Dr Sirhajwan Idek Receives Leadership Award from Thailand’s Minister of Education

1 June 2026

KOTA KINABALU: Dr Sirhajwan Idek, an English teacher at Keningau Vocational College (KV Keningau), was accorded the first-place winner of the Educational System Management Leadership (ESML) Leadership Award 2026 in the vocational education category by Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand.

The award was presented on 29 May 2026 at the university’s Faculty of Education during an international education conference.

The award was handed over by Thailand’s Minister of Education, Prasert Jantararuangtong. As the category winner, Dr Sirhajwan received a trophy and a certificate signed by the Minister.

There were five award categories: primary/early childhood education, secondary education, international schools, educational executives and vocational education. Five finalists were shortlisted in the vocational education category.

Dr Sirhajwan was chosen as the winner for this category in recognition of his introduction of community-based learning through four strands: direct service, indirect service, advocacy and community-based research.

Through this approach, his student teams have carried out various community service projects and received recognition from several agencies, including Impact Malaysia, CHANGE, Arus Academy, My Starfish Foundation and Digital Promise, which awarded grants to student-run community projects.

Under Dr Sirhajwan’s leadership as head of the college’s research and innovation unit, the welding technology team received a RM 15,000 grant from Impact Malaysia to carry out repair and maintenance work on a primary school building in 2025.

In addition, students from other programmes such as bakery and pastry, business management, electrical technology, cosmetology and construction technology have run financial literacy advocacy campaigns, conducted joint research with farmers, provided grooming and personal-care services at an elderly care home, carried out electrical appliance repairs and restored old houses, with grants and funding ranging from RM 2,000 to RM 10,000.

Based on data gathered from this approach, Dr Sirhajwan found that it can improve civic engagement, emotional intelligence and student resilience, while the target communities provided highly positive feedback.

Dr Sirhajwan said he was inspired to adopt this approach by his mother, Hajah Bintek Hj Abdul Rahman, who is active in charitable work and in helping people in need in Kota Belud, Dr Sirhajwan’s home district.

KV Keningau director Lumang Anak Lang congratulated Dr Sirhajwan Idek on this achievement, saying it has motivated and encouraged active participation from students and teachers at the college to contribute to the surrounding community and thereby help elevate vocational college education.