IWON Pagoh Achieves International Recognition at Tarbiyah Fantastic Moment: English and Arabic EduTalk 2025

By, Muhammad Hanif Bin Naim and Muhammad Hafiz Zhafri Bin Abd Kamal

The International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM) Pagoh campus continues to make its mark on the global stage as representatives from the English and Arabic Debating and Public Speaking Club (EDC and ADC) under IWON Pagoh achieved outstanding results in the Tarbiyah Fantastic Moment: English and Arabic EduTalk 2025, organized by Fakultas Tarbiyah UIN Syekh Wasil Kediri, Indonesia.

The EduTalk Competition serves as a platform for students, educators, and young professionals to share ideas, insights, and innovations in education, combining the art of public speaking with the essence of knowledge-sharing and critical thinking. This year’s competition attracted an impressive number of participants from five countries: Indonesia, Sudan, Pakistan, Syria, and Malaysia.

Throughout the preliminary rounds held in September, IWON Pagoh sent a total of four participants for the English category which were Br. Muhammad Hafiz Zhafri bin Abd Kamal, Br. Muhammad Akmal Bin Bahrudin, Sr. Nurhafizah Mashitha Kholish and Sr. Amirah Hanan Balqis binti Borhan. From among 128 participants worldwide, three of them successfully advanced to the grand finals. It is indeed an achievement that speaks volumes about their eloquence and intellectual depth.

The finalists proudly represented IWON Pagoh and Malaysia with remarkable accomplishments were Sr. Amirah Hanan Balqis binti Borhan, 1st year student of ECOM which she managed to get the 9th Place & Grand Finalist. Meanwhile, the 7th Place & Best Performer successfully secured by Br. Muhammad Hafiz Zhafri bin Abd Kamal, the 4th year of ACOM. In the same time, Sr. Nurhafizah Mashitha Kholish, a 3rd year ACOM student unexpectedly crowned the 5th Place & Best Content Creator as this is her first time joining an English tournament. 

Their success was especially meaningful as it marked the first international public speaking competition for some participants, including Br. Muhammad Akmal Bin Bahrudin, who joined the initial rounds. Rising from 134 competitors to secure top-tier placements was no small feat, and their perseverance stands as a testament to the spirit of excellence cultivated by the English Debate Club and IWON Pagoh.

Meanwhile, in the Arabic category, IWON Pagoh also achieved an even more remarkable milestone as all four representatives advanced to the final round, competing against 74 participants from Malaysia and Indonesia, with adjudicators hailing from Algeria. The Arabic EduTalk team brought home multiple prestigious titles, including: Sr. Salsabeel binti Nur ‘Azam which amazingly crowned the 1st Place. For Sr. Durrani Afiqah binti Qamaruzzaman, she surprised everyone with her elegant ted talk and managed to secure 3rd Place. Again, the same participant from the English category, Br. Muhammad Hafiz Zhafri bin Abd Kamal, delivered an outstanding and dynamic performance that earned him the Best Performance Award, securing 4th place out of 74 participants. Not to forget, the 5th Place was Sr. Nurul Huda Husni binti Wan Muhammad Rafi. Her outstanding fluency earned her the Best Arabic Fluency. 

Notably, Sr. Salsabeel binti Nur ‘Azam, who currently serves as the President of IWON Pagoh, and Br. Muhammad Hafiz Zhafri, the former President, exemplifies the leadership continuity and dedication that have driven IWON Pagoh’s success over the years. Hence, the dual success in both English and Arabic categories reflects IWON Pagoh’s holistic approach to nurturing multilingual excellence and global-minded communicators. These achievements not only highlight the students’ individual brilliance but also reinforce the university’s commitment to fostering intellectual curiosity, cultural engagement, and educational innovation on the international platform.

With this victory, IWON Pagoh once again proves that talent, when guided by purpose and perseverance, can transcend borders by embodying the spirit of “EduTalk: Where Knowledge Inspires Change.”***