3 win new scholarships for research on Malay/Muslim community issues

Three doctoral candidates from the Singapore University of Social Sciences (SUSS) have become the inaugural recipients of three different scholarships, enabling them to conduct in-depth research on family, educational and social issues within the Malay/Muslim community.

- Irma Kamarudin

Ms Nur Riduan, 38, received the Nurturing Future, Transforming Talent Scholarship, for her research on Malay/Muslim parenting methods and their impact on children’s reading skills in the context of early childhood education in Singapore.

Explaining her motivation to delve deeper into the research topic, Ms Nur said: “As a Malay/Muslim and a professional in this field, I felt it was important to explore this area more deeply, especially since there is limited research on Malay/Muslim parenting.

“I don’t suggest that all families should adopt the same parenting style, but I believe parents can benefit from greater research and education on ways to support their children’s literacy development.”

Meanwhile, Mr Muhammad Abu Sufian Hanafi, 41, was awarded the Liem Yok Bien Scholarship for his research on how culturally relevant counselling methods can strengthen Malay/Muslim families.

“I found that there was a research gap in the delivery of counselling within the Singapore Malay/Muslim community, even though it has been around since the 1950s,” said Mr Sufian.