Jina langu ni Hassan Farouq Sabri

Your name and what do you do?

My name is Hassan Farouq Sabri. A teacher, writer, poet, actor, philanthropist and a director. 

Founder of #kumbushamwanafunzi initiative.

What is your education background?

I am a teacher by profession who pursued Bachelors of Education (arts) from Moi University Eldoret Kenya. I am proud to be an alumnus of Allidina Visram High School Mombasa. Always an Allidinian.

I am a high school Teacher and my teaching subjects are Islamic Religious Education (IRE) and Kiswahili.

As a teacher, how do you motivate students?

As a teacher, I always take the responsibility of motivating my students. I mostly deal with the age group between 14-18 years. This is a very delicate group and a lot of focus is needed to help them. I really try my best to make my students feel and know the purpose of life. I always champion for self-awareness and self-actualization, that they are super capable of changing the negative narratives not only in their communities but world at large.

How do you approach discipline and what role does it play in learning?

Discipline is a code of conduct that in our profession i.e. teaching profession leads in every bar. I am at the forefront to impart discipline not only in my students but also the people around me who i can approach. I do this in my classes and at an individual level. I have or I interact with so many teenagers with different personalities but with the level of professionalism, i am able to make sure they understand the importance of discipline not only in classes but also in their lives for these learners need our guidance. We need integrity, honesty, good mannerism and perseverance from our able students that will reflect in their futures and the future of this country too. This is all attained by Discipline.

What do you think of technology in the classroom and how have you integrated it into your lessons?

The kind of school I am teaching is technological advanced. I incorporate various technological techniques in my lessons thus making them more interesting and understandable. I use projectors to show different content from YouTube, google and soft copies. I give my students assignments they can research on and obviously they use their phones, computers and laptops to research. As a teacher, technology has really boosted my confidence in content delivery and preparation in my lesson planning.

You are also a poet/writer; do you think this has helped you in teaching?

Yes, I am a poet/writer and this has really assisted me in my teaching journey. Being a writer, it has assisted me in my language delivery and has boosted my communication skills. As a poet, I have directed various poetry and performed in national competitions like Kenya National Drama and Film Festivals and also Kenya National Music Festivals and attained the best ranks and also awarded the best Trainer and that is so recent 2019. So this talent through teaching has really helped me. I was among teachers who was chosen by the Ministry of Education to represent Coast Region Teachers and participate in the Kenya National Drama Festivals Adjudicators in Kabarnet early 2020. It is through incorporation of this talent and teaching.

Many youths are unemployed or lack career guidance, how can we approach this issue in Mombasa County?

About youth being unemployed, I am not of the idea of always blaming fate. We need to be innovative and hardworking to pursue our aspirations and goals. Youth should never wait for opportunities but they should look for them. Mombasa county Youth have the potential to beat this unemployment menace. But only if they will take responsibilities and avoid blame games and petty talks about leaders. To those who can access TVETs programs and colleges they can enroll and get possible skills that can sustain themselves and thus reflected to Mombasa economy and Kenya at large. We have so many opportunities like skills mitaani enrollment in various constituencies (sub counties) let’s utilize them to the fullest. Let’s be educated and trust you me, we will change this narrative.

In your opinion, how can youth develop and nurture their talent or skill?

In the Nurturing and talent development, there are various platforms one can establish him/herself. Let’s get creative here. For those who can access technology like phones, cameras, computers or even laptops, Social media can really serve you very well if you serve it well too. Let’s avoid and kill the stereotypes about social media being a negative impact in our society only. There is more in social media than just pornography, cyber bullying, body shaming and dating apps. Make use of it. I have seen magic in it. For those who can’t access technology, never despair just continue doing what you do even if it’s in front of the mirror. Utilize any opportunity that will come like small shows or even family. Norm says we have various talents, try each and every of them you never know what will kiss your destiny.

Draw, sing, model, dance, write, dress, act … (the list is long) your heart out. After all we are fed with what we a capable of doing.

Where do you see yourself 10 years from now?

In 10 years to come I believe i will be touching lives at a wider range and scope in Mombasa and beyond. I want to empower my community educationally. I want to quench this Education thirst in my community. I want to be an Education enthusiast, Education Ambassador, Education Veteran, Education activist or even Education Extremist (Haha just to kill the boredom). I will really champion for #kumbushamwanafunzi for the purpose of consistency in education in my community.

Parting Shot

I am really honored and super excited to be featured in this wonderful and creative Blog. This will be one of my achievements of life. I will never take it for granted.

I believe Mombasa people have the potential to move forward but only if we believe we can. We should all champion for education of all levels for we need to fight our future through pen. A pen always wins because its power is endless. 

Thank you