Kuala Lumpur, 26 July 2023 — During the winner’s announcement at Cabaran Bahasa Malaysia – a secondary school level Malay language national competition by Tavis, 17-year-old champion Ahmad Iqbal found himself making a silent promise, a heartfelt commitment tied to the money he had just won.
Born into a humble family, local Banting boy, Ahmad Iqbal was no stranger to adversity. He carried the responsibilities of being the eldest of seven siblings. His father worked tirelessly at a paper-making factory, while his mother selflessly dedicated herself to taking care of the household. For him, life had always been just that little bit more difficult but thanks to his own dedication and hard work, that was about to change.
Amidst thunderous applause and cheers as he stood tall on the stage, clutching the mock cheque of RM10,000 and a trophy, a surge of emotions washed over him; a mixture of joy, relief, and pride. Beating out some 2,000 other students, Ahamd Iqbal clawed his way to victory and a substantial sum that was sure to get things turned around for the better for him and his family.
“Growing up in a big family hasn’t always been easy, but I’ve always been determined to make the most of my opportunities. Whether it’s sports or academics I’ve attempted to balance my passions and responsibilities to the family. I just love languages, and I want to share that love with others, inspire them, and help them discover the beauty of words. I guess then it is apt that my love for language has now brought a great bounty for my family,” shared Ahmad Iqbal.
Ahmad Iqbal’s heart swelled with gratitude as he glanced towards his family in the crowd, their beaming smiles reflecting their unwavering support and love. In that moment he realised while the money could be a game changer for him, others could be equally positively impacted by the money.
“RM10,000 is a lot of money – especially for a 17-year-old, who has struggled their whole life together with 6 other siblings. The instant I was named the winner, I knew how much the prize money could help us. Still, within an instant I was met with a wave of memories of all the others that helped me along my journey as well as the thoughts of the many other people and children that could be struggling the way my family and I were,” he explained.
Despite the financial challenges that have marked his journey, Ahmad Iqbal made a profound decision to share his hard-earned success and create a meaningful impact. Ahmad Iqbal chose to allocate half of his prize money to help others. The sum being split in two, the first RM2,500 was donated to his school, Kolej Islam Sultan Alam Shah in recognition of the vital role his teachers and the institute had played in his win.
The remaining RM2,500 has been donated to a charity organisation of his choice, that is dedicated to empowering underprivileged students. Coming from his background, the cause naturally resonated with Ahmad Iqbal, with hopes that the money would go some way towards aiding these children.
Inspired by Ahmad Iqbal’s altruistic action, Tavis – Malaysia’s leading online education platform, as an organisation committed to empowering students, will be providing one year of tuition for free to students within the charity organisation. This would directly benefit students within the community, empowering them through education for a brighter tomorrow.
“We were so inspired by Ahmad Iqbal’s selfless decision and we wanted to show him that when you choose to do so, you ignite a fire within others to do the same. So naturally, we jumped at the opportunity to match his charitable actions and contribute to the community as well,” shared Tan Sri Datuk Seri Mohd Amin Nordin, founder of Tavis.
Tavis is also actively collaborating with JPN to extend its support to students in B40 schools, ensuring that they receive the necessary resources and opportunities to succeed in their educational journey.
Conducted earlier this year, the Cabaran Bahasa Malaysia Tavis was a competition tailored for the thousands of students within the Tavis educational community. Its primary goal was to enhance students’ proficiency in the Malay language and celebrate their linguistic talents, whilst also bringing together students from across the country.
In the competition, participants were encouraged to showcase their language skills by crafting essays on assigned topics in Bahasa Malaysia. Judged on criteria such as linguistic clarity, creative expression, and the originality of ideas, Cabaran Bahasa Malaysia pushed the boundaries of participants’ language abilities and unleashed their creative prowess.
Cabaran Bahasa Malaysia witnessed an incredible turnout, with over 2,000 students from every corner of Malaysia joining the competition. Alongside Ahmad Iqbal’s remarkable achievement, the competition celebrated the exceptional talents of Tan Wei Chun from SMJK Kwang Hua, Selangor at second place, earning a generous reward of RM5,000, and Nurul Iman binti Mohd Hafiz from SMK Methodist Tanjong Malim, Perak securing the third place with RM3,000 cash reward.
Tavis was founded in 2022 with a clear vision and a noble mission to deliver high-quality and accessible education to every student in Malaysia. Utilising the power of Education Technology (EdTech), Tavis offers accessibility, convenience and affordability to students throughout the nation and has created learning opportunities for over 20,000 students to achieve exceptional results and learn essential 21st-century skills.
To learn more about Tavis, please visit: https://www.tavis.live/.
