Malaysian Teens Beat Varsity Students To Win Asian English Olympics In Jakarta

This is the first time the three young students from Tunku Kursiah College (TKC) are competing in an international competition.

By | 22 Feb 2016, 05:28 AM

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Cover ImageCover image via BERNAMA

Last week marked a momentous occasion for Malaysia, when a young student from the elite Tunku Kurshiah College (TKC) won the Short Story Writing category in the prestigious Asian English Olympics in Jakarta

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Asma Mohd Jailani, 16, emerged as the champion under the Short Story Writing category, beating 48 other participants, with her story titled 'A Pinprick of Light'.

She bagged RM1,500 (five million Rupiah) cash prize, a trophy and a certificate.

The Asian English Olympics, which held on Feb 16-20, saw the participation of more than 500 participants from Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, Philippine, Hong Kong, Thailand, Vietnam, and Macau.

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16-year-old Asma Mohd Jailani (centre) won the Short Story Writing competition with her story titled 'A Pinprick of Light'

16-year-old Asma Mohd Jailani (centre) won the Short Story Writing competition with her story titled 'A Pinprick of Light'

Image via BERNAMA

"I always have a dream of becoming a writer or an author despite knowing the hardship of one, and putting myself into an author's shoe, I wrote the story with pride and joy," said Asma Mohd Jailani, who won the Short Story Writing competition.

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"I didn't go to the stage when they announced my name until I heard my friends chanted my name, saying that I won. Then, it came to my senses that I am the champion of the competition.

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The 16-year-old also explained that her entry in the Asian English Olympics is her first time being a part of an international competition.

The winners being greeted by their parents at KLIA on 21 February

The winners being greeted by their parents at KLIA on 21 February

Image via ASTRO Awani

Titled 'A Pinprick of Light', Asma's winning story tells the tale of an aspiring author struggling to overcome the writer's block syndrome

TKC's vice president of the school's religious and education department, Hafsah Hashim said the three students have been preparing for this competition since late last year, having received special coaching from their teachers to help them prepare for the competition

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Receiving the arrival of students and teachers, the TKC vice-president (religion & education) Hafsah Hashim said these students, first-timers for an international event, had been trained and guided by three teachers since December last year and had put English language on a higher level at an international competition.

**"TKC stands tall in the forefront among residential schools. Therefore, the principal, Hamizan A Hamid, wants the students to be exposed to international competition and strive for excellence," said Hafsah, who is also the SME Corporation chief executive officer.**

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The 'Radiate Your Light' themed 2016 Asian English Olympics is organised by the BINUS English Club yearly, as a platform for Asian youths to express and explore their passions related to the English language

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Asian English Olympics (AEO) has come to its fifth year after it was first held in 2012 hosted by BNEC. For the past previous years, AEO had been successfully improving participants' English skills, given meaningful experiences to be remembered in their youth, and broadened the networking of participants across Asia.

**This year Olympics will be completely fun and exciting to challenge participants in Debate, Newscasting, Scrabble, Short Story Writing, Speech, Spelling Bee, and Story Telling.**

Established in 1992, BINUS English Club (BNEC) has been widely acknowledged for its achievements in many national and international competitions, and also for its ability to create many prestigious events.

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Meanwhile, Malaysian filmmaker Indrani Kopal, did the nation proud when she won the Best Student Documentary Award at the prestigious Cannes Film last May:

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Initially intended to be a graduate project, Indrani Kopal's documentary 'The Game Changer' has since gone on to receive widespread acclaim in several international film festivals.

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Continuing the winning streak, a 24-year-old UPM student earned Malaysia a spot in the 2016 Rio Olympics after he won the gold medal in the 10m Air Pistol at the Asia Olympic Qualifying Tournament in India:

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Johnathan Wong is the first Malaysian shooter to qualify for Rio Olympics.

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While we are on the topic of talented Malaysians, director Jess Teong's "The Kid From The Big Apple" won four awards at the 7th Macau Film Festival:

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The film, titled 'The Kid From The Big Apple' emerged as the biggest winner of the night.

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