Nur Hidayah Mohd Tahir, 24, was one of nine recipients at the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (Muis) Awards 2023 at the Istana on Saturday. - ST PHOTO: EUGENE TAN
SINGAPORE (The Straits Times/ANN): As an intern at a social service centre in 2020, Ms Nur Hidayah Mohd Tahir was upset when she came across a pre-school child who had been neglected by his parents.
The parents said the boy missed school regularly because they could not afford diapers for him.
Ms Nur Hidayah, now 24, also saw malnourished pre-schoolers, or those who came to school dirty and unwashed.
She said: “Sometimes, we can see... bruising on children during morning visual checks.
“You would also see a change where the child may exhibit very aggressive behaviour or become very distant from teachers and peers. Others may refuse to be accompanied to the toilet for fear of disclosing the bruises.”
She could have easily ignored the signs, but her curiosity and passion for working with children and those who might be facing abuse helped make a difference in their lives.
On Saturday, Ms Nur Hidayah, now a kindergarten teacher, was among nine recipients of the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (Muis) Awards 2023 at the Istana, winning the Promising Youth Award – a new category.
The Muis awards recognise significant contributions made by outstanding individuals in Singapore’s socio-religious sector.
The ceremony was attended by President Halimah Yacob and Minister for Social and Family Development Masagos Zulkifli, who is also Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs, as well as other guests.
Addressing the winners, Muis chief executive Kadir Maideen said: “Your diverse contributions have played a vital role in shaping a more caring and gracious community. Through your actions, you have inspired others to contribute selflessly and opened new doors of opportunity for the community, and enriched lives with greater purpose.”
The highest accolade – Jasa Cemerlang (Outstanding) Award – went to Ustaz Haji Pasuni Maulan, a highly regarded religious teacher known for his service to the community.
He has worked with key religious institutions such as Muis, the mosque and madrasah sectors, and the Asatizah Recognition Board, where he has served as a member since 2007.
Muis said she played a crucial role in hosting and organising events about childminding, and that her tireless efforts in this area helped raise awareness and make a significant impact on lives in the vulnerable community.
In March 2022, she was involved in a workshop for pre-school My First Skool and mosque-based kindergartens in the West Mosque Cluster, where she encouraged discussions among pre-school teachers on their knowledge of child abuse.
In January, she facilitated the first interfaith symposium organised by the Jurong Family Violence Working Group, called Taking A Faithful Stand: Religious Communities Against Family And Domestic Violence. The event was supported by the Ministry of Social and Family Development.
Ms Nur Hidayah attributed her achievement to being able to volunteer and mingle with residents at Casa Raudha, a place where survivors of domestic violence are offered safe accommodation.
There, she learnt that the world may not be as beautiful for others.
She said: “When I started becoming more curious about why things are like that, I decided to pursue child psychology and early education for a diploma because I wanted to know what the implications of such traumatic experiences on children are.” - The Straits Times/ANN
