TANJUNG MALIM: The Sultan of Perak Sultan Nazrin Muizzuddin Shah has officially proclaimed Muallim as the 11th district in Perak at a special function here today.
The newly-created district spans 93,435 hectares in southern Perak and covers the Slim, Hulu Bernam Barat and Hulu Bernam Timur small districts.
Previously, the area was part of Batang Padang district.
In his speech, Sultan Nazrin said the name Muallim suited the district well as it was where the Sultan Idris Training College (SITC) was established in 1922.
"SITC was the centre of knowledge and where the Malays from the Malay-medium schools pursued their tertiary education during the pre -independence era," he said.
Apart from producing Malay intellectuals, he said SITC had also helped spark the nationalism spirit and the movement to gain independence.
Sultan Nazrin hoped that the Muallim district would be developed according to its name, which meant knowledge and religion in Arabic.
He also urged the administrators and developers in Muallim to give priority to building affordable homes for the locals.
Also present were his consort Raja Permaisuri Perak Tuanku Zara Salim, Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abd Kadir and Muallim district officer Nor Sham Rahman.