On 16 October 2024, 10.00 hrs., Her Excellency Ms. Lada Phumas, Ambassador of Thailand to Malaysia, led 40 officials from the Royal Thai Embassy, Team Thailand, and representatives of Ministry of Education of Malaysia, Mr. Heizrul bin Ali, Senior Principal Assistant Secretary and Ms. Zairila binti Zainal, Principal Assistant Secretary of the Strategic Planning and International Relations Division, to participate in a virtual royal audience with Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn, at the Royal Thai Embassy, on the occasion of the Opening Ceremony of the 5th Princess Maha Chakri Award (PMCA) Forum and the 3rd International Conference on Equitable Education Future of Education: Future of Education for Youth and Adolescents.

HRH Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn presided over the Opening Ceremony of the conferences and delivered a royal address which emphasized the need to equip the students with knowledge and skills to prepare them for the current technological advancement, and encourage the participants to use today’s platform to share teaching practices, exchange ideas, and collaborate to enhance the learning journey, and make positive difference in the lives of the students. The welcoming address and the report on the event were respectively delivered by Police General Permpoon Chidchob, Minister of Education of Thailand and Mr. Kritsanapong Kiratikorn, Chairman of PMCA Foundation, followed by the PMCA Recipients’ presentation of their works. On this occasion, HRH Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn also performed Thai musical instrument, by staging HRH’s self-composed songs that reflect the culture and language accents of various countries in the region.

The presentation of the 5th PMCA Recipients from 11 countries in Southeast Asia and Timor-Leste consisted of Group 1: Special Education - Inclusive Education for Visually Impaired, Group 2: English Language, Making Learning Fun and Interactive, Group 3: Mathematics - Integrating Math to Daily Live, Group 4: School Management, Group 5: Community Engagement - Improving Quality of Lives.

Mr. Saifulnizan Che Ismail, the 5th PMCA Recipient from SK Raja Bahar School Kota Bharu, Kelantan State, Malaysia, made a presentation in Group 3 (Mathematics) as he shared his experiences and achievements during the past 1 year following the receipt of the Award, including initiating a hands-on learning project through application of mathematic knowledge, providing technological devices to enhance digital learning and robotics, making an action plan to integrate ICT in teaching and learning methods, as well as stimulating students’ interest in STEM and digital. During the conference, Mr. Saifulnizan will share his teaching experiences on the topics: (1) Inquiry-based and Fun Learning in Mathematics, and (2) I'm possible.

PMCA is an award to honor teachers who make changes in students’ lives and have outstanding work that creates benefits for education in 11 countries in Southeast Asia and Timor-Leste. The PMCA Foundation selects Recipients for the award every 2 years, while PMCA Forum is held every 2 alternate years. The year 2024 also marks the 10th anniversary since the award was established in 2015. Thus far, 55 Recipients have received the PMCA Award. In 2025 the PMCA Award will be extended to 3 more countries, namely Bangladesh, Bhutan, and Mongolia.