Sekolah Menengah Pehin Dato Seri Maharaja Mentiri and Sekolah Menengah Arab Laki Laki Hassanal Bolkiah yesterday emerged victorious in the 26th Hadrah competition held at Sekolah Menengah Sayyidina Hassan School.

Participating in the competition was YAM Pg Muda Abdul Muqtadir from Maktab Sains Paduka Seri Begawan Sultan.

Sekolah Menengah Pehin Dato Seri Maharaja Mentiri won the Male Category with a score of 84.3% after edging out seven other schools to walk away with the Challenge Trophy.

Coming in second place was Maktab Sultan Omar Saifuddien with a score of 83.1%, followed by Sekolah Menengah Arab Laki Laki with 82.4%.

Meanwhile, Sekolah Menengah Arab Laki Laki Hassanal Bolkiah won the Female Category after scoring 84.7% points.

Coming in second place was Maktab Sains Paduka Seri Begawan Sultan with a score of 79.8%, while Sekolah Menengah Sultan Muhammad Jamalul Alam took third place with a score of 71.5%.

Acting Assistant Director at the School Department Koh Hong Puah later presented certificates and prizes to the winners.

The teams were judged based on the beat of the hadrah, originality, song, vocals, arrangement, tempo, harmony, performance and costume.

The annual competition aimed to instil among youths a love towards cultures of the nation, ensure the culture continues, educate youths on creative hadrah beating techniques, and to encourage students to be active inside and outside of school.

Some 17 schools participated in the heats and only eight in the male category and four in the female category qualified for the finals yesterday. - Borneo Bulletin (2nd May 2008)