McDonald’s Celebrates Outstanding Teachers in Malaysia with McDonald’s Anugerah Guru Inspirasi 2020

Over 16,000 teachers who have gone above and beyond have been nominated

 since the awards were incepted in 2017

McDonald’s Malaysia announces the winning 25 teachers that were nominated from all over the country for the annual McDonald’s Anugerah Guru Inspirasi. McDonald’s Anugerah Guru Inspirasi is an award dedicated to celebrating and recognizing inspiring teachers that have gone beyond their call of duty to make long-lasting impacts on their students.

Since McDonald’s Anugerah Guru Inspirasi’s inception in 2017, McDonald’s Malaysia has awarded 82 teachers for their unique and unconditional efforts for their students and received over 16,000 nominations from Malaysians all over the country with stories of how their teacher has impacted their lives. As McDonald’s Anugerah Guru Inspirasi continues to grow, more and more outstanding teachers are being highlighted by their students. This year’s 25 exceptional teachers were recognized for instilling strong moral values, becoming a pillar of strength for students going through the ups and downs of life, and never once giving up on building up students.

“Reading this year's extraordinary stories of teachers' commitment, unwavering dedication and overwhelming compassion towards their students has reinforced our belief that teachers should be given as much recognition as possible for all that they do. Through McDonald’s Anugerah Guru Inspirasi, McDonald’s Malaysia aims to build a platform for teachers in the country to have their stories exemplified, where we can showcase their efforts and passion as exceptional educators,” said Azmir Jaafar, McDonald’s Malaysia Managing Director, and Local Operating Partner.

This year, McDonald’s received close to 5,000 stories from across the country about teachers that went above and beyond for their students. McDonald’s Malaysia is proud of the teachers’ dedication and McDonald’s Anugerah Guru Inspirasi is an honor for their commitment.

“As a teacher, you don’t expect anything when you help your students. It always feels like it's part of the job as we succeed when our students succeed,” said teacher Selvamary a/p Lourdesamy (Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan USJ 12, Selangor) upon finding out she was one of the winners for McDonald’s Anugerah Guru Inspirasi 2020. Ms. Selvamary was nominated by one of her students that was immensely taken back by the compassion and dedication she had for her students. She was known for her effective notes for Biology and made the subject easy to understand. She would also stay back for five hours every day to provide extra classes for her students that needed it. Known as a pillar of support for many of her students, they continue to visit her to this day and send her gifts on her birthday or Teacher’s Day long after graduating.

Another nominated teacher is Mr. Darrel Wong Lee Sze (Sekolah Kebangsaan Limpaki, Sarawak) who is praised for never giving up on the students that were deemed less likely to succeed and for always taking the time to understand each of his students. Cikgu Darrel gave each of his Standard 6 students equal opportunities to learn and persevered despite many setbacks. Some of his students were illiterate and he also had to find ways to win over some unsupportive parents. Cikgu Darrel even started a YouTube channel to introduce his students to flipped learning and recently started a program to encourage parents to read with their children. “Thank you, McDonald’s for awarding me McDonald’s Anugerah Guru Inspirasi 2020! It's a nice feeling to have your efforts recognised and was certainly not expecting this,” said Cikgu Darrel.

In a small village in Gelang Patah, Johor there is a percentage of Malay students that have successfully picked up Mandarin as one of their teachers felt it was important for them to learn the language as an added advantage. Encik Muiz was a teacher at Sekolah Kebangsaan Kompleks Sultan Abu Bakar, Johor, a school in a small fishing village located in the middle of big developments. Encik Muiz himself has never had any proper Chinese education but grasped the language from a friend when he was in college. “I was not expecting my story of teaching students Mandarin at a small fishing village to get appreciated from McDonald's and it is an honour to be one of the winners for McDonald’s Anugerah Guru Inspirasi 2020,” said Encik Muiz upon finding out he was an McDonald’s Anugerah Guru Inspirasi winner.

Each of the 25 winners will receive RM5,000 in cash, a trophy, and certificate of recognition in conjunction with this year’s Teacher’s Day celebration. Nominators will receive RM200 worth of McDonald’s vouchers as a token of appreciation for the contribution of their stories. This year, in compliance with the nation’s Movement Control Order, McDonald’s worked with each teacher’s respective school personnel to surprise the winning teachers with their students via a video call. 

Additionally, as a token of appreciation for educators this Teacher’s Day, McDonald’s Malaysia will be offering an exclusive deal available on the McDonald’s app. For RM14.99, get 2 medium iced lattes and 2 Oreo McFlurrys from 15 to 22 May 2020.

Visit www.mcdonalds.com.my/en/anugerahguruinspirasi to read all 25 stories, which tell moving tales on the efforts of these silent heroes. Don’t forget to download your McDonald’s app to enjoy their special promotions at the Google Play store or Apple app store.

About McDonald’s

McDonald’s is the world’s leading food service retailer with approximately 36,000 restaurants worldwide, serving more than 70 million customers daily in more than 100 countries. With 38 years of presence in Malaysia, McDonald’s serves over 13.5 million customers a month at more than 290 restaurants nationwide. McDonald’s employs more than 14,000 Malaysians in restaurants across the nation providing career, training and development opportunities. For more information on McDonald’s, please visit www.mcdonalds.com.my.

Appendix

1.   Mr Yahya bin Ahmad Puteh (Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Rancha-Rancha)

Cikgu Yahya’s story is one that speaks volumes about his sincerity towards the well-being of his students.  When a student fell into a coma weeks before SPM in 2019, Cikgu Yahya visited him every alternate day to recite the Quran at his bedside to pray for his speedy recovery. 

2.  Mr Muhamad Shahlyme bin Abdul Wahid (Sekolah Kebangsaan Tunku Laksamana Nasir)

Cikgu Shah was the first to notice that his student had mild intellectual disabilities. Instead of turning a blind eye to it, Cikgu Shah was committed to bringing out the best in him. Over the years, Cikgu Shah exposed Hakimi to the areas of robotics, music and even sports. 

3.   Mr Abdul Muiz bin Hussin (Sekolah Kebangsaan Kompleks Sultan Abu Bakar)

En Muiz saw the importance of teaching Mandarin to his Malay students in a fishing village. He held night classes for Mandarin lessons and within a year, students were able to converse in the language.

4.  Mr Mohd Khairul Fazlee bin Husain (Sekolah Menangah Kebangsaan La Salle Sentul)

Cikgu Khairul saw the potential in a student who was mixing with the wrong crowd and would often motivate and encourage him to do better. Cikgu Khairul changed the student’s life around and he is now finishing his third year in Civil Engineering.

5.  Mr Fathil Khair bin Muhammad (Sekolah Menangah Kebangsaan Pendidikan Khas Setapak)

Mr Fathil helped his student to build her self confidence even though she was visually impaired and was diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) and Major Depressive Disorder (MDD). With the guidance of Mr Fathil, she represented Malaysia at the Global IT Challenge 2019 at Busan, South Korea where she won first place. 

6.   Ms Norashikin bin Zainull Abdin (Sekolah Kebangsaan Minden Height)
From dressing up as Little Red Riding Hood to Maleficent in the classroom, Ms Ash is just like a storybook brought to life and would go to great lengths to capture her students’ attention. Ms Ash also contributes to the teaching community by putting her learning materials online at www.ashtheteacher.blogspot.com and her Telegram group which has over 30,000 participants.

7.   Mrs Sharinoor binti Shaffie (Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Tun Haji Abdul Malek)

Mrs Sharinoor stood by her student’s side when she lost her mother in 2018. It was emotionally challenging to keep up with school but with Mrs Sharinoor showing support, she was able to overcome the situation. Mrs Sharinoor also displays her determination and dedication in teaching by braving through the odds of surviving a spinal injury.

8.   Mrs Ilavarsi a/p Kalimuthu (Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Kuala Ketil
Mrs Ilavarsi’s helped her student who is an orphan and had lost sight of her goals in life. Mrs Ilavarsi guided her towards a better path. Eventually, the kindness shown by Mrs Ilavarsi has motivated her student to pursue her Bachelor’s Degree and will soon be graduating.

9.   Mrs Rosnah binti Abd Rahman (Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Teja Putra)

Mrs. Rosnah’s student was always teased by his friends in school for being soft-spoken and gentle as compared to the others. She helped him to build his confidence and leadership skills and he went on to participate in multiple district and national level competitions.

10. Ms Wong Fong Neong (Sekolah Menengah Pendidikan Khas Vokasional Shah Alam)

Ms. Wong was a sense of comfort, security, and encouragement for her student. She helped her student whose family had financial troubles to collect donations to sustain her education and never once asked for anything in return. 

11. Mr Leoforster Ruben anak Upom (Sekolah Kebangsaan Ba’Kelalan)

Mr Leo brings a breath of fresh air into the classroom with his creative teaching methods. He created an “English Corner” by recycling plastic bottles into mailboxes to encourage students to interact with teachers through written notes. 

12. Mr Mohamad Kamel Hafiz Bin Salim (Sekolah Kebangsaan Tanah Liat)
Mr. Kamel was diagnosed with anxiety but he did not want it to rule his life. He volunteered to be the school’s cross-country coach and trained with his students every morning before school. He even sold a pair of expensive shoes to buy new apparel and shoes for his students. 

13. Ms Selvamary a/p Lourdesamy (Sekolah Menangah Kebangsaan USJ 12)

Pn. Mary would stay back for 5 hours each day for extra biology classes and is known for her effective custom notes. Her students to this day still visit her and bring her presents for her birthday and Teacher’s Day even after they have left school.

14. Mr Darrel Wong Lee Sze (Sekolah Kebangsaan Limpaki)

Cikgu Darrel invented creative teaching methods to help his students overcome each of their learning disabilities, started a YouTube channel to introduce ‘flipped learning’ and even began a program that encourages parents to read with their children.

15.  Mr Alvin Chan Seng Chai (Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Nabawan, Sabah)

Mr. Alvin is a very motivational teacher who always motivates his students to look beyond the kampung life and see the possibilities that lie ahead in the city. Mr. Alvin also helped his students to become outspoken and develop strong leadership traits by giving them the opportunity to take up responsibilities within the school.  

16. Mr Khairil Azmir bin Ahmad (Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Agama Perempuan Alawiyahh)

“One cannot produce art if you don’t have an objective” was Mr Khairil’s core principle when it came to the subject of Pendidikan Seni. Apart from teaching in the classroom, Mr Khairil also involves his students in art projects with Persatuan Pelukis Negeri Perlis in big projects such as Street Art Kangar 2.0 which has attracted the attention of tourists near and far.

17. Mdm Nor Sahida bt Napiah (Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Tengku Abdullah)

Mdm Nor Sahida is a compassionate teacher who turned her student’s life around when she was chosen to participate in a cooking competition. Mdm Nor sponsored most of her financial needs including during the STPM period and even gifted her with a motorbike.

18. Mrs Rosnah binti Abd Rahman (Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Teja Putra)

Mrs. Rosnah’s student was always teased by his friends in school for being soft-spoken and gentle as compared to the others. She helped him to build confidence and leadership skills and went on to participate in multiple district and national level competitions. 

19. Mr Hairul Azuan Bin Ahdan (Sekolah Kebangsaan Felda Ulu Penggeli)

Mr Hairul is a Felda school teacher that wanted his students to have the same opportunities as those studying in urban areas. He trained his students for poetry speaking and traditional Malay dance competitions. He even sewed their costumes on his own for all their performances. With everything on his plate, he still made sure his students succeeded academically too. Last year, 15 out of his 19 students scored an A in Bahasa Melayu for UPSR. 

20. Ms Shee Yuen Ling (Sekolah Jenis Kebangsaan (Cina) Man Ming)
Equipped with effective teaching methods, Ms Shee helped her students who are weak in English by incorporating fun interaction into her lessons. She is nominated for her efforts put into preparing a student who once lacked confidence in essay writing into a winner of the International Online Essay Competition in 2018.

21. Ms Isolde Hon Peisha (Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Sulaiman Bentong)

Ms Peisha helped bring out the best in her student when he was facing self-esteem issues in a new school. With guidance from Ms Peisha, he felt empowered to participate in a public speaking contest. From this experience, he had more courage to try new things and this changed his school experience. 

22. Ms Siti Norziah binti Harun (Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Lembah Bidong)

One of Ms. Siti’s students disliked the English language and would often be up to no good. She conducted extra classes for her student every day and he eventually passed all his subjects, including English. Ms. Siti continued to help him until he obtained his Diploma certificate.

23. Mrs Nurlisa binti Kamba (Sekolah Kebangsaan Padang Berampah

Mrs Nurlisa is a teacher and filmmaker with 20,000 YouTube subscribers. She posts videos that features her students in school activities and short films. Her short film, Budak Baru, has over 2 million views.. By including students in her videos, it allowed them to experience acting and expose them to the process of filmmaking.

  

24. Ms Dayang Nur Khaleda Afni (Sekolah Sultan Alam Shah, Putrajaya)

Even though Ms Dayang is a temporary teacher, she tries her best to help her students and put in extra time to help them improve. Not only is she known for being a great teacher, but she is also well-known for being a host for Panorama RTM and creates YouTube videos on youth-related topics.

25. Mr Abdul Hakim Ikram bin Zakaria (Sekolah Menengah Sains Tengku Muhammad Faris Petra)

Despite having to commute 2 hours daily to get to and from school, Sir Hakim never fails to have a smile on his face when he sees his students. He always goes out of his way to assist students such as helping them get camping supplies or helping them simplify their lessons which made difficult projects a joy to complete.