“We believe that everyone in society contributes to education. So, if we all harness our collective leadership, we can truly see the kind of education system that we want to have for all of our students.”
- CEO of Teach For Malaysia, Chan Soon Seng -
A Decade of Impact in Shaping Malaysia’s Education
Established in 2010, Teach For Malaysia (TFM) is a proud member of the Teach for All global education network, which brings together education organisations from over 60 nations. As of July 2022, TFM has impacted the lives of 330,285 students through collaborations with 893 schools and 131 student-led initiatives with 34,676 beneficiaries.
Today, CEO, Chan Soon Seng continues to lead the organisation in its mission of building a movement of leaders in the education ecosystem to empower all children in Malaysia to realise their potential.
TFM Alumni from various cohorts.
Empowering Changemakers in Education
Teach For Malaysia collaborates with the Ministry of Education, schools, and communities to enhance student, community, and system outcomes. The organisation’s public-private partnerships have enabled them to expand their reach.
Through its flagship Fellowship Programme, individuals with promising competencies and skill sets are recruited as Fellows and placed in schools that serve low-income areas. The two-year leadership programme is designed to groom committed individuals as long-term advocates for education reform.
To date, TFM has recruited 474 Fellows and Alumni for the Teach For Malaysia Fellowship, with 31 percent of Fellows graduating from one of the top 100 universities in the world such as Harvard University, University of Oxford, University of Cambridge, and so on, while 33 per cent came from the private sector (IBM, Shell, KPMG, Maybank, etc.).
Teach For Malaysia’s Student Vision: A Malaysia where all children are empowered to be leaders of their own learning, their future and the future of Malaysia.
Fostering Innovation Through Strong Partnerships
In 2019, Teach For Malaysia expanded its work to also coach 572 in-service public school teachers through Program Duta Guru (PDG), a collaboration between Yayasan PETRONAS and the Ministry of Education, through Pusat STEM Negara.
Recognising the need for collective action, Teach For Malaysia partners with public and private sectors like Yayasan PETRONAS, CIMB Foundation, Yayasan Hartalega etc. to create impactful programmes that can further transform the education system, such as the Student Leadership Camp (SLC) with Accenture. The annual social innovation programme pairs students with personnels from the company to design and pitch solutions to address local community issues.
Beyond achieving a 38% increase in academic growth for students taught by Fellows, compared to the average growth rate in schools, TFM's initiatives are yielding additional successes. Students are now receiving university scholarships, winning competitions to visit Silicon Valley, and even serving as inspiration and cast members in the award-winning local film, 'Adiwiraku.'
During the onset of the pandemic, with only 30% of students taught by Fellows participating in online learning, TFM doubled this figure through various efforts. They introduced new distance-learning methods, including the TRM Tutoring programme (which involved Volunteer Tutors for high-need schools) and Learning Boxes (tools designed for low or no bandwidth).
This initiative further resulted in the development of curriculum-aligned online courses for Learn From Home, accessible on YTL Foundation’s website and the FrogPlay app. Additionally, the Distance Learning Website was established, offering a plethora of resources for school leaders, teachers, parents, and students, among other innovative initiatives.
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The information in this award recipient's profile is accurate to the best of our knowledge as of the time the award was presented. Any subsequent changes, updates, or developments in the individual's life or achievements may not be reflected in this profile.