A good teacher can inspire hope, ignite the imagination, and instil a love of learning – Brad Henry
Samuel Isaiah did it again! He made everyone spring from their seat with a joyous proud moment!
The former English teacher Samuel Isaiah added another feather to his hat by bagging the TRT World Citizen Educator Award 2020 which was held in Istanbul, Turkey recently. Furthermore, he is the First and the only Malaysian to receive this coveted award. He has been bestowed with this award in recognition of his outstanding efforts to empower the quality of education in Malaysia.
“I represent teachers who are trying to teach in a challenging way, trying to make their lessons in the classroom meaningful” – Samuel Isaiah
The TRT World Citizen, a philanthropic wing of the Turkish Radio and Television Corporation (TRT), is an annual event which is hosted to recognise and honoured individuals who have made significant contributions to humanity on a global scale. TRT World Citizen Educator Award is given to honour an educator who works to improve the quality of education by implementing innovative strategies or providing high-quality education to underserved communities.
Taking this to his own social media, the 35-year-old Pemimpin programme director said “When I was notified that I was the recipient of the TRT World Citizen Educator Award, I was left speechless. And just like that, I was having a magical night in Istanbul, proudly carrying the Malaysian flag whilst surrounded by changemakers from all walks of life.”
With that, he also expressed a thoughtful message to all teachers.
“Dear teachers, there’s no effort too small, no effort too insignificant and under your care, no child will be left behind. Therefore, I dedicate this award to teachers all around the world who worked tirelessly to devote their efforts to their students,” the humble educator noted.
Besides, he also conveyed his heartfelt gratitude to his amazing at Pemimpin GSL and Cheryl Fernando by saying that together, we will go to all corners of this country, championing quality education for all. (Pemimpin GSL is an organisation which focuses on improving school leadership)
He further extends his thankfulness to their funders Dr Nur Anuar, Dato Shahira Bazari, Datin Kathleen, Dr Yatela Zainal Abidin and Dato Kalimulah, who continually believe in the work of him and his team. He also thanked the Ministry of Education Malaysia, which has been providing opportunities to together do the best for the children of the nation.
Special mention to Dr Ahmad Rafee Che Kassim for all that you do! – Samuel Isaiah
This educator then said, “I believe there’s much much more to come, but I’ll need you guys to believe in me, and believe in what we can achieve together as a nation.”
“I pledge to dedicate myself more than I’ve ever done in my quest to impact our education system. Given the opportunity, (or I’ll go grab these opportunities myself) the skies are the limit,” he proudly made his vow.
This is not the first time this dedicated teacher is receiving the award for his commendable good deeds.
Previously, Samuel clinched ‘Anugerah Khas Diraja Negeri Pahang, 2022’, ‘Anugerah Harapan Merdeka, 2022’, the Star Golden Hearts Award 2019, the National Hero Teacher Award in 2019, the Best Teacher Award at the ASEAN-ELT Conference in 2018, and the Best Innovative Teacher presented by the Prime Minister of Malaysia in 2018. He was also named Asia’s Most Influential in Education by Tatler magazine this year for his extraordinary commitment to educating Orang Asli children.
Known as Teacher Sam, he used to travel 200km per day to educate students beyond schooling hours. He established Sekolah Pokok (tree school), where he taught English at the Runchang community twice a week. Along with teaching, he taught the students how to play the ukulele, utilise tablets with headphones, and sing English songs. Besides, he also introduced Asli E-pal, a project that involves an electronic pen-pal email exchange.
The beautiful bond he created with his Orang Asli children bloomed beyond the classroom walls when the students turned up to celebrate their favourite teacher’s big day, travelling from their settlement in Runchang to the wedding and performing for the guests in 2017.
Samuel’s zeal to educate everyone and the tremendous effort he has made so far to instil a love of learning in every child’s life are truly astounding.
You’re such an inspiring person to many people out there. Keep up this excellent work!
Source: [1]
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