‘Fun’ Literature Meet Held

Bandar Seri Begawan - A total of 115 'O' level students from nine schools participated yesterday in the first Literature in English Conference which some participants described to be "fun."

The conference was specifically aimed at providing a platform to hone their literature knowledge and skills in a non-classroom environment.

The Principal of Perdana Wazir Secondary School, Cheong Poh Lian, stated in her speech at the opening of the conference that the conference was organised as an opportunity for the students to meet and exchange ideas with other students of Literature from other schools.

The conference also provided the opportunity for students to revise their text through presentations of different kinds of methods of teaching and understanding of Literature.

In an interview, Head of English Department at Pehin Datu Seri Maharaja Mentiri Secondary School, Hajah Surianasalwa Haji Mornie, who presented the plenary session, said more students, are now interested in Literature in English.

She expressed her delight in seeing more students taking a liking to reading.

She pointed out that there are also an increasing number of male students taking Literature in English as their option subject.

She expressed her opinion that male students took up up the subject because they were interested in the issues and themes presented in the texts and related their reading to their own personal experiences.

"They want to (get in) touch with their feminine side," she jokingly suggested.

Films adapted from literature writings also provide an opportunity to raise the audience's awareness about literature.

"The younger Bruneians nowadays tend to go to cinema and watch films. Many films (today) are adapted from books," said Hajah Surianasalwa. "However, they are some (literature) elements which are absent in the films," she added solemnly.

She mentioned that she often incorporated films in her teachings by having her students perform dramas and plays.

Hajah Surianasalwa expressed her hope that the students attending the conference will be more familiar with the subject and will find their enthusiasm in Literature increased.

What was also brought to light to The Brunei Times was that some students opted to do Literature in English just for the sake of it.

She hoped that the students will be able to go home with a sense of appreciation for Literature in English.

In her plenary presentation, Hajah Surianasalwa outlined the examination format as well as tips on how to do the examination well.

The conference was held at Sekolah Tinggi Perempuan Raja Isteri (STPRI) Secondary School and was co-organised by Perdana Wazir Secondary School and STPRI Secondary School.

Only secondary five students participated in the conference. (JQR1 & AAB1) -- Courtesy of The Brunei Times

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