Keningau English Teacher Wins International Education Award

KENINGAU, June ,19 (Bernama) -- Keningau Vocational College (KVC) English teacher Dr Sirhajwan Idek has been honoured as one the recipients of the ISTE 20 to Watch Award by the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE).

The list of winners, which also includes those from the United States (US), Canada, Mexico and Northern Mariana Islands, was announced by ISTE, a US-based educational association on its website, yesterday. (June 18)  (https://iste.org/iste-20-to-watch-award)

According to Sirhajwan, 35, the award winning project was for pioneering a virtual education programme that enables students and teachers in Malaysia to participate in real-time training and learning sessions on Google Meet or Zoom.

He said the programme, known as ‘Virtual, Remote, Live’ or Viral, has been recognised as one of the best practices by Brunei-based Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization (SEAMEO) Regional Centre for Vocational and Technical Education and Training.

“This project successfully connected over 2,000 students and teachers in Malaysia with educators and scholars from other countries, which enables them to learn various topics and and also pitch their own projects in the English language,” he said when contacted by Bernama today.

  He will receive a plaque recognising his achievement, a premier membership for ISTE, a complimentary registration to its virtual conference, and the opportunity to contribute to technology-assisted education through article writing and webinars.

Meanwhile, KVC director Nordin Akup congratulated Sirhajwan for his consistency in providing learning opportunities for students and educators by various means.

“I hope that the teachers at the college will continue to give their best in educating the younger generation of this nation,” he said.

Keningau is a district located in the interior Sabah, about 106 kilometres south of Kota Kinabalu. 

-- BERNAMA