22/08/2026
YOU CAN BE STRICT, BUT DO NOT INSULT AND HUMILIATE STUDENTS.
I was 17. An islander. A new college student. Far from home. My dream was simple, yet it weighed heavily on my shoulders: To make my family proud. To graduate with honor. To serve my community.
First semester. Philosophy class. The professor was known as the "terror." During recitation, he made me stand. The whole room fell silent. All eyes were on me.
I knew the answer because I had studied. But fear stole it from me. Fear of his voice. Fear of being wrong in front of everyone. Fear because I was just a probinsiyano from the island who did not yet know how to sound "college."
My mind went blank. My voice shook. I sat down defeated. When grades were released, I received a "pasang-awa." Despite submitting all requirements. Despite knowing my answers were correct during examinations.
In that moment, my dream to graduate with Latin Honors ended!
One mark. One moment. And my spirit broke.
I went home that day feeling small. Ashamed.
The next semester, my grades dropped. A Math teacher pulled me aside and asked, "Alzad, what happened to you?" I had no words. How do you explain humiliation?
For years I carried that pain. Like a stone in my chest. Until Allah, Ar-Rahman, Ar-Rahim, wrote a different story. Years later, I returned to Basilan State College. Not as a student, but as a teacher. And the Dean? He was the same professor.
He called me to his office. He looked me in the eye and said, “Sattar, you are bright. I know it because you were my student before. Proceed with your MA.” Then he introduced me to the Ford Foundation Scholarship. Because of that, Allah sent me to the United States for my MA in Coexistence and Conflict Resolution.
The man I thought had ended my dream…
was the very man Allah used to fulfill it.
What made me survive that “pasang-awa” and humiliation?
It was my Madrasah. As a child in Madrasah, I learned three words that became my lifeline:
AKHLAQ - Do not repay evil with evil. Be better than the one who hurt you. So I did not hate him.
TAQWA - Allah is watching. Allah is the Best of Planners. So I made du’a. I trusted.
SABR - With hardship comes ease. Do not give up. So I stayed. I grew.
Without Akhlaq, Taqwa, and Sabr, I would have quit. I would have become bitter. But Allah protected me through the values my Ustadz planted in me.
When I was later designated Dean of Basilan State College, I remembered a story.
In 2002, while studying in UP, I read in the campus newspaper the words of former UP President Francisco Nemenzo.He said:
"When I first entered UP, an employee scolded me: ‘Tatanga-tanga ka.’ I was so embarrassed. I was a probinsiyano. Years later, as UP President, I gathered my staff and told them: Do not embarrass any student, especially the probinsiyano. Who knows, he might become your boss someday."
I held on to those words as Dean. Because I knew in my heart: Not all students have the same level of sabr. Some students can take harsh words and bounce back. But others? One public shaming. One insult in front of the class. One "pasang-awa" said with sarcasm… and they shut down. They quit. They lose hope. Some carry it home. Some carry it for a lifetime. And some, tragically, resort to violence.
After what happened in ADZU, yesterday, I cannot stop thinking about this. We can put guards and CCTV in every corner. We can install metal detectors. But if we do not guard our words, if we do not guard our hearts, our schools will still not be safe. Because a wounded heart can become a wounded hand.
MY APPEAL AND ADVICE
To my fellow Teachers: You can be strict. But do not insult and humiliate students. Strictness builds discipline. Humiliation builds trauma. Correct without crushing. Teach with mercy. Because the student who freezes during recitation today might be the scholar, the leader, the peacebuilder of tomorrow.
To my dear Students: Anak, I know school is hard. I know some teachers will hurt you with words. But please, strengthen your spiritual foundation by studying the true teachings of your religion. Go back to your Book. Go back to prayer. When someone humiliates you, respond with Akhlaq. When you feel hopeless, hold on with Taqwa - Allah sees you. When you fail, breathe with Sabr - "With hardship comes ease." Your grades do not define you. Your pain today does not define your future.You are an amanah.
To our dear Parents: Nanay, Tatay... you are the first Madrasah. The first school. Please inculcate Akhlaq, Taqwa, and Sabr in the hearts and minds of your children. Teach them Akhlaq at the dinner table. Teach them Taqwa at bedtime. Teach them Sabr during trials. Because if values are strong at home, a child can survive one bad teacher. But if the heart is empty at home, even one harsh word can destroy them.
And to all of us - Teachers, Students, Parents, Community: Let us not engage in blame games. Let us not prejudge. It is easy after a tragedy to ask: “Who is to blame?” It is easy to point fingers. But blame does not heal. Blame does not prevent the next tragedy.
Instead, let us ask: "What can we do now?" Instead of labeling a student as "delinquent, weak, favored, or problematic," let us ask: "Is this child hurting? Does this child need help?"
The Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, taught us: "Do good even if people do wrong to you."
REFLECTION
From “tatanga-tanga ka” to UP President.
From “pasang-awa” to Ford Scholar to Dean.
Allah turns pain into purpose. And He entrusts us, teachers, with that transformation. Let us not be the reason a student gives up. Let us be the reason a student believes again.
Teachers: Correct without crushing.
Students: Strengthen your spirit.
Parents: Plant Akhlaq, Taqwa, Sabr.
All of us: No blame game. No prejudging. Only healing.
Education heals. Education reconciles. Education saves.
Prof. ALZAD T. SATTAR
Basilan Province
August 19, 2026
⚠️ CTTO: ALZAD SATTAR
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