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KUALA NERANG, A teacher, affectionately known as Ustaz Wan, has shown remarkable dedication by personally funding the construction of a bowling lane at Sekolah Kebangsaan Nami near here. Wan Roslan Wan Ishak, who teaches at the school, said this is due to his deep passion for bowling and his desire to nurture the talents of his students to excel in the sport. "In 2015, I took students to Alor Setar for bowling training. It was quite a distance (almost 60 kilometres one way) and I felt sorry for the students. I was exhausted and didn't get back home until late at night after dropping them off. But I have a strong passion for bowling. I represented the state in the Education Officers' Sports and Culture Championship. "That's why I want my students to succeed in bowling and go to great lengths until the idea of building a bowling lane at this school came up in 2021," he told Bernama during an interview at SK Nami today. The Islamic Education teacher said it was very challenging to train children in rural ar eas to play bowling because there were no nearby facilities for them to practice. That's why he was willing to invest in building a bowling lane made from thick plywood, PVC pipes and cement. "I attached solid wood to the plywood and made sure it was flat and of standard length according to the standard size of 18.29 metres (60 feet). I filled the PVC pipes with cement and used them as bowling ball spitters (to roll the ball back after a throw). I made it in the school hall and this make shift bowling lane can be relocated," he said. Ustaz Wan is grateful for the strong support shown by other teachers at the school, who encouraged him to build the bowling lane despite the challenges, to prove that students from rural schools could also succeed in any sport. "As for the bowling balls and pins, I bought some while some were donated by a bowling centre, which they no longer used," he said. Ustaz Wan added another bowling lane in 2023, considering the warm reception it received not only for the training of bo wling athletes at his school but also because other students were excited and wanted to give it a shot. Ustaz Wan's efforts paid off as his students frequently succeeded in competitions, including at the district level. "Last year, we emerged as district champions in both the male and female categories and we hope to go even further this time," he said. Meanwhile, SK Nami principal, Azizah Nik Ishak, said that they fully support teachers who take their own initiatives to develop students in any field, be it academic or sports. "Our school is a rural school, with only 187 students and limited facilities. Some students have never even heard of bowling, and when there's an initiative like what Ustaz Wan has done, I strongly support it because it provides good exposure to the students. "In big cities, students might be familiar with bowling. Here in the village, some have never even been to Alor Setar, let alone played bowling. So when there's a bowling alley in our school, they have an activity; during brea k time, they're not just idling around," she said. Azizah added that the school would greatly appreciate any assistance from willing parties to improve Ustaz Wan's initiative, so that the movable bowling alley in their school could be enhanced for students to practise more effectively. "Ustaz Wan teaches students the proper techniques and methods of bowling because he himself is a bowling athlete. As proven by our success in several competitions, we hope our students can represent the state someday, thereby proving that kids from rural schools can also succeed," she added. Source: BERNAMA News Agency