Malaysians teachers among Top 50 US$1m Global Teacher Prize finalists

Last updated on May 13th, 2021 at 06:03 am

KUALA LUMPUR –  Two Malaysians are among this year’s top 50 world contenders of the prestigious Global Teacher Prize 2020.

 Samuel Isaiah, 33, and Norhailmi Abdul Mutalib, 39, were among the 50 running to win USD1 million (about RM4.4 million) award of the competition. It is given to an exceptional teacher who has made a monumental contribution to their profession.

Norhailmi Abdul Mutalib, 39, is a science and chemistry teacher who advocates the ‘flipped classroom’ and ‘jigsaw classroom’ approaches to help students learn through technology. His interactive science blog reached over 33 million views as of the moment.

Samuel Isaiah, 33, also known to his students as ‘Teacher Sam’, has able to change the previously negative perception on Orang Asli children and their academic abilities. He started a crowdfunding project to modernized the English classroom with tablets and computers.

He initiated other projects to enhance his students’ English learning, including “Sekolah Pokok” where he conducts English classes under the trees at Runchang Orang Asli. The Varkey Foundation established the prize in 2014, is a competition meant to recognize exceptional educators who have made outstanding contributions to the profession.