Coverage
Ahmad Haziq does Brunei proud
Azaraimy HH
www.brunei-online.com.bn
AHMAD Haziq Muzakkir bin Hj Amer Iskandar from Maktab Duli Pengiran Muda Al-Muhtadee Billah, a third-place winner of this year's MOS (Microsoft Office Specialist) World Championship 2013 and two fellow contestants, Stephanie Lim Yee and Samuel Shie, received a warm welcome at the Brunei International Airport yesterday, and the welcoming team included the Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Communications, Awg Abdul Mutalib bin POKSSDP Hj Mohd Yusof.
In an interview shortly after arriving at the airport yesterday, Ahmad Haziq said he was exuberant with the announcement of him winning at Washington, given it was a tough competition against 120 other students from 70 countries, and he thanked a lot of people especially AITI at the Ministry of Communications and Tech One Global as well as STEP, Ministry of Education.
It was the country's inaugural participation in the MOS World Championship.
Ahmad Haziq Muzakkir won the third place for MOS Power Point 2010 category in the annual MOS World Championship 2013.
The announcement was made by Craig Bushman, Vice President, Marketing, Certiport on August 3, 2013 in a memorable championship awards ceremony which took place in Gaylord National Resort, Washington DC, United States of America.
Two other Brunei students participated in two other categories of the championship, namely Stephanie Lim Yee from Maktab Sains Paduka Seri Begawan Sultan for MOS Word 2010 and Samuel Shie from PTE Meragang for MOS Excel 2010.
The students were accompanied by officials from the Ministry of Education, AITI and Tech One Global.
Also present to welcome the delegates home at the Brunei International Airport were AITI's members of authority, AITI's senior management and senior officials from the Ministry of Education.
Brunei's participation was supported by AITI in collaboration with Tech One Global (Certiport's local partner).
It is an annual event organised by Certiport and this year it was held in Washington DC from July 31 to August 3.
According to AITI, about 120 students from 70 countries competed for top honours in both MOS 2007 and 2010 as well as in the Adobe Certified Associate (ACA) World Championship. These students were selected among the best from their own home countries.
AITI said in the final round of the competition, the students were given a high-resolution copy of a Word document, an Excel workbook, or a PowerPoint presentation to recreate. They received a printed set of guidelines containing specifications for the document, workbook, or presentation, and data files that can be used as building blocks to speed up the recreation of the document, workbook, or presentation. Students were allowed up to 50 minutes to complete their tasks.
To ensure a fair and quality testing experience among the finalists, the new scenario-based exams have undergone the same rigours and standards of test development as traditional online Microsoft Office certification exams.
During their stay in Washington, the students had also participated in a variety of guided activities led by Certiport ambassadors. They enjoyed the sites of Washington DC and spent an exciting day at the National Mall, which extends from the Washington Monument to the US Capital Building and it includes 10 of the museums of the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum as well as the National Gallery of Art.
According to Ahmad Haziq Muzakkir, "I honestly didn't expect to win considering the strong competition this year and the fact that this is Brunei's first participation in the competition.
"When they announced my name, I was over the top. Mere words could not describe my excitement. I found this to be very amusing, and at the same time, a grand achievement."
AITI's Acting Chief Executive, Hj Hairul Mohd Daud Hj Abd Karim, said, "The experience and exposure gained this year was enriching. We hope that Brunei will continue to participate in the upcoming MOS World Championship and ACA World Championship, and ultimately progress to generate a breed of inspiring experts in MOS and ACA tools."
A representative from Ministry of Education said, "We believe the achievement of our students indicate our standard of education. This great achievement of MOS Championship is the result of collaboration between various organisations – Ministry of Education, AITI and Tech One Global. It shows the importance of working together to get excellent performance and at the same time preparing future first class human resources."
Arjuna Ranasinghe, the General Manager of Tech One Global said, "Tech One is proud to have a MOS winner from Brunei and we will continue our efforts to train the youths and students on industry certifications and work with the Ministry of Education and AITI to bring the students to international events and competitions. We strongly believe there are great potentials among the Bruneian students and a win by Haziq is a proof of that."