Malaysian bags regional award

Goh is the regional winner of the 2023 Cambridge Dedicated Teacher Awards which received over 11,000 nominations from 99 countries.

GOH Kok Ming was named regional winner of the 2023 Cambridge Dedicated Teacher Awards for Australia, New Zealand and South-East Asia.

The teacher from SJK (C) Hua Lian 1 in Taiping, Perak, was recognised for his achievement in teaching students valuable coding skills to help solve community issues and build a brighter future.

Goh said, “I’ve always had a passion for coding and I’m thrilled to share the passion with my students to encourage them to build their coding skills to code for a better future.

“I started the ‘Kampong Code’ initiative to encourage my students to build apps to help solve community issues and strengthen their interest in coding.

“I believe that persistence will see transformation and change.”

Run by Cambridge University Press, the Cambridge Dedicated Teacher Awards is a competition which celebrates the efforts of teachers around the world.

This year, it received over 11,000 nominations from 99 countries, an increase of more than 30% over last year’s nominations.

Now in its fifth year, the competition gives students, parents and other teachers the chance to nominate a current primary or secondary school teacher for something wonderful they have done.

This is the second time that a Malaysian teacher was chosen as a winner.

Last year, Khalifa Affnan, a teacher from Keningau Vocational College in Sabah was named the global winner for his achievement in initiating a science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) project where he trained students in robotics, drones, coding and other technology-based disciplines.

His effort has increased the participation of female students and special needs learners in STEM activities.

Cambridge University Press publishing director for education Matthew Walker said: “The achievements of our 2023 regional winners, plus the thousands of nominations we received for the competition, speak volumes for the value of teachers’ roles and the positive impact they have on students.

“We hope that this recognition will continue to inspire teachers to deliver exceptional teaching and encourage the next generation of learners to aim high in their ambitions.”

As a regional winner, Goh will receive £500 (RM2,800) worth of books or digital resources, a Cambridge Dedicated Teacher Awards trophy and promotion for him and his school.

He will also be featured on a thank you page at the front of new Cambridge University Press Education textbooks from February 2024.