A Chemistry teacher from SMK Ave Maria Convent in Ipoh recently did the nation proud by winning the Global Teacher Award 2021.
V.Komathy, 38, a mother of three, has been a teacher for 14 years and received the good news via email from the organisers, AKS Education.
She received the international recognition at a virtual ceremony via the official Facebook page and YouTube channel of the AKS Education Awards.
“I was shocked when I was informed about the award. I still can’t believe I was selected as the winner out of 321 candidates from Malaysia and about 26,000 entries from other countries.
“Of that number, 500 had been shortlisted, including six Malaysian candidates,” she said.
Komathy, who holds a master’s degree in chemistry education from Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris (UPSI) and is currently pursuing a doctorate in the same field at UPSI, has produced several innovative products that have been recognised internationally, in order to pique students’ interest in chemistry.
Among the innovative products are Chem-Ester Kit: Chem-Ester Kit 2.0, namely a PdPC Chemistry product and Biomass Activated Carbon (BAC) for Toxic Dyes Removal: Towards a Sustainable Environment, which is a product for the application of chemistry knowledge in problem solving.
Komathy said Chem-Ester Kit: Chem-Ester Kit 2.0 is a guidance module in the form of a game card and is designed to increase students’ mastery of writing molecular formulas, structures, naming of alkane compounds, alkenes, alkanes, alcohols, carboxylic acids and ester.
“Chemistry is a less popular subject because it is full of formulas and involves a lot of calculations, so we need to educate in an entertaining way so as to grab students’ interest in this subject and avoid them giving up easily,” she said.
She said the awards received previously and this Global Teacher Award 2021 would be a motivation to educate, produce a more advanced nation and to continue making various innovations in the subject of chemistry.
Komathy started teaching at SMK Methodist Girls School, Ipoh, in 2007 for six years before moving to SMK Buntong and then transferred to SMK Ave Maria Convent here in February.
She has also produced several scholarly works and has taken students from SMK Buntong to represent the country at both national and international levels in various academic events.
