It was a great achievement when the trust school in a rural part of Kuantan, Pahang was shortlisted as a top three finalist for the inaugural awards recently.
Now all Malaysians are being called to cast their votes here so SK Kempadang can win the RM228,925 (US$50,000) prize money for their digital solution called Smartzoom that tracks students’ progress in real-time.
SK Kempadang is a primary school serving predominantly B40 students from what was once a small fishing community in Pahang.
In a joint press statement, Khazanah Nasional Berhad, Yayasan Hasanah, Yayasan Pahang, Yayasan AMIR and LeapEd said: “We are inspired by SK Kempadang’s resilience in the face of the Covid-19 pandemic, the dedication to overcome their challenges, their innovative use of technology, and the collective effort of the entire Kampung Kempadang community to make a real difference for the lives of their students.”
The five partners also said their respective teams had already cast their votes in a show of support for SK Kempadang’s ability to bring home a win for Malaysia.
They added: “SK Kempadang’s success on the world stage will demonstrate what we can achieve for all Malaysian children if we all come together as one nation.”
Smartzoom enables teachers to devise data-driven interventions, customised for the specific needs of their students. Each student’s progress was visible to all, and the school also worked with parents to ensure no child was left behind.
The educators and leaders of SK Kempadang have pledged that if the school were to win, they would use the funds to improve and expand the capability of Smartzoom and share it with other schools across the country.
The funds would also be invested in the co-curriculum activities of the school, for instance, helping students continue their participation in the National Robotics Competition.
The Judging Academy, comprising distinguished leaders from all across the globe, including academics, educators, NGOs, social entrepreneurs, government, civil society, and the private sector, will be presented with the results of the public advisory vote and will assess the finalists based on rigorous criteria.
The winners will be announced on Oct 19 at the World Education Week.
VOTE NOW! All Malaysians are invited to vote here before 11.59pm, Oct 2, 2022 GMT (7.59am, Oct 3, 2022 MYT) for SK Kempadang to win the prize money.