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An ITE Graduate Extraordinaire

by Mohd Jailani Nathan

SLOWLY yet surely, Sairin Sani (above) has scaled his way to the peak. A long, painstaking route it might have been for this 27-year old alumnus of ITE College West (Balestier Campus). But graduating from Nanyang Technological University with a First-Class Honours Degree in Mechanical & Production Engineering, has made every bit of effort worth the while. His is a story of tenacity before triumph. And of being assertive with what you want out of life…

It was a tardy Sairin back in the early nineties when he was a student at Braddell Secondary School. He only had his nonchalant attitude to blame when the former Express stream student found himself displaced into the Normal Stream at Secondary 3. Fighting back the agony, Sairin reminisced: “I used to question the relevance of academic education; how was it that studying Geography and Literature would apply to everyday life. And when I couldn’t get any answers, I simply let the lazy side of me take over. I would simply ignore homework and hang out with my friends most of the time. But I was good in my Maths, though.” He continued: “Although I did well enough at GCE ‘N’ Levels to qualify for the next academic year, I abhored the prospect of doing another year in school.”

Listening to His Heart
What Sairin was actually occupied with at that time, was picturing himself undergoing two years of ITE education. And he was smiling at the thought. “I’ve heard so much about ITE from my friends; and how they have benefited from the hands-on approach. I then decided to listen to my heart. It helped that my parents were very understanding,” said Sairin, who enjoyed what ITE had to offer, after enrolling in a Nitec in Automotive Technology course in 1995. “It was an ideal choice because of my love for cars. I was very driven in ITE. It came naturally because I was doing something I really liked. Suddenly, my report card was filled with A grades and I was leading in the whole department,” he chuckled.

With the foundation ITE gave him, Sairin set out to chart his own directions. The lad was sluggish no more. He knew what he wanted, planned for them and worked hard to actualise his plans. In 2000, he graduated with a Merit Diploma in Mechanical Engineering from the Singapore Polytechnic. Sairin’s results were outstanding enough to qualify him for a place in Nanyang Technological University.

Said Sairin, the second among three siblings: “I am where I am now because of what kept me going.” And he would fondly talk about his parents who had never doubted him, and his ITE lecturers who saw the potential in him. The active Mendaki volunteer who is now serving the remaining period of his National Service could not wait to start on his first job “so that my parents could quickly retire to a life of comfort.”

“You know something? It’s been a decade but my tattered ITE notes are still with me. Believe it or not, even while studying at the Polytechnic or University, I saw a need to refer to them occasionally. It shows that the basics are still just as important,” he grinned.