MELAKA: McDonald's Malaysia unveiled 25 winners of the 'Anugerah Guru Inspirasi (AGI) McDonald's 2023' during the national level Teachers Day celebration event.
AGI McDonald's is an annual programme by McDonald's Malaysia with the aim of acknowledging and celebrating exceptional educators.
The award recognises educators — better known as 'Cikgu Luar Biasa' — who have shown extraordinary dedication in fostering their students' academic excellence and character development.
The award presentation ceremony was graced by Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek.
OVER 16,000 NOMINATIONS
Thanks to the solid partnership between the Education Ministry and McDonald's Malaysia, the programme successfully uncovered stories of 'Cikgu Luar Biasa' from across the country.
The programme this year received more than 16,000 nominations.
Managing director and local operating partner of McDonald's Malaysia Datuk Azmir Jaafar, said: "McDonald's Malaysia values the strategic partnership and strong support provided by the Education Ministry. This collaboration has successfully increased the number of nominations by threefold, recording in excess of 16,000 nominations as compared to last year.
"The exceptional stories that have been submitted demonstrate that this programme has garnered widespread attention, and serves as a platform for communities to share the remarkable stories of their 'Cikgu Luar Biasa' who have made a difference in their lives."
In support of the ministry's efforts to maintain educator wellbeing, McDonald's Malaysia will also donate RM5,000 to upgrade the winning teachers' rooms at their school as a sign of more comprehensive support for teachers and colleagues.
"The contribution to upgrade the teachers' rooms is one of McDonald's Malaysia's efforts to acknowledge the contributions of educators – not only towards the AGI McDonald's 2023 recipients but also to all their colleagues at the school," added Azmir.
McDonald's Malaysia also appreciates and acknowledges students who nominated their teachers in this campaign.
With the ministry's approval, McDonald's Malaysia has also awarded students with trophies, certificates, RM500 vouchers and Pentaksiran Aktiviti Jasmani Sukan Kokurikulum (PAJSK) scores for their initiative in submitting compelling stories about their 'Cikgu Luar Biasa.'
These scores can help enhance students' overall development, which is a crucial aspect of academic advancement efforts.
156 TEACHERS RECOGNISED TO DATE
Since its inception in 2017, AGI McDonald's has recognised 156 teachers who have gone above and beyond their duties in educating, motivating and impacting the nation's future generations.
This year's winners will receive a cash prize of RM5,000, a trophy and a certificate.
To further commemorate Teachers Day and honour Malaysian teachers, McDonald's Malaysia will celebrate teachers at all 340 McDonald's restaurants throughout Malaysia during the month of May.
The nomination period for AGI McDonald's 2023 began on March 20 and concluded on April 15.
A panel of judges consisting of representatives from McDonald's Malaysia, Education Ministry officials and media members were involved in the selection of the award winners.
Click here to view the full list of winners.