The Sun shines on SSTMI
Can a student excel in both sports and studies? Can sports change the life and character of a student? One school has showed the way and it’s none other than Tunku Mahkota Ismail Sports School (SSTMI) in Bandar Penawar, Johor. The school was on the brink of collapse before Suhaimi Sun Abdullah came to its rescue as its new principal in 2014. In four years, he turned things around with his strong leadership qualities, love for sports and youths. Starsport’s RAJES PAUL met up with this modest “cikgu” recently at a coffee shop in Kuala Lumpur and came away awed and inspired by the school’s rags-to-riches story.
KUALA LUMPUR: A well-dressed Suhaimi Sun Abdullah’s greying hair was smartly combed back.
The 58-year-old appeared calm and relaxed despite all the running around as the principal of Tunku Mahkota Ismail Sports School (SSTMI) in Bandar Penawar, Johor.
Not to mention his hectic weekly travel schedule from Johor to Kuala Lumpur, where his family resides.
Age has caught up with the man fondly known as Cikgu Suhaimi but his dynamism, devotion and desire to raise the standard of Malaysian sports through a vibrant and balanced sports school system have not diminished at all.
It was no secret that SSTMI, which was opened in 1998, was on the brink of destruction before Suhaimi took over as the head in October 2014.
The buildings were falling apart, sports facilities were deplorable, the student intakes had dropped drastically and there was neither excellence in sports nor studies.
But when Suhaimi stepped in, he hit the ground running as there was no time to sit, relax and observe as many new leaders tend to do.
Instead, he changed the mind-set of the students, cultivated the self-belief in athletes, refurbished the facilities, raised the motivation level of the staff and coaches, connected with the community around the school and won the trust of every stakeholder. He also dealt with with indiscipline sternly but fairly.
Students from every race were given fair and equal treatment. Selections were based on merit.
Within a year, there was transformation in the school. There were results on and off the field.
Now, many aspiring students make a beeline to get a place in SSTMI.
Although the school has proven to be more successful than BJSS in terms of producing quality talents for the country especially in athletics, Suhaimi is not resting on his laurels.
“SSTMI is a school for champions. It involves work, lots of it and there’s no time to waste,” said the Michigan State University graduate Suhaimi, who was first seconded to Bukit Jalil Sports School (BJSS) from the Ministry of Education (MOE) in 1997.
“SSTMI is a choice school for any young athlete who is serious about pursuing sports at the highest level and appreciate a flexible and rigorous academic programme concurrently.”
There are now 15 sports academies in SSTMI that oversee the sports programme – with athletics, rugby and hockey having produced world-class athletes.
“Our managers, coaches, mentors and boarding staff see the holistic development and well-being of the student-athletes in the sports academies,” said Suhaimi.
“As far as the academics are concerned, we have primary, secondary and pre-university programmes. We work closely with our partners from the Ministry of Higher Education and universities.”
Last year, sprinters from SSTMI made the school proud and there were good results from bowling, diving, hockey, cycling and rugby too.
Khairul Hafiz Jantan emerged as the country’s new star when he won the 100m sprint gold at the Kuala Lumpur SEA Games in August.
Four other students – Badrul Hisyam Abdul Manap, Azam Masri, Asnawi Hashim and Haiqal Hanafi – also produced top performances in the sprints.
And SSTMI showed that they even have depth in their talent when several youngsters stole the show in this year’s Asean School Games by winning gold medals in athletics.
“We’ve produced Olympians and world champions. Our athletes have taken part in Asian Games, Commonwealth Games and SEA Games. Our student-athletes train in world-class facilities,” said Suhaimi.
“We’ve experienced coaches who focus on specific training, individualised plans, development cycles and performance methodology.
“Our cutting-edge technology helps build student-athletes’ skill set, which includes resilience, agility, nutritional instruction, proactive regeneration and confidence.”
Why the students in SSTMI are different from the other schools is also because of a good mentoring system.
Suhaimi said the success of the school was not just one man’s effort.
“We’ve achieved commendable sports and academic results over the four years because our coaches, teachers and staff are committed to evidence-based principles and practices of exemplary instruction,” he said.
“This ensures rigour and coherence in the domains of education and sports development.
“We want to be the best and learn from the best. We’ve the right platform to produce Olympic and world champions – only we can push ourselves further,” he added.
With a vibrant and visionary leader like Suhaimi at the top, SSTMI will no doubt continue to produce champions on and off the field and will be a model school for others.