Malaysia’s First Teacher Prize unveils its Top 10 Finalists

From inclusive special needs programs, implementation of vocational skills and modernised gamified learning, the award unveils creative teaching methods from teachers all across the country.



The inaugural Malaysia Teacher Prize announced its Top 10 shortlisted teachers, in recognition of their exceptional contribution in educating young minds. The award, organised by PEMIMPIN GSL and supported by YTL Foundation, is the first local edition of the world renowned Global Teacher Prize to honour the outstanding contribution of the teaching profession and to highlight the important role teachers play in society.

The Top 10 shortlisted teachers are in the running for the Grand Prize, bringing home RM50,000 in cash. Additionally, four other teachers will be selected as the Top 5 finalists and will be awarded with RM5,000 each. All of the Top 10 teachers will receive professional development to help them understand the impact they are making and scale their work beyond their classrooms.

The inaugural Malaysia Teacher Prize received over 800 applications between the submission period from May 10 to July 17, 2022. The entries were shortlisted to 10 by an esteemed panel of judges consisting of academicians, officials from the Ministry of Education and outstanding individuals from educational and non-educational organisations nationwide. The Top 10 shortlisted teachers were selected based on their innovative classroom practices, contribution to the teaching fraternity and their community, best usage of the prize money and their journey towards becoming an educator.

One of the Top 10 finalists is Wan Muadzam Wan Abidin, a special education teacher from Sekolah Kebangsaan Klang, Selangor, who invented a device called Caballus RAfVI which helps visually impaired students to run and train in track and field. Wan Muadzam took his invention further by collaborating with Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) to enhance his innovation so that more special needs students across Malaysia would be able to participate in sports. Equally impressive is Goh Kok Ming, a Mathematics Teacher in SJK(C) Chi Seng 2, Perak who integrates Minecraft and other applications into his teaching. He also gives his students coding classes beyond school hours to provide them with the digital skills necessary for the twenty-first century.

Other finalists of the first-ever Malaysia Teacher Prize are:

Anuthra Sirisena, a Chemistry Teacher in SMJK Chung Hwa Tenom, Sabah ventured into the world of robotics back in 2017. She founded the Tenom Innovation Centre and has since conducted more than 40 workshops and training sessions to upskill more than 2,000 teachers and students.

Tan Shi Min, an English teacher from SMK Syed Ibrahim, Kedah has been guiding her students to achieve the highest passing grade in English in the past five years with her award winning innovation called the ‘Wheel of Learning’. Her multi-layered graphic organiser aids the formation of ideas and vocabulary through the expression of feelings to help her students improve their story writing abilities.

Shyielathy Arumugam from SMK Datuk Haji Abdul Wahab, Perak and Khairil Azmir Ahmad from SMKA Perempuan Alawiyah, Perlis are helping colour the lives of not only their students but also the communities they live in. Shyielathy has been collecting the illustrations from her students with special needs and transforming them into characters of her picture books with four books published to-date while Khairil Azmir alongside his students have contributed to designing and producing 20 murals in the Kangar Street 2.0 program.

Kumaresan Muniandy, a vocational special education teacher in SM Pendidikan Khas Vokasional Merbok, Kedah introduced “Hello School to Work”, in which he collaborates with hoteliers to provide his students with real work experiences during the school holidays. This paved the way for them to work in the industry post graduation.

Anita Md. Yasin, a bakery and pastry vocational teacher in Keningau Vocational College, Sabah introduced her award-winning teaching tools and techniques through her community project “Sprout” which enables her students to engage the community through workshops and aid programmes. Her students have gone on to win medals and prizes in skills competitions and her training has also led them to open bakeries.

Shahril Othman, principal of SK Seri Samudera, Perak diversified his classroom practice through inquiry based learning. He actively shares his teaching practices through seminars and workshops to teachers and even parents in order to help them support their kids at home. He also provides free online classes on Mathematics which involves over 400 students.

Aishah Mohamed Hamdan, an English Teacher in SMK Raja Permaisuri Bainun, Perak is a proponent of project-based learning. She has facilitated several student projects from musicals to environmental and waste management. These projects have led to an increase in student engagement and an improvement in her school’s English subject average grade (GPMP).

Aptly announced to coincide with the National Independence Day, the Malaysia Teacher Prize celebrates some of the most diverse and deserving teachers throughout Malaysia.

“YTL Foundation is proud to support the Malaysia Teacher Prize through PEMIMPIN GSL and this has given us the opportunity to spotlight and celebrate the work of teachers. The Malaysia Teacher Prize is one of the many programmes we sponsor to strengthen communities and to build back better, especially after the pandemic. I am confident that the Top 10 finalists will continue to inspire other teachers and the entire nation with their stories and their drive to improve student outcomes,” said Dato’ Kathleen Chew, Programme Director of YTL Foundation.

“The Top 10 Finalists of the Malaysia Teacher Prize reminds us of the important work teachers do everyday in the classrooms to make a difference. These teachers have challenged the norms and gone beyond the call of duty to ensure every child in their classroom is given an opportunity to fulfil their potential. We know that these outstanding individuals will inspire not just the teaching community but the nation at large for their passion and commitment to their students and society,” said Cheryl Ann Fernando, CEO of PEMIMPIN GSL.

“The stories we’ve witnessed from the Top 10 shortlisted teachers are a part of the larger narrative of Malaysian teachers doing amazing things. The next step is for us to think about how we can scale the ideas on a national and international level. That is why the Malaysia Teacher Prize will provide a long-term development plan for the Top 10 teachers so that they can continue to refine their teaching methods and transfer this knowledge to teachers across Malaysia,” said Samuel Isaiah, Programme Director of PEMIMPIN GSL.

The Malaysia Teacher Prize award ceremony will take place on Friday, 7 October 2022. Selected Top 10 shortlisted teachers will also be recreating their teaching methods at the Leaps of Knowledge conference on 8 October 2022 from 8:30am to 5:00pm at JW Marriott, Kuala Lumpur.