KOTA SAMARAHAN: 22 Teach For Malaysia (TFM) fellows took centre stage last Saturday (Apr 25) at Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS) for the organisation’s annual Dragons’ Den event, showcasing 16 social innovation projects co-created with their students to address education inequity at the grassroots level.
The event, hosted at UNIMAS as the venue sponsor, also featured three guest presenters and drew 12 judges from the corporate and social sectors. Among them were representatives from Sarawak Energy Berhad, the Sarawak Digital Economy Corporation, T&J Engineering Sdn Bhd, the Dayak Bidayuh National Association, UNIMAS’s Faculty of Education, Language and Communication, Tupai AI, and St Joseph’s Private Education Berhad.
While the format draws its name from the popular British television programme, TFM emphasises that its purpose goes well beyond entertainment.
The initiative is structured to develop fellows’ design thinking and problem-solving capabilities as tools for tackling real-world education challenges in underserved communities.
The 16 pitches spanned four themes — student voice and leadership, community empowerment, academic intervention, and learner engagement.
The Dragons’ Den has a track record of producing lasting impact.
Past editions have given rise to established social enterprises in Malaysia.
Yet TFM maintains that its most enduring output is the Fellows themselves — equipped with a transformative mindset that they carry into classrooms, boardrooms, and beyond.
The 2025 TFM Cohort is currently embedded in eight government schools across Serian, Padawan, and Bau in Sarawak, as well as Kuala Kangsar in Perak, spanning three primary and five secondary institutions.
Teach For Malaysia continues to welcome applications for its two-year fellowship programme, which places passionate graduates in high-need schools nationwide as both educators and emerging leaders.
