Saudi Gazette report

JAZAN – In a unique gesture of love and respect for their former Sudanese teacher, a group of residents from Damad governorate in the southern Jazan province, honored him with a gift of SR20,000 and souvenirs when they heard that he was bedridden with a life-threatening disease.

The old students chose Oct. 5, World Teachers’ Day, to visit the teacher, and handed him their token of respect with prayers for a speedy recovery from cancer. They recalled the pioneering role of Nasruddine Abdul Moati in solving many of their mathematical problems as well as acquiring many life skills.

Abdul Moati worked in several Saudi schools until 2007. Paying rich tribute to their beloved teacher, Dr. Ahmed Al-Sam, one of the old students, who currently works as emergency medicine consultant at King Fahd Hospital in Jazan, told Al Arabiya.net about this beautiful gesture. “This teacher was behind the graduation of generations of people at Damad Secondary School. He was among the most sincere teachers in explaining mathematical problems with illustrations and examples in addition to doing exercises with a lot of information.

“He managed class hours as a brilliant genius who made us love mathematics. He was very close to students in and outside the classroom.”

Al-Sam recalled that the Sudanese teacher used to share jokes and engage them in sporting activities. “He used to give his outstanding students more exercises so as to encourage them to further hone their talent and abilities, and that was without neglecting the rest of the students. He was reviewing with us the reasons for our failure in solving mathematical problems in the test or assignments on an individual basis.”

Mater Al-Hajaji, former deputy head of Shuqairi School where Abdul Moati worked, said: “The Sudanese teacher was one of the finest mathematics teachers who taught in the schools of the region, and subsequently students developed a passion for mathematics, thanks to the brilliant teacher. Students still have lots of respect and appreciation for their teacher,” he added.

Abdul Moati traveled to Egypt for treatment after the visit of his students at the hospital. Abdul Moati, born in Khartoum in 1958, worked as mathematics teacher in Shuqairi Intermediate and Secondary School, before moving to Damad Secondary School in 1998, where he worked until 2007, and then moved to the National Knowledge Schools where he continued teaching mathematics, until he fell ill two years ago. Despite afflicted with the disease, he continued with the job to make ends meet for him as well as his children.