DESPITE facing multiple challenges, two schools from Malaysia have come under the Top 10 list for the World’s Best School Prizes, standing a chance to win US$250,000.
The Malaysian schools shortlisted are SK Kempadang (a primary school in Kuantan, Pahang) and SMK Kampong Jawa (a secondary school in Klang, Selangor)
The programme, launched this year by T4 Education, is in partnership with Yayasan Hasanah, Templeton World Charity Foundation, Accenture and American Express.
Under the programme, the final five schools would be celebrated for their pivotal role in developing the next generation of learners, in addition to their contribution to society’s progress especially in the wake of COVID-19.
“With over 1.5 billion learners impacted by school and university closures, COVID-19 has greatly exacerbated a global education crisis.
“Even before the pandemic, the United Nations (UN) had warned that educational progress was already too slow to achieve universal quality education by 2030,” said T4 Education and the World’s Best School Prizes founder Vikas Pota.
The World’s Best School Prizes, he added, was launched as a grassroots solution to establish the systemic change needed to improve the education quality.
This is achieved by telling the stories of inspirational schools which are transforming the lives of their students and making real difference to their communities.
“I want to congratulate SK Kempadang and SMK Kampong Jawa for making the Top 10 list. Educators all over the world will now be able to learn from the examples of these outstanding Malaysian schools,” Pota quipped.
Spearheading educational reforms
On that note, Yayasan Hasanah managing director cum founding trustee Datuk Shahira Ahmed Bazari said that her foundation was honoured to be one of the sponsors for this inaugural event.
“This is a valuable initiative that recognises and promotes ‘bottom-up’ transformation, creating a global community who can learn from each other and create a groundswell of positive impact for students around the world.
“Our finalists are wonderful examples of strong schools with inspiring stories of success. My heartfelt congratulations to all Top 10 schools.
“We are especially proud that two Malaysian Trust Schools are amongst them, proof that our public schools are capable of being amongst the world’s best,” she stated.
As for the next step, the Top 3 finalists for each of the five World’s Best School Prizes – for Community Collaboration, Environmental Action, Innovation, Overcoming Adversity and Supporting Healthy Lives – will be announced later this year.
After a public advisory vote, the winner of each prize will be chosen based on rigorous criteria by a judging academy; comprising distinguished leaders across the globe including academics, educators, NGOs, social entrepreneurs, government, civil society and the private sector.
The winners will be officially announced in October 2022 at World Education Week. The prize money of US$250,000 will be shared equally among the winners of the five prizes, each receiving an award of US$50,000. – June 11, 2022
