Kuala lumpur: More than six decades after he first set foot at Sultan Idris Training College (SITC) as a young student, former Singapore Senior Minister of State (Education) Datuk Seri Sidek Saniff recalled his struggle to pursue teacher training education before serving in the republic. Now aged 88, he was among the earliest SITC students from Singapore who studied in Tanjong Malim from 1955 to 1957, when the institution stood as the highest symbol of teacher education in the Malay Archipelago, and he later became the head student in his final year of studies.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, Sidek Saniff shared that in 1957, the selection of the head student was proposed to be carried out democratically. He was deeply touched when his friends from Malaya wanted him to assume the position, even though Singapore had yet to gain independence while Malaya was on the verge of independence on August 31. He expressed that the experience at SITC was significant for him as it was not just a place of learning, but also where he learned about human values, openness of mind, and democracy.

The Singaporean figure regarded Abdul Razak Abdul Hamid, known as Razak Sensei, as his idol. Abdul Razak was a Malaysian academic and the only Malaysian survivor of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima on August 6, 1945. A prominent professor of the Japanese language, he earned the nickname "Razak-sensei" from friends and university students. Sidek Saniff was met during the Former SITC Students Reunion Ceremony held at Dewan Sri Tanjung, Sultan Abdul Jalil Shah Campus, Sultan Idris Education University (UPSI).

Meanwhile, SITC alumnus Datuk Abdul Aziz Abdullah, now 91, remarked on the establishment of the institution in 1922 as a major turning point in efforts to uplift the dignity of the Malays through education, especially in training teachers during the British colonial era. He noted that during the colonial era, Malays were not allowed to pursue higher education. After completing Standard Five, those who wished to continue had to become trainee teachers and enter SITC. This institution was established specifically to train Malay teachers from across Malaya.

SITC Alumni president Datuk Seri Ahmad Burak, also a member of the UPSI Board of Directors, stated that the reunion programme aimed to gather former students from the earliest eras of SITC, some near the age of 100. The primary objective was to reunite individuals who had not met in decades, some entering SITC as young as 13. The programme also served as a platform for documentation and preservation by the university, as the number of living alumni dwindles, and provided an opportunity to learn from the SITC figures present.

The event, attended by over 60 participants, included several programmes such as a screening on the history of SITC's establishment, a visit to UPSI's Sultan Abdul Jalil Shah Campus, the former SITC building, and a reunion dinner in the evening.