“Never give up”, M’sian man who failed his SPM 7 times becomes an award-winning teacher

For many people, it may be a struggle to try again after failing. But for this man, he was determined to reach his goals, regardless of how many times he had to try. Kathiresan Moorthy is a 38-year-old teacher who has won awards for his innovative teaching abilities.

M’sian man who failed his SPM 7 times becomes an award-winning teacher

Sharing his journey, the 38-year-old teacher revealed that things were tough on him as he graduated high school with 7D’s. And despite his best efforts, Kathiresan found himself failing multiple times. However, his dedication and perseverance finally paid off when he scored a B+ in his Bahasa Melayu subject when he was 24.

Speaking to the English daily, FMT, Kathiresan mentioned that it was no easy feat during his years of education. As he received little to no support, the Pahang-born teacher had no choice but to fund his own studies. To earn a living, he operated a cafeteria at the Kuala Lipis Institut Pendidikan Guru (IPG) campus.

“During that time, I constantly received discouragement from other people telling me that I won’t be able to make it”, said Kathiresan.

Thankfully shortly after, he was able to work as a temporary teacher, before continuing his studies at the Raja Melewar Institut Pendidikan Guru campus in Seremban. Proving everyone wrong, he was able to graduate with a first-class honor in his bachelor’s degree in physical education.

Following that, Kathiresan has come up with innovative ways to help his students improve in their studies. Creating a kit called the “8 Konstruk Kathi”, he shared that the teaching kit involves reading games. It is separated into 2 phases, focusing on basic skills (construct 1-4) and advanced skills (construct 5-8) respectively. And within 6 weeks, the students who were having troubles reading will be able to read their textbooks successfully.

Along with his dedication in educating his students, the inspiring teacher, who is currently pursuing a doctorate in sports science at Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris in Tanjung Malim has become one of the finalists in receiving the Pemimpin GSL‘s 2023 Malaysia Teacher Prize. 

Congratulations Kathiresan, we’re so happy to see that you’ve excelled in your life, despite many telling you that you wouldn’t make it! 

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Also read: Giving back to society: Retired M’sian lecturer goes around M’sia offering free English workshops to rural primary schools