Johor student wins science essay competition
Scientific innovations and technology advancements should be put into a good cause. This notion clearly resonated with Mohd Afiqizzudin Mohd Sulaiman who won the Perdana Global Peace Foundation (PGPF) and MajalahSains.com essay writing competition themed ‘Science for Peace’ for the secondary school student category (Bahasa Malaysia).
The Form Five student of SMK Tinggi Batu Pahat, Johor said: “I believe science and technology should not be used to create chaos or initiate a war but for peace.
“I am using this competition as a platform for me to give my opinions. I feel like I am representing the voice of the younger generation by writing the essay.
“It took me two weeks to finish up my writing. I really paid attention to the structure of my essay to ensure that the idea is well-conveyed to the readers.”
Second place for the secondary school student category was clinched by Alia Sofia Zainal Abidin from SM Agama Persekutuan Bentong, Pahang who was unable to attend the prize-giving ceremony.
Munirah Munawarrah Khairul Hashim who won the third place for the same category said that writing a critical essay was a truly challenging experience for her.
“In my essay, I wanted to share my own ideas and views on how to change the world to be a safer place in relation to science instead of just stating facts.
“As I am currently in a college that focuses on STEM education, I develop my interest in science every day. Next year, I’ll have the important task of conducting research for my evaluation at school. So, I have to start thinking about my area of interest from now for the research,” said the Form Four student from Permata Pintar Negara, Selangor.
PGPF honorary advisor and patron of the competition Tun Dr Siti Hasmah Mohd Ali who presented the prizes to the winners said: “I am pleased with the active participation from the public and students. The level of interest and knowledge showcased by the participants in the subject of peace highlighted that it is an important matter to Malaysians.
“Upon reading a few essay submissions, I was
astonished to see critical writings with advanced vocabularies by the young participants from the secondary school category,” she said.
Dr Siti Hasmah who also shared her journey to Iran in her speech added that every individual plays an important part in the long struggle of achieving global peace and putting an end to war.
Taking on the theme of ‘Science for Peace’ for secondary school students and ‘Criminalising War’ for public and university students, the competition was held to commemorate the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation’s World Science Day for Peace and Development on November 10, 2018.
The essays were judged based on the level of knowledge and understanding of the theme, the clarity of argumentation, structure and writing style.
Also present at the ceremony were PGPF Chairman Tan Sri Norian Mai, MajalahSains.com chief editor Mohd Faizal Aziz and chief judge of the competition Dr Chandra Muzaffar.
Norian said: “The competition was designed to focus on the theme of peace which is in line with PGPF’s main advocacy of ‘Criminalising War’, an idea mooted by Prime Minister of Malaysia and PGPF President, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.
Twelve winners for all categories walked away with a total of RM27,000 cash prizes at the competition.
Winners for secondary school category (English) were Elise Oh En Xin from Chung Ling Private School, Penang, Nicholas Ting Tiing Hou from SMK Sacred Heart Sibu, Sarawak and Nur Zaharina Mohd Zaid from SMK Puteri Titiwangsa, Kuala Lumpur. All of the winners were, however, unable to make it to the prize-giving ceremony.
First prize winners won RM2,000 while second and third place winners received RM1,500 and RM2,000 respectively. The theme for this category was ‘Science for Peace’, to be discussed in not more than 1,500 words.