Ishak Bin Abdul Latiff received his BA honours from Nanyang Technological University (NTU). He also received the Diploma-In-Departmental Management (DDM) from NTU. He taught Malay Language for 20 years in secondary schools before joining SOTA in 2008.
Ishak received the inaugural Guru Ariff Budiman Teacher Award in 2007. This prestigious award was jointly organised by the Malay Language Teachers Association (PGBM) and the Singapore Malay Teachers' Union (SMTU), and was supported by the Ministry of Education’s (MOE) Malay Language for Learning and Promotion Committee (MLLPC). It recognises the contributions of Malay language teachers in the teaching and learning of the Malay Language.
Ishak is also a prolific Malay writer. His short stories entitled “AOD@eternity.com” and “Nirmala” have clinched the first and third prize, respectively, in the Golden Point Award organised by the National Arts Council (NAC) in 2001 and 2005. In 2003, two of his short stories, entitled “Romie & Julie” and “Nadi Ke Nadi” clinched the first and third prizes in the same writing competition, “Sayembara Penulisan Novel Watan & Cerpen”, jointly organised by Suria TV, Radio Warna 94.2 and other Malay organisations.
Ishak has also written scripts for theatre, radio and television. His first theatre script entitled “Aku” won the best script in the “Festival Teater Remaja ” (Youth Theatre Festival) in 1983. He was also one of the writers for the TV Drama “Anak Metropolitan ” which won the best drama in the “Pesta Perdana 2001”, an award-giving ceremony that recognises the best Malay television programmes.
In 2006, Ishak published his first anthology of short stories entitled “Saga – Antologi Cerpen Ishak Latiff”. The book won the prestigious “Anugerah Persuratan” (Malay Literary Award) in 2007. Ishak’s second book, also an anthology of short stories called “ Sketsa – Antologi Cerpen Ishak Latiff ”, was published in August 2008.