Malaysian Teacher, Samuel Isaiah Listed Among Top 10 Finalists for Global Teacher Prize 2020
Samuel Isaiah's dedication to nurturing Orang Asli children has put him among the top 10 finalists for the prestigious Varkey Foundation Global Teacher Prize 2020.
According to the Varkey Foundation, the English teacher from SK Runchang, Pahang made the list from a selection of over 12,000 nominations and applications from more than 140 countries.
For Samuel, the honour represents the capabilities and struggles of Malaysian teachers' and highlights the Orang Asli community. "It's high time we spoke about the indigenous people's potential. With the right policies, resources, intervention, pedagogy and environment, they can achieve amazing things. Putting my children in the international spotlight is one of the best things this award can do for me," he said.
If he wins the US$1mil (RM4.3mil) prize given by the foundation in partnership with Unesco, he wants to build an educational hub that caters to the Orang Asli education, social welfare and well-being.
Annually, the Global Teacher Prize recognises an exceptional teacher who has made an outstanding contribution to the profession and underlines the important role teachers play in society. In a video message announcing Samuel's nomination, British actor and comedian Stephen Fry mentioned that he provided laptops and tablets for his students through a national crowdfunding campaign. He congratulated Samuel for his dedication as well.
Unesco (education) assistant director-general, Stefania Gianni on the other hand hopes that Samuel's story will inspire aspiring teachers and highlight the work of Malaysian teachers and educators throughout the world. Varkey Foundation and the Global Teacher Prize said the year 2020 has seen teachers go above and beyond to keep young people learning, adding that teachers should be applauded for their creativity, compassion and resolve to fulfil every child's right to a good education.
The award ceremony will be held virtually on Dec 3 and hosted by Stephen Fry from the Natural History Museum in London.
Samuel is a Fulbright scholar pursuing a Master's degree in Educational Policy and Leadership in State University of New York. Last year, he was recognised as one of the 10 winners of the Star Golden Hearts Award 2019 - an annual award that celebrates everyday Malaysian unsung heroes - for his work with the Orang Asli children. Apart from Samuel, another Malaysian teacher, Norhailmi Abdul Mutalib was also among the 50 educators shortlisted for the 2020 prize.
Congratulations on making it to the top 10 Samuel. Bless your kind heart for your compassion and dedication towards the indigenous community in Malaysia. We wish you the very best in your future endeavours!
14-year-old Anika Chebrolu Winner of 2020 3M Young Scientist Challenge for Research of Potential Cure for COVID-19
While most teenagers are either glued to their smartphones or gaming consoles during their free time, 14-year old Anika Chebrolu from Frisco, Texas was busy researching a potential cure for COVID-19.
The scientist in the making bagged a cash prize worth US$25,000 (RM104,000) after winning the 2020 3M Young Scientist Challenge, a prestigious science competition for middle school students last week.
According to her winner's profile on 3M, she "used in-silico methodology for drug discovery to find a molecule that can selectively bind to the Spike protein of the SARS-Cov-2 virus in an attempt to find a cure for the COVID-19 pandemic."
The bright teen who is of Indian descent hopes her discovery will lead to a possible treatment to fight COVID-19 which has infected a total of 41.6 million people and claimed over 1.14 million lives globally.
Anika who has been described to be a person of many talents by US news networks, made the discovery two years ago while researching another pandemic - the Spanish flu.
"I just wanted to help the world and let children know that they can do whatever they want to accomplish," she said.
Anika hopes to be a medical researcher and professor in the future and is reported to be doing grown-up work while inspiring a new generation to dream big.
Congratulations on your outstanding achievement Anika! We wish you the very best in your future endeavours. Keep inspiring and shine bright.
Women leaders in Malaysia: YB Puan Rusnah Binti Aluai
Do you know who YB Puan Rusnah Binti Aluai is? She is a politician from the People’s Justice Party (PKR) from the previous Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition. She is currently the Member of Parliament (MP) for the Tangga Batu seat in Melaka.
She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Law from the International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM) and a Master’s Degree in Law from the London’s School of Economics and Political Science.
Prior to her political career, Rusnah mostly worked in administration and as a lecturer of law. Among the universities she has worked at include UiTM Melaka, UiTM Shah Alam and UiTM Kelantan.
Her political career began when she contested for the Rembia seat in Melaka during the 2013 general elections and lost to a fellow politician. She then contested for the Tangga Batu seat in Melaka during the 2018 general elections and won.
Kudos to Rusnah for showing that politicians can come from any background as long as we want to serve the country. Here’s to having more females to step up and become leaders of the country.
MR DIY Directly Dispatched PPE to Sabah Thanks to Business Network
MR D.I.Y Group (M) Bhd (MR D.I.Y) sent 9,000 sets of personal protective equipment (PPE) and 20,000 face masks worth RM480,000 to Sabah recently.
The retailer organisation mentioned that they are lending their help to frontliners and vulnerable people in Sabah due to the COVID-19 situation in the state that has begun to worsen. MR D.I.Y planned to distribute the equipment to areas including four key COVID-19 hospitals, six government clinics and government facilities in Semporna, Lahad Datu, Tawau and Kunak districts.
As the third wave of the pandemic affected the state badly, MR D.I.Y CEO, Adrian Ong said that the company is worried for the frontliners’ and Sabahans’ access to the necessary supplies.
He shared that it was possible to get the supplies as quickly as possible due to their direct connections with manufacturers and logistics networks around the country.
Ever since the pandemic began this year, the retailer company has distributed more than 2,000 PPE sets, 300,000 face masks, 10,000 face shields and materials to produce face shields. All of them were worth more than RM3.8 million.
We give our salutations to you, MR D.I.Y! Let’s show that the people stand united and will always have each others’ back during these unprecedented times.
Fun Facts (Sewing and Fabrics)
Fun Fact #1
Did you know that sewing was a skill that existed since tens of thousands of years ago?Some anthropologists believed that homosapiens from 76,000 years ago sewed their prehistoric clothes with bone awls, the great ancestor of the needle.
The eyed sewing needle that we use now was developed around 45,000 years ago in Siberia and China.
Fun Fact #2
The oldest fabric known to humankind is the linen Tarkhan. It is a material for a dress from Egypt’s first dynasty that was from 5,000 years ago. There are older fibers like the pre-Hispanic Peruvian fabrics from the 900 and 600 BCE or the 2,000 year old Paracas textile from Peru but, unlike the linen Tarkhan dress, they are not whole clothes.
Fun Fact #3
Silk is known to be the strongest natural textile on earth. It is mainly made of fibroin, a protein that silkworms secrete when they make their cocoons.
Due to their shimmering appearance and softness, the fabric was popular throughout history and even had the route that connected the East and West be called ‘The Silk Road.’
Fun Fact #4
Did you know that the idea of having pockets in our clothes existed from the 17th century? Although pockets for men were easily accessible, women back then had their pockets sewn separately in their petticoats.
In fact, as women’s fashion evolved in the coming years, the pocket disappeared until the 1800s where women fought for their clothes to be more practical. Although inaccessible pockets are still present in women’s clothing, the women ancestors who fought for them viewed pockets as an exercise of patriarchy and sexism.
7-Eleven Malaysia Gives Away Sewing Machines to Economically-Challenged Women
Popular chain store 7-Eleven Malaysia and NGOHub have given away sewing machines to economically-challenged women earning a living by sewing.
They made the donation by collaborating with UmieAktif, a non-profit social enterprise who works with these women around areas such as Chow Kit and Kampung Melayu Ampang and in Kelantan, Pahang and Terengganu.
Marketing general manager for 7E Malaysia, Ronan Lee mentioned that they wanted to give back to society by helping out the vulnerable groups, especially for single mothers and women from the B40 communities.
They hope that the donations will give them the opportunity to work, boost their job skills and eventually push themselves to become financially independent.
UmieAktif co-founder, Nik Sin Nik Man thanked 7E Malaysia for their contributions as they were a meaningful gift for their participants. As they have more than 100 participants, the sewing project has been positive thus far in helping the participants to pay their bills, send their children to school and having food on the table.
If you want to find out more about the sewing project, reach out to UmieAktif via their Facebook page or contact them at +60175279342.
5 Tips for Cooking At Home
Due to current circumstances, most Malaysians choose to stay home as much as they can in an effort to reduce the number of COVID-19 cases. As more people are staying home, it is also safe to say that most households would choose to cook their meals in order to save costs. Here are a few tips from chefs to cook at home.
Play around with staple ingredients
Staple ingredients are usually carb-laden and will provide energy. Now is the best time to experiment all sorts of recipes for bread, rice, beans and everything else.
Make big batches of certain dishes
Fret not if you’ve made too much rice, curry or sambal ikan bilis - just store them and use them for another day!
Add on fresh veggies whenever possible
A balanced diet must include all nutrients, including the vitamins and fibres from vegetables. Incorporate them for your dishes as much as possible.
Try the recipes you’ve always wanted to do
Now that wading through traffic jams is out as you’re working from home, use the free time to cook the dishes you’ve always wanted to do. Try making your own bread or prep more elaborate meals for dinner.
Have your children join in
If you have kids at home, having them involved with the cooking teaches them to appreciate the culinary arts. It also gives them an activity to look forward to and can even help develop basic life skills.
The Types of Bullying to Look Out For
Bullying happens when someone or a group of people deliberately exert their power over someone else to make that person upset, angered or scared. It can happen to people of all ages and it’s different from teasing, where both parties are involved in the joke. However, if a person teases someone with the intention to hurt or upset them, that is also bullying.
1. Physical bullying
Smashing, hitting, kicking, pinching, biting, scratching, throwing things at someone and many more.
2. Verbal bullying
Name calling, teasing or being sarcastic in hurtful ways, saying things to make someone feel down, etc.
3. Emotional bullying
Making fun of someone’s appearance, ignoring a person to make them feel excluded, making others hate on someone and more.
4. Cyber-bullying
Uploading embarrassing videos of someone online, sending abusive or harassing emails or texts, making hurtful prank calls, spreading false rumours about someone online and more of the likes.
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