Taylor's college: Taylor's College today announced five outstanding teachers as finalists for the RISE Educator Award 2026, to recognise the contributions of educators who have made extraordinary impact beyond traditional roles in the classroom. It said in a statement that the five finalists were selected based on their innovative approaches in helping students learn, grow, and open new opportunities for their future.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, the public voting period and the jury panel evaluation are taking place from Aug 24 to Sept 6, with public voting contributing 25 per cent and the jury panel evaluation contributing the remaining 75 per cent to the final decision. "Each finalist has their own approach to helping students learn, grow, and believe that more can be achieved," said the statement.
The first finalist, Dr. Zul Faizuddin Osman from Sekolah Kebangsaan (SK) Sungai Rual, Jeli, Kelantan, transformed the Orang Asli school in the remote area into a centre for digital innovation and excellence in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM). He introduced the School of NFT initiative in 2021 by integrating digital art, artificial intelligence (AI) and STEM into learning, which contributed to an increase in student attendance rates from 70.7 per cent to 82.8 per cent.
Another finalist, Mohamad Safuan Rozak from SK Desa Jaya, Pahang, introduced a unique approach to teaching science through music by producing over 40 educational parody songs, garnering four million views on YouTube, and achieving a 100 per cent pass rate in the Academic Session Final Examination (UASA) since 2022.
Third finalist, Muhammad Hafizu Aiman Jusoh from SK Pulat, Kelantan, presented the 'Rumah Belajar Tanpa Loceng' model to ensure the continuity of education for the Temiar Orang Asli community in Pos Pulat, which was affected by the relocation of the Nenggiri Dam project.
The fourth finalist, Teh Zhen Kiat from Sekolah Jenis Kebangsaan (C) Sungai Buloh, Selangor, is also banking on the approach "Think. Navigate. Create." which integrates AI, STEM, and entrepreneurship to produce a generation of young innovators.
Completing the list of finalists is Veronica Francis from SMK St. Bernadette's Convent, who focuses on cultivating a STEM ecosystem in schools through project-based learning, practical experiments, and the empowerment of digital technology.
The statement also said that the judging panel comprises Ministry of Education Educational Resources and Technology Division deputy director (Policy, Planning and Research Sector) Fadzliaton Zainudin; Taylor's College Campus director Josephine Tan; Edvolution chief executive officer Melissa Gomes; and the recipient of the RISE Educator Award 2025, Stefanus Lucas.
The panel will evaluate each finalist based on their efforts, innovation, and the impact of their contributions on students and the education community as a whole. The recipient of the RISE Educator Award 2026 will take home the grand prize of RM5,000 in cash, while the nominees will receive RM500, and the winning school will receive sponsorship amounting to RM50,000 to support further educational development initiatives.
The four other finalists will each receive RM1,000 in cash and school sponsorship amounting to RM10,000. The public can vote for their preferred teacher through the official Taylor's College website.