By: Bazli Razak
KUCHING, 15 May – Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris (UPSI) once again affirmed its prominence as a leading institution in teacher education when 12 of its alumni received prestigious national awards during the 2025 National Teachers’ Day Celebration held recently.
The accolades, presented in three key categories—Innovative Teacher Award, Teacher Icon Award, and Distinguished Teacher Award—underscore UPSI’s position as a specialist institution consistently producing competitive and high-impact educators at the national level.
Director of the UPSI Alumni Centre, Dr. Omar Firdaus Mohd Said, stated that this remarkable achievement is a testament to UPSI’s strong tradition of teacher training, which has been developed over more than a century.
“UPSI does not merely train teachers; we shape education leaders instilled with integrity, professionalism, and an innovative spirit,” he said.
The first-place winner of the Innovative Teacher Award (Post-secondary Individual), Dr. Oh Zi Jian, stood out with his STEM teaching innovation based on artificial intelligence (AI). Meanwhile, Basirah Mahamad@Abu Bakar and Zamzuriani Hj Kassim each clinched first place in the Private Preschool and Preschool categories, thanks to their active and creative pedagogical approaches.
In addition, Zulazri Yusof was named first-place winner of the Performing Arts Teacher Icon Award, while Mohamad Ridzwan Ali and Noriham Ab Wahab secured first and second place, respectively, in the Counselling and Guidance Teacher subcategory.
Muhammad Amin Abu (Outstanding Young Teacher) and Norafif Mohd Amin (Sports Teacher) each earned third place in their respective categories.
“These achievements prove that UPSI is a leader in producing highly qualified educators,” said Dr. Omar.
He added that the recognition further validates that UPSI’s education and teacher training model remains relevant and effective in meeting current and future educational challenges.
“Our alumni are now at the forefront of national education reform. They excel not only in classrooms but also as catalysts of systemic and community-level change,” he emphasised.
UPSI’s excellence in nurturing competent educators was also reflected in the success of Siti Munirah Mohamed (Distinguished Lecturer) and Mohd Zulkhairi Umar (Distinguished Orang Asli/Indigenous Teacher), who both won first place in their categories. They were followed by Dr. Hairul Faiezi Lokman, who won second place, and Mohd Reduan Daud, who secured third place in the Special Education category.
The 2025 National Teachers’ Day Celebration, themed “Teachers: Catalysts of Educational Reform,” saw the presentation of awards by Minister of Education, Fadhlina Sidek, at the Borneo Convention Centre Kuching (BCCK), witnessed by over 5,000 educators from across the country.
