MALAYSIANSKINI | Eleven years ago, Sekolah Jenis Kebangsaan (Tamil) Ladang Krian’s 100-year-old buildings were on the verge of crumbling, as was school morale.

Today, it boasts a well-equipped computer lab and a winning streak in coding, robotics, and mathematics competitions. Each of its 12 classrooms is decked out with either an Android television screen or a digital smartboard.

Behind the transformation of this rural Tamil primary school in Nibong Tebal, Penang is ICT teacher Premalatha Selvaraj.

With an insatiable desire to learn and an unconventional approach to teaching, “Cikgu Prem” has managed to...