Jamil Al-Sufri

[3] He wrote works on the country's history, ancestry, customs and traditions, royal titles, Malay Islamic Monarchy (MIB), education, writings on Brunei heroes, and other topics.

[6][7] He was the son of an Ulama and nobleman, Begawan Pehin Udana Khatib Dato Seri Paduka Haji Umar.

[8] He married to Siti Hara Taha (died 2012), and together they have a daughter, Normah Suria Hayati, permanent secretary of Ministry of Industry and Primary Resources.

Following two years of study at the Sultan Idris Training College (SITC) from 1939 to 1941, he returned to Brunei, began his teaching profession, and rose to the position of deputy director of elementary schools.

In 1946, he returned to Brunei and assumed the position of general secretary of Barisan Pemuda (BARIP), a group affiliated to the Pengiran Muda Omar Ali Saifuddien, the future Sultan.

Jamil and local resisted this decision as many Bruneian children were left without the capacity to read Jawi would have a detrimental effect on their access to religious scriptures and sense of cultural identity.

This was emphasised in his speech as the Director prior to the construction of the DBP building and the Brunei Broadcasting and Information Department, which was attended by Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddien III in 1965.

As a result, the Malaysian government promptly implemented the National Education Policy in 1969, giving priority to Malay as the language of instruction in all English, Chinese, and Tamil schools.

[16] At seven in the morning, Pehin Jamil, who was 99 years old,[6] passed away at Raja Isteri Pengiran Anak Saleha Hospital on 4 March 2021.

[17] At Kampong Mabohai in Bandar Seri Begawan, Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah, ministers, and dignitaries paid their final respects to Pehin Jamil on Wednesday morning of the same day.

Dato Jamil, Fernley Webber and Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddien at the groundbreaking ceremony of the DBP building in 1965
Bahasa Melayu Bahasa Rasmi Negara sign in Tungkadeh