She once failed almost every subject and hated school. Now she fights for every student

“I hated school.” Raja Shahridah Raja Suhaini offered that unusually candid admission soon after being named one of four national winners of the National Institute of Education’s Caring Teacher Awards 2026.

The 35-year-old, known as Ms Shah to students at Beatty Secondary School, grew up in circumstances that left her far behind in the classroom. Her father spent the first five years of her life in prison for drug use. After his release, he and her mother worked as cleaners. The family lived in a one-room rental flat and struggled to meet basic needs. Her parents eventually sent her two younger sisters to live with relatives because they could not afford to care for them.

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I hated school.

Shahridah did not attend kindergarten. She followed her parents to work, including to Takashimaya, where she sometimes helped sweep floors. At Primary 1, she spoke little English and could not read. She recalled being frightened when teachers asked pupils to read aloud. Until Primary 4, she failed every subject except Malay.

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I was that young kid running around Takashimaya without shoes while my parents were cleaning the area. Sometimes, I helped sweep the floor.

Her parents nevertheless kept looking for ways to help. They rented shows such as Mr Bean and RoboCop, working through the English dialogue and subtitles with her. On days off, they took her to the library and asked her to read aloud while librarians and other adults corrected her. They also brought her to McDonald’s to do homework, approaching strangers when they could not answer a difficult question. By Primary 2, she could read.

Those experiences now shape the way she teaches. Shahridah goes from house to house to find students who skip school and invite them back to class. She accepts that some doors will be slammed in her face. “There are times when I visited their house and it brings me back to when I was young,” she said.

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Imagine walking up to someone and telling them you are not able to teach your own child.

Her parents had taught her that education could break the cycle of poverty. The former struggling student now brings that lesson directly to children who may be facing the same barriers.

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There are times when I visited their house and it brings me back to when I was young.