Image via Prof. Dr. Vijayaletchumy Subramaniam
Most Malaysians are known to speak more than one languages and it’s something that we’re very proud of. But when it comes to linguistics, one of the unsung heroes in RAAGA’s DIGIyin Saathanai Hero-kkal campaign has contributed her skills and knowledge in the field tremendously.
Prof. Dr. Vijayaletchumy Subramaniam is an inspiring woman in education. She’s a passionate Malay language researcher and currently works as lecturer at Universiti Putra Malaysia’s (UPM) Faculty of Modern Languages and Communication.
Recently, she won awards—two gold and a bronze—at the Konvensyen Bahasa Melayu 2021, which was organised by Institut Pendidikan Guru Kampus Bahasa Melayu and the Ministry of Education.
Image via Prof. Dr. Vijayaletchumy Subramaniam
These prestigious awards recognised her new innovations in teaching the Malay language, such as ‘Set Efektif Pembelajaran Asas Bahasa Melayu’, ‘Kit Inovasi Berimbuhan PAK21’ and ‘Teknik Dadu Gergasi Imbuhan Bahasa Melayu’.
The faculty at UPM was happy to announce Dr. Vijayaletchumy’s noteworthy achievement, which drew multiple praises and recognition for her success.
Image via Prof. Dr. Vijayaletchumy Subramaniam
In addition to that, she has also participated in numerous local and international competitions, including the International Science and Social Science Innovation Competition organised by Academic International Dialogue (AID Malaysia), in which she bagged a special award, gold award, and silver award!
Let’s get to know Dr. Vijayaletchumy better
In 1998, she graduated from UPM with a degree in Malay Language and Linguistics. She then went on to pursue her postgraduate studies and received a Master’s in Malay Language in 2000 and Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in the same field in 2004.
After spending a few more years to further her studies, she decided to remain in education by working as a Professor in UPM.
With more than two decades of experience, Dr. Vijayaletchumy not only contributed her knowledge by teaching and lecturing; she also published about 10 children’s books to help them understand the language better.
Image via Prof. Dr. Vijayaletchumy Subramaniam
In fact, some of her published works are dedicated exclusively to children with dyslexia! In case you didn’t know, dyslexia is a common learning difficulty that can cause problems with reading, writing, and spelling. It's specific to certain abilities used for learning, like reading and writing. However, it isn’t related to intelligence.
More than that, she has also spoken publicly at many conferences and seminars, and published a number of articles.
Image via Prof. Dr. Vijayaletchumy Subramaniam
Now, here’s a fun fact! Education isn’t Dr. Vijayaletchumy’s only passion because she’s also an avid sportswoman! In just 10 years, she has participated in 162 sports competitions across the national and international stages between 2004 and 2014.
Among those sports tournaments, she won 26 sports awards and was named ‘Olahragawati Kebangsaan’ or National Sportswoman by the Malaysian Olympic Council in 2009, leading her to receive the 7th Malaysian Olympic Council Women’s and Sports Award. What an inspiring journey!
Over the past 24 years, Dr. Vijayaletchumy wishes to continue her effort in spreading awareness, enlightening and enhancing the national language among Malaysians, especially teachers and students.
Congratulations to Prof. Dr. Vijayaletchumy Subramaniam on your amazing accomplishments! We look forward to seeing more innovations in school teachings in the near future.
As part of the DIGIyin Saathanai Hero-kkal campaign, we’re constantly looking to share stories of Malaysian ‘superheroes’ that live amongst us.
If you know a hero or if you have an inspirational story about overcoming challenges, we’d love to hear from you. Just submit your story at RAAGA’s website or click the image above.