By Bazli Razak
TANJONG MALIM — Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris (UPSI) has made history after being listed among the universities with the highest number of finalists at the QS Reimagine Education Awards 2025, further strengthening its international reputation in educational innovation.
Often described as the “Oscars” of the education world, the awards are organised by QS, an international higher education ranking body, and serve as the most prestigious platform for recognising and celebrating global education pioneers who drive transformation in the learning landscape, enhance learning outcomes, and improve the employability of future generations.
According to Vice-Chancellor Prof Datuk Dr Md Amin Md Taff, UPSI was represented by four lecturers as finalists across different categories, marking the third time the university has been selected as a finalist for the prestigious QS awards.
In the Nurturing Wellbeing and Purpose Award category, UPSI was represented by Associate Prof Dr Nurul ‘Ain Mohd Daud from the Faculty of Human Development through her innovation project titled “From Surviving to Thriving: A Neuro-Immersive Approach to Wellbeing and Purpose in Higher Education.”
Meanwhile, Dr Norsayyidatina Che Rozubi from the same faculty was named a finalist in the Nurturing Values and Ethics category with her project “Hope Through Counseling: Nurturing Hearts of Child Cancer Warriors.”
For the Nurturing Employability category, UPSI was represented by Associate Prof Ts Dr Kesavan Nallaluthan from the Faculty of Management and Economics with the project “Nurturing Employability Through a Holistic Three-Pronged Teaching Strategy,” while the Immersive Experiential Learning Award category featured Dr Abdul Rahman Safian from the Faculty of Music and Performing Arts through his virtual reality innovation “eMARZsive: An Immersive VR Innovation for Enhancing Music Appreciation in Education.”
Md Amin said the achievement demonstrates the capability of the university’s academic community to compete and gain recognition at the global level through high-impact teaching and learning innovations.
“This recognition reflects UPSI’s continuous commitment to strengthening an education ecosystem grounded in innovation, technology and humanistic values, in line with national education aspirations and the global agenda,” he said.
The 2025 edition saw more than 1,650 innovations submitted across 21 award categories, setting a new record in terms of participation, as well as the quality and diversity of projects.
Each submission was evaluated by 1,344 international judges and a Grand Jury comprising more than 50 global experts, underscoring the prestige and global appeal of the awards.
A total of 21 award categories were contested in the 2025 edition, including Future of Learning, Future of Universities, Future of Work, Sustainability and Values, alongside keynote addresses, workshops and parallel sessions held throughout the conference.
The QS Reimagine Education Awards and Conference 2025 took place over three days from 1 to 3 December at the Queen Elizabeth II Centre.
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