2 Malaysian Schools Among Top 10 Shortlisted for ‘World’s Best School Prizes’

2 Malaysian schools have been shortlisted for the inaugural World’s Best School Prizes. Congratulations to SK Kempadang and SMK Kampong Jawa for your extraordinary achievements!

They have been named in the Top 10 shortlists and stand a chance to win a share of  US$250,000 (RM1,098,375).

The two Malaysian Trust Schools, SK Kempadang in Kuantan, Pahang and SMK Kampong Jawa in Klang, Selangor are in the running for the World’s Best School Prize for Innovation and Overcoming Adversity respectively.

What is it?

The awards are organised by T4 Education, a global organisation committed to providing engaging tools, initiatives, and events for teachers to improve education, in partnership with Malaysian-based Yayasan Hasanah, Accenture and American Express and more.

Dato’ Shahira Admed Bazari, Founding Trustee and Managing Director of Yayasan Hasanah, said,

“We are especially proud that two Malaysian schools are among the top 10 finalists, proof that our public schools are capable of being among the world’s best.”

The prizes are awarded to schools that have developed expertise in five key areas, Community Collaboration, Environmental Action, Innovation, Overcoming Adversity and Supporting Healthy Lives.

“After a public vote, the winner of each prize will be chosen based upon rigorous criteria by a judging academy which includes distinguished leaders all across the globe,” said Vikas Potas, founder and CEO of T4 Education.

The winners will be announced in October 2022 at World Education Week. The prize of US$250,000 will be equally shared among the winners of the 5 prizes, each receiving an award of US$50,000.

What did the schools do?

SK Kempadang was shortlisted for the Innovation prize for building an automated system to track student progress, SMARTZOOM.

This was in response to the twin challenges the school faced in 2021, online teaching during the pandemic and having to adapt to a school-based assessment system after the Ministry of Education’s decision to scrap UPSR.

Despite the vulnerability of its students who mostly come from the B40 income group, the school has invoked a strong faith in its ability to educate those who walk through its doors.

Meanwhile, SMK Kampong Jawa’s position in the Top 10 shortlist of the Overcoming Adversity prize is the result of radical change brought on by its new principal in August 2020.

A school that was once associated with urban poverty, poor attendance, vandalism, theft and gang activity, SMK Kampong Jawa went against the odds to help its students.

To improve classroom attendance, more than 500 phone calls to parents were made to learn more about students and their home environments, home visits were made, and small and collaborative group learning sessions were prioritised.

We hope that both schools will be able to bring home the prize and continue to be trailblazers in their community!

Also read: Johor School Teacher Installs Digital Attendance Taking App for Students & M’sians Want it Everywhere!