Student Wins RM10,000 in the Cabaran Bahasa Malaysia Tavis
Where you come from doesn’t matter. It’s what you do to make a mark and name for yourself that matters. The Cabaran Bahasa Malaysia Tavis competition, which took place earlier this year, was designed for the thousands of students in the Tavis educational community. The main objective was to improve students’ Malay language skills and honor their linguistic gifts, while also bringing students from around the country together.
Participants in the competition were urged to demonstrate their language skills by writing essays in Bahasa Malaysia on assigned topics. Cabaran Bahasa Malaysia stretched the boundaries of participants’ language abilities and unlocked their creative brilliance by judging them on factors such as linguistic clarity, artistic expression, and idea originality.
Cabaran Bahasa Malaysia saw an unprecedented attendance, with over 2,000 kids from all over Malaysia competing. The competition recognized the exceptional talents of Tan Wei Chun from SMJK Kwang Hua, Selangor, who finished second and received a generous RM5,000 cash prize, and Nurul Iman binti Mohd Hafiz from SMK Methodist Tanjong Malim, Perak, who finished third and received an RM3,000 cash prize.
Boy from humble background wins the challenge
During the winner’s announcement at Tavis’ Cabaran Bahasa Malaysia, a national Malay language competition for secondary school students, 17-year-old champion Ahmad Iqbal found himself making a quiet vow, a personal commitment tied to the money he had just won.
Ahmad Iqbal, a native Banting boy born into a modest household, was no stranger to adversity. He had the burden of being the eldest of seven siblings. His father worked tirelessly at a paper mill, while his mother selflessly cared for the family. Life had always been a little bit more difficult for him, but that was about to change thanks to his own devotion and hard work.
A flood of emotions washed over him as he stood erect on the stage, clutching the pretend cheque of RM10,000 and a trophy, amidst deafening clapping and cheers. Beating out 2,000 other students, Ahamd Iqbal clawed his way to victory and a large sum that would surely turn things around for him and his family.
Despite the financial difficulties that have marred his career, Ahmad Iqbal made a significant decision to share his hard-earned accomplishments and make a real difference. Ahmad Iqbal elected to donate half of his reward money to charity. The money was divided in two parts, with the first RM2,500 going to his school, Kolej Islam Sultan Alam Shah.
The remaining RM2,500 was given to a charitable organization of his choice dedicated to helping impoverished pupils. Coming from his background, the subject naturally connected with Ahmad Iqbal, who hoped that the money might help these children in some manner.