every moment spent in school is the proudest moment for me because I get to see the students putting in effort and trying their best," she said.
Over the course of her career, she observed that things were changing for the better.
"In the past, everyone would quietly copy the notes given by the teachers in class. Now, we encourage interaction in the classroom. Sometimes it is good to have 'constructive noise', which is a sign that they are having fun learning," she said.
Under Rosliza's leadership, the school ranking improved and is one of the top 10 schools in the district in terms of academic performance in the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) examination.
"The rewards of teaching are palpable. I take no credit for the successes of these students, but I have had the privilege of a small influence on their growth and development."
While being a teacher is "a respectable job", she said, being a principal can be "extremely rewarding".
"I enjoyed every moment of being a teacher. Besides Business and Accounts, I also taught my students compassion, moral values and (how to make) wise choices," said the 56-year-old principal.
Meanwhile, Rosliza thanked the teachers for their cooperation, which enabled her to execute her duties smoothly.
She also expressed gratitude towards the PTA for their support towards the school's activities and developments.
SIGS students described Rosliza as the greatest principal they ever had, adding she was wonderful, awesome, immense, amazing and cool.
Rosliza's farewell speech was full of emotion as she talked about her 32 years of service and how much she would miss the teaching fraternity.
There was pomp and pageantry when she was given a grand send-off by the teachers and students.
She was driven in an open air Mercedes-Benz as students and teachers escorted her down the road. She couldn't contain her tears as she bade farewell.
