Melaka State Prominent Teacher Award

“My philosophy in life is simple yet firm, that is, be positive and visionary, and ever ready to offer constructive ideas, be it to friend or foe”

This the life’s philosophy of the 1995 Melaka State Prominent Teacher Award recipient that has brought success to him in two vastly different fields – education and politics. The recipient is Datuk Seri Abu Zahar bin Haji Isnin. He was born in Kampung Merlimau Pasir and became a teacher in 1960. This 4^th child of seven siblings received his early education at the Merlimau Malay School from 1946 to 1948 and during the next year, he managed to attent the Special Malay Class at the Melaka High School. Even when he was growing up, Abu Zahar had shown his talent as a tough and highly respected leader. He was very active in uniformed, language, debating and cultural societies, as well as in sports.

Abu Zahar believes that knowledge will enlighten our lives. In 1957, Abu Zahar passed the Senior Cambridge examination and set his sight on becoming a teacher when he was accepted into the Teachers’ College in Kota Bahru, Kelantan. After he completed the one-year training, he continued his training at the Language Teachers’ College at Bukit Senyum, Johor Bahru and Lembah Pantai, Kuala Lumpur.

After completing his teacher’s training in 1959, he began his teaching career at the Yok Bin High School, Melaka from 1960 to 1966. In 1967, Abu Zahar was promoted to Senior Assistant Principal at Tun Perak Secondary School in Jasin till 1979. Datuk Seri Abu Zahar, together with his colleagues, has been instrumental in setting up the Poor Students Welfare Body at the school. Various programmes implemented were meant to help students from poor families. Such a programme was the Textbooks Loan Scheme that proved so successful that the government soon adopted it.

Datuk Seri Abu was appointed Acting Principal of the Yok Bin High School before he moved on to the Ministry of Education, Kuala Lumpur, to take up the post of Language Senior Coordinator, Schools Division. His involvement in the field of education took an interesting turn when in 1984, he was sent to further his studies at the Brighton Polytechnic Language Centre, England. When he returned from England, he was appointed the Deputy Director-General of Education, Schools Liaison and Registration Unit, at the Melaka Department of Education.

Busy that he was with his job as an educator, he actively participated in the welfare and voluntary bodies. As a leader with the people’s welfare constantly in his mind, he led and joined various welfare societies including youth movements. Abu Zahar was a Local Chairman of Jasin District Boy Scout, Chairman of Kampung Rim MAYC, Chairman of Jasin 4B Youth Movement, Treasurer of Melaka MAYC and Jasin Boy Scout Commissioner.