By Murniati Abu Karim - December 4, 2019

Outstanding teachers and schools nationwide were honored for their efforts in adopting technology and raising the bar in 21st century education at the YTL Foundation Awards Night recently.

The awards, organised in collaboration with FrogAsia, acknowledged those who have transformed education and made extraordinary contributions in school administration as well as community engagement.

Exemplary educators were given recognition through the Frog Teachers Awards, Frog World Championships, Global School Leaders Malaysia Awards, Tan Sri Yeoh Tiong Lay Transformational Awards, Puan Sri Kai Yong Yeoh Book Prize and YTL Foundation Schools Awards.

The Frog Teacher Awards winner for the Gamechanger in Edutech category, Mohd Fadzli Ishak hoped to inspire more teachers to go the extra mile for the sake of educating the future generation.

A strong advocate of education technology, the Sekolah Kebangsaan Taman Bukit Indah in Nusajaya, Johor teacher revealed that his pupils look forward to learning when he integrates technology into it.

“Pupils nowadays learn differently. The use of technology allows teachers to be more creative in the classroom while providing an exciting learning experience for the pupils.

“Despite my pupils being in primary school, I decided to introduce basic coding to them. As a result, they managed to do their own coding and so became inspired to be digital creators,” he said.

Mohd Fadzil added that this type of exposure is needed to produce future-ready learners, those that are ready for digital learning.

Kamariah Awang of Sekolah kebangsaan Gong Balai in Marang, Terengganu clinched the Most Exceptional Educator category under the Frog Teacher Awards.

For Kamariah, her pupils are her inspirations.

“The kids always have new ideas when it comes to activities that we can do in the classroom. Their enthusiasm to learn is what keeps me motivated.

“I believe that learning is experiencing. In my lessons, I try my best to involve the pupils in the process. For example, we carried out Skype sessions with other schools across the globe to inculcate cultural awareness and understanding of others’ traditions and values.

“We also went to multiple class trips to provide the kids with real world experiences,” she added.

Meanwhile, Sekolah Menengah Ampang Pecah, Selangor was awarded RM20,000 in grant money under the YTL Foundation Schools Awards for its compelling and sustainable proposal to create change in the school community.

Saemah Sahir, who teaches basic Computer Science at the school, said the school carried out the #eratperpaduan campaign throughout the year to foster unity, improve inter-racial interactions and establish greater understanding among the school community.

Present at the award-giving ceremony were FrogAsia executive director Yeoh Pei Lou and YTL Foundation programme director Datin Kathleen Chew.

In her opening speech, Chew said that teaching is a noble profession that shapes character and calibre and contributes to the future of an individual. However, not many realise the sacrifices teachers have to make to ensure that students are learning at their full potential.

“Teachers are the backbone of our society because they are educators for the nation. Hence, every year, we celebrate these teachers for their efforts and dedication in elevating the education standards in Malaysia.

“We want to celebrate those who have worked hard behind the scenes to propel their students forward and have seen the fruit of their labour.

“Teaching is a challenging profession as educators deal with different kinds of students, requiring them to be dynamic and agile in using different teaching approaches. It takes special individuals to achieve excellence in this career,” Chew added.

Source: https://www.nst.com.my/education/2019/12/544720/ytl-awards-teachers-and-schools-adopting-technology-education