(From left) Fazita, Aranols, Wong, Hana Uzma, Ulya Mardhiyaah, Tuan Siti Nur Fatihah, Ithnin, SK Kompleks Mengabang Telipot co-curricular affairs senior assistant Hazrilullah Hazmi and guidance teacher Nurul Aim Syazana. — RAJA FAISAL HISHAN/The Star
THREE pupils from Terengganu outshone more than 12,500 participants nationwide to be crowned champions at the Nestle Koko Kraf Club 2025 National Grand Finale.
Their art teacher Fazita Mohammad, from SK Kompleks Mengabang Telipot in Kuala Terengganu, described the achievement as remarkable as they had nearly missed the competition due to registration hiccups.
“We’re happy, excited and grateful but we still can’t believe it,” she said.
“We missed the briefings and couldn’t reach the organiser for a while. When we arrived, registration was over. That was partly on us because everything was clearly stated.
“Thankfully the Nestle team helped us and we managed to compete,” she said.
This was the school’s first time taking part in the competition.
Fazita said her pupils’ artwork stood out because of its strong use of the overlapping concept taught in Visual Arts.
She guided them in working with magazine clippings to create tonal depth, as she believes that magazines naturally carry gradients that can help collages achieve a smooth finish more quickly – an advantage in a timed competition.
She said as younger pupils often struggled with drawing complex forms, she had structured the artwork around a repeated image with different subjects to help them stay consistent with the theme.
The winners – Ulya Mardhiyaah Ahmad Mustaffa, Tuan Siti Nur Fatihah Tuan Azham Zamiri and Hana Uzma Noramin – interpreted the “Little Explorer” theme through an imagined underwater future.
The work depicted an underwater city flourishing while greenery thrived above sea level.
Images of Earth and books in the artwork symbolised knowledge as the foundation for progress and discovery.
The grand finale, themed “Future For My Country,” brought together 15 finalist teams representing five regions across Malaysia to a Kuala Lumpur mall.
Each team comprised three pupils aged 10 to 12.
They were given the task of expressing their hopes for the nation through collage art using recyclable materials such as cereal boxes, fabric and old magazines.
The programme, a collaboration between Nestle Malaysia and the Education Ministry, is now in its second year.
It recorded participation from 12,507 pupils across 925 schools in 149 districts, compared to 3,633 pupils when it debuted in 2024.
Deputy Education Minister Wong Kah Woh said such creative programmes helped build pupils’ confidence and strengthened Malaysia’s artistic identity.
Nestle Malaysia chief executive officer Juan Aranols described the initiative as a way to nourish children not only through food but through imagination as well.
Nestle Breakfast Cereals Malaysia business executive officer Philip Joe noted that participation had more than tripled, reflecting strong enthusiasm nationwide.
The finale also featured an open arts-and-crafts area for parents, teachers and children, turning the event into a day of shared creativity.
Also present was Education Ministry sports, co-curricular and arts division director Ithnin Mahadi.
