TAWAU, 5 July 2024: The 1 Book, 1 Semester 3R: Read, Review and Revive Competition (1B1S3RC) 2024 was successfully concluded in a closing ceremony at the Language Laboratory of Universiti Teknologi MARA Sabah Branch (UiTMCSH) Tawau Campus on July 5, 2024.
The Campus Coordinator, Sir Haji Muliyadi Haji Guliling, in his closing speech, stressed the importance of such a student-development programme in enhancing the educational experience of college students. He said that he would continue to support the 1B1S3RC programme in the coming semesters.
The book chosen for this year’s competition was the renowned “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People” by the late Dr. Stephen R. Covey. The seven-week book review programme was carried out from May 5 to June 28, 2024. Each student was assigned to read and review a habit based on the criteria of main idea, praise and critique, real-life application, and rating and rationale.
Students’ written reviews were judged by two judges: Ms. Khuzaimah Bahari and Ms. Grace Lim. One of the 1B1S3RC judges, Ms. Khuzaimah, an English Language lecturer from Politeknik Tawau Sabah (PTS), praised the students for their efforts in completing all the chapter reviews. She commented on the challenges faced by students in expressing their ideas. She said, “For real-life application, some students struggled to provide a clear description of how they can put the habits into practice.” Ms. Khuzaimah also encouraged the students to read the entire book, rather than just the chapters assigned to them. “By reading the whole book, students will realise that the 7 Habits are not separate from one another but are mutually intertwined,” she added.
Another judge of the competition, Ms. Grace Lim, commented that some chapters may be easier to understand than others. For instance, she said, “Students fared well on their reviews of Habit 4: Think Win-Win because it is a universally understood principle, compared to Habit 2: Begin with The End in Mind, which is relatively a more difficult and distant concept to digest and present.” When commenting on the praise and critique of the book, she noted that most students agreed that each chapter was well presented, and few had the ability to provide constructive criticism of the book.
Without a doubt, “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People” has influenced the mind and impacted the lives of many 1B1S3RC 2024 participants. One of the participants, Hendry Lai, revealed that the book unexpectedly changed his outlook on university life, which he previously found monotonous. Inspired by the book, he began exploring other activities beyond classroom routines, such as checking out 12 books from the library for leisure reading, and even listening to an audiobook.
Another participant, Norsilyn Nollah, who initially was not interested in the genre, found the book intriguing and insightful. Her curiosity about human behaviour led her to research the author, Dr. Stephen R. Covey, and she expressed a desire to purchase a physical copy of the book. She appreciated the book’s exploration of human life and its guidance on self-improvement.
Meanwhile, Arianne June Horis, who reviewed the chapter “Think Win-Win,” stated that she gained practical knowledge by viewing a situation from another person’s perspective, in order to pinpoint the cause of a problem and find possible solutions. In her opinion, it is important to always seek mutual benefits in her relationships with others to ensure harmony and cooperation.
The competition culminated with the announcement of winners. Muhamad Akhmal Rezuan J. Javebron, whose review scored the highest, won first place, while Mayree Lynn Welson earned second place and Arianne June Horis came in third. Additionally, the Best TikTok Video Presenter award was won by Kathrine Pius@ Habry, for her engaging and creative presentation of her review of “Habit 3: Put First Things First.” Madam Carolline Eveth Cyrinus, the Competition Coordinator, stated that Kathrine’s TikTok video has greatly impressed the judges due to its content, clarity, creativity and production quality.
In conclusion, the 2nd 1B1S3R Competition has achieved its aim of making the reading activity a tool for promoting lifelong learning among the Pre-Diploma students. The cultivation of effective habits helps spur not only personal but also community development. Thus, it is hoped that the reading programme will continue in the future to inspire more students on their journey to lifelong learning.