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Kota Kinabalu: A team of dedicated teachers from Sekolah Kebangsaan (SK) Bawang K9 in Beluran, Sabah, brought pride to their rural school after winning a special award at the Inovasi Alam Melayu Antarabangsa 2025 (Iman25) competition held on Tuesday.

Led by teacher Lorenica Frenila Masundim, the team’s winning entry — an application called “Pantas Baca Jawi”  — enables students to master and understand Jawi writing in just five days.

Speaking to Daily Express, Lorenica explained that Iman25 is an international event organised by the Institut Pemikiran dan Kepimpinan Melayu (Impak) under Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM).

“We took part in the Education Track category and were surprised and deeply moved upon being named the recipients of the special award. We were shocked and emotional, but I realised that every success comes with greater responsibility,” she said.

According to Lorenica, the recognition holds significant meaning for their small rural school.

“This achievement has brought pride to our school and proved that being in the interior is not a barrier to active participation and excellence,” she said.

The “Pantas Baca Jawi” app was designed to assist both students and teachers — including non-Muslim learners new to the Jawi script. It features a transliteration function that converts Jawi to Rumi and vice versa, allowing users to easily understand the letter pairings between the two scripts.

Lorenica said the app’s development began in January and is currently about 50 per cent complete.

“It is part of my PhD research, so improvements will continue as my studies progress,” she explained.

The development process involved close collaboration with her PhD supervisor, three Jawi language experts (Munsyi Jawi), Malay language lecturers, and two fellow teachers — one of whom is an Ustazah — who acted as advisors and proof readers.

“As time goes on, more individuals will be involved in developing the learning module. This is a normal process for completing a PhD study,” she said.

When asked about her inspiration, Lorenica shared that the idea came from her own challenges — and those faced by her non-Muslim students — when learning Jawi for the first time around the age of ten.

“Their struggles motivated me to design this innovation, which helps both teachers and students learn Jawi more quickly and effectively,” she said.

Her choice to focus on Jawi learning, she added, reflects her commitment to preserving Malaysia’s cultural heritage.

“The effort to sustain Jawi is part of my duty as a Bahasa Melayu teacher. I am also inspired by the sense of unity that comes through learning this script.”

According to Lorenica, early feedback from students has been encouraging.

“They enjoy and are motivated to learn using this app. The learning technique feels like solving word puzzles, and within five days, many have already grasped the basic skills of reading Jawi,” she said proudly.

Lorenica and her team hope to make the app widely available once it is complete.

“When it’s ready, users will be informed to download it via the Play Store and App Store,” she revealed.

She also encouraged fellow educators to embrace innovation.

“Be enthusiastic — there are many children out there who need our passion and creativity,” she said.

Reflecting on their success, Lorenica said the recognition is more than just a trophy.

“This award reinforces our mission to sustain Jawi as a national cultural legacy worth protecting,” she concluded.