THE BIOGRAPHY OF PUAN HAJAH NORAIZAN BINTI MOHAMED

Puan Hajah Noraizan Binti Mohamed was born on 26 November 1958 in Kuala Lumpur as the second daughter of Hj Mohamed bin Ismail and Hjh Rohani binti Hj Dawan. She has eight siblings: an elder sister and seven younger brothers and sisters.  Her eldest sister, who has already retired, began her career as a teacher and later worked in the Education Ministry and Institute of Teacher Education. Her third sister is also a retired teacher who is presently active in social work. Her fourth brother is a pilot whilst her fifth brother is a child neurologist. Her sixth sister works in the psychology department of JPA and is presently doing her Ph.D. Her seventh sister is a solicitor whilst her eighth brother is a pharmacist. And of course, her youngest sister, who had formerly worked in the Prime Minister’s department, is also as successful as her siblings. Thus we can see that all her brothers and sisters are doing very well in their lives.

When I asked about Puan Hajah Noraizan to tell me about her childhood days, she smiled sweetly and behind this sweet smile of hers are the beautiful and nostalgic memories of those good old days that she would always remember. Her father was a surveyor whilst her mother was a housewife. The young Noraizan received her primary education at SK Padang Tembak, Kuala Lumpur and her secondary education (form 1 – form 5) at SMK(P) Jalan Ampang. After having passed her M.C.E. (Malaysian Certificate of Education) with flying colours, she pursued her pre-university studies in Victoria Institution, Kuala Lumpur. During her school days, she was a school prefect and an active netball player. Although she did not come from a well-to-do family, her childhood days have been very happy as her parents were very caring and gave her a lot of moral support. She was also very close to her maternal grandparents as she used to stay with them during her primary school days. As the second eldest child in the family, she looks after her brothers and sisters very well and is loved and respected by all of them. She is also a filial daughter who takes good care of her aged mother as her father has already passed away.

Loving couple: Puan Hajah Noraizan & her husband, Hj Naemuddin, in Korea

The young Noraizan had an ambitious vision and she finally turned it into a mission when she went on to pursue her tertiary education (Bachelor of Science in Education degree) in University Malaya in 1978. There, she first met her husband during the orientation program and, of course, it was love at first sight as they began dating not long after that. Her husband, Hj Naemuddin bin Abdullah, was a Southeast Asian studies undergraduate then and after having graduated from the university, he worked as a bank officer in Bank Bumiputera. After a few years with Bank Bumiputera, he joined SYABAS and had since been working there until his retirement. They got married in October 1982 and together they brought up five lovely children, 2 sons and 3 daughters. Their eldest daughter is now married and working at the LHDN (Inland Revenue Department). Their second son is also married with 2 lovely daughters and is now a pilot with ROV (Remote Operated Vicheles). Their third daughter is still single and has a masters degree in chemical engineering. She has also joined the Inland Revenue Department. Their fourth daughter has just completed her degree in dentistry in UIA (University Islam Antarabangsa) and is presently working as an assistant dentist in a private clinic while waiting for her posting to a government hospital. Their youngest son is taking up a course in business administration in UITM at the moment (University Institut Teknologi Mara).

Puan Hajah Noraizan & her family members

Enjoying a holiday trip with her family in Korea

Happy Family

Throughout her 36 years as an educationist, Puan Hajah Noraizan has not only worked in schools but also in the Education Ministry as well.  When she graduated in 1982, she was posted to SM Syed Masyor, Batang Kali, where she taught for eight months. After getting married, she got a transfer to Johor Bahru and taught in Convent Johor Bahru for 16 months. In April 1984, she was transferred to SMK Puteri Wilayah, Kuala Lumpur, where she taught chemistry and mathematics.

In July 2001, Puan Hajah Norizan participated in the NPQH (National Professional Qualification for Headship) Programme, a training  programme for aspiring school heads initiated by the Ministry of Education Malaysia through its educational management and leadership institute, IAB (Institut Aminuddin Baki).  She went on to pursue her master’s degree in school management in 2002 and upon the completion of her studies in 2006, she was posted to SMK Sinar Bintang as the afternoon supervisor where she taught for 8 years. In 2012, she got a promotion to DG52 and was transferred to Bahagian Teknologi Pendidikan as the Ketua Sektor Pembestarian. One year later, she returned to school as the school principal of SMK Bukit Bandaraya since she preferred to work in a school environment. On 15 Sept 2015, she became the school principal of SMK Bangsar and we are proud to have her with us for these three years (or to be exact, three years, two months, and 11 days). Throughout these three years, she has been a very, hardworking, responsible and caring school principal. The well-being of every student is of utmost importance to her and she has done her very best to ensure that the students of SMK Bangsar receive a quality education. She is also very kind and compassionate to her colleagues and treats them with respect and dignity.

Puan Hajah Noraizan with Puan Zasliza Abu Samah

Puan Hajah Noraizan was having some fun with her colleagues.

National Sports Day 2018 - with YB Fahmi Fadzil, the Member of Parliament for the Lembah Pantai parliamentary constituency.

Do you know that Puan Hajah Noraizan can dance very well?

Puan Hajah Noraizan’s advice to teachers is, “Do not go against your superior. To be a good leader, you must begin as a good follower.”  She believes that teachers must love their job  and should not treat their career as a stepping stone or last resort. Many university graduates who cannot find a job have no choice but to end up in the teaching profession and this is the kind of teachers who find teaching very stressful. According to Puan Hajah Noraizan, “Teachers must love their students no matter how naughty and problematic they are. If they become teachers just because of the holidays and high income, they are wrong. They must ensure that the students are well-taught as they are the future leaders of our country.” Being attracted to the philosophy of Alibaba’s Jack Ma, she would like the teachers to consider the future of SMK Bangsar over the next 10 years and try their best to create a culture of excellence in school.

Annual Sports 2018

As for the students, this is Puan Hajah Noraizan’s advice to them - Education is very important and they should prioritize their education above all things. In Malaysia, academic qualification is still very important particularly the SPM examination. Students must at least have a proper basic education before they start working. They must pass their SPM examination first before they decide what they want to do in their lives. She wants the students to become successful when they are still young and not after they have reached 40 or above. 

When asked about her hopes for the future, Puan Hajah Noraizan said that she hoped Malaysia would always remain a harmonious country and that all races would work hand in hand to bring peace and prosperity to the country. She also hoped that the future generation would have a good education and a good life. Looking back at her 36 years of experience as an educationist, Puan Hajah Noraizan said that she has actually seen and learnt a lot throughout these years. She believes that the Finnish school system which emphasizes on stress-free education is more suitable for our students. According to her, teaching is an art and teachers should not cast the students in the same mould and mould them into something they do not wish to be. They should be given the freedom to develop their own creativity so that they can seek better employment. How right she is! It is hoped that the Education Ministry would look into this in the future.

Our dearest Puan Hajah Noraizan, your contribution in our lives will forever be treasured. Although we do feel sad that you will be retiring in 12 days' time (on 25 November 2018), we sincerely hope that you will find a new life filled with happiness and joy after your retirement. We would like to wish you a Happy and Successful Retirement as you open another new chapter of your life. We will miss you but as long as you are happy, we will be happy for you too because you are going to enjoy the best period of your life in the days ahead.