IPOH – Chemistry teacher V. Komathy, from Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan (SMK) Ave Maria Convent, here, has won the Global Teacher Award 2021 – an annual awards event organised by AKS Education.
The 38-year-old, who has been serving for 14 years, received the international recognition at a virtual ceremony via the official Facebook page and YouTube channel of the AKS Education Awards, yesterday.
The mother-of-three said she was shocked when she received an email on September 29 from the organisers saying she had won 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 when met by reporters at her house, here.
Komathy holds a master’s degree in chemistry education from Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris (UPSI) and is pursuing a doctorate in the same field at UPSI. She has produced several innovative products that have been recognised internationally. They also helped 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 of 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. It is designed to increase students' mastery of writing molecular formulas, structures, naming for alkane compounds, alkenes, alkanes, alcohols, carboxylic acids and ester.
According to her, BAC for Toxic Dyes Removal: Towards a Sustainable Environment is an innovation that aims to develop biomass activated carbon from three agricultural wastes. Sugarcane fibre, coconut husk and banana peel are used to remove toxic dyes from contaminated water.
"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 to grab students’ interest in this subject and stop them from giving up easily," she said.
She said the awards received before and this Global Teacher Award 2021 would be motivation to educate and produce a more advanced nation. She would continue to make 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. She was 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. They were for various academic events at national and international levels.
“When people say I am an inspiration to other teachers, I feel my inspiration comes from the students. Because it is towards their needs that I strive for excellence," she added. – Bernama, October 25, 2021
