Samuel Isaiah, of Pemimpin, Malaysia, has been awarded the 2020 Educator Award in the TRT World Citizen Awards. Because the 2020 and 2021 awards could not be held due to the pandemic, they have been awarded in 2022. The ceremony was held this year in Istambul, Turkey, and aims to “empower individuals of character” and to “connect them with one another to better our world”, according to The World Citizen website.
This isn’t Samuel’s first award. The former English teacher has previously received Best Teacher Award at the ASEAN-ELT Conference, 2018; Best Innovative Teacher, 2018; the Star Godlen Hearts Award, 2019; and the National Hero Teacher Award, 2019, among others.
The 35-year-old spent eight years teaching at the SK Runchang school, whose students are the children of the indigenous Orang Asli, who have been in Peninsular Malaysia longer than any other people, but who are an often-overlooked minority. He is currently the programme director of Pemimpin GSL, a non-profit organisation in Malaysia that aim to improve students’ learning outcomes by working with teachers and school leaders.
This latest award is for Samuel’s work setting up a crowdfunding campaign to raise the money to get the SK Runchang school the latest educational technology and explore innovative new teaching methods.
