Terengganu: A special needs student from Sekolah Menengah Agama Maarif Kampung Raja here has brought glory to Malaysia after winning two gold medals at the Global IT Challenge (GITC) for Youth with Disabilities 2025 held in South Korea recently. Muhammad Thaqif Muhammad Zharif, 14, who has a physical disability affecting his legs, said he was overjoyed and surprised to win both the Individual eCombination event, which tests participants’ ability to use information technology tools to complete various tasks, and the Group eContent category for digital content creation.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, Muhammad Thaqif was joined by his schoolmate, Nik Nurizazi Syafiah Nik Azmi, 15, who is visually impaired. Both underwent nearly two weeks of intensive training at Sekolah Kebangsaan Pendidikan Khas Kuantan, Pahang, before leaving for South Korea on Oct 27. ‘Alhamdulillah, despite our disabilities, we were able to make Malaysia and Terengganu proud on the international stage,’ he said.

He added that the journey was not without challenges, particularly when the organiser changed the competition format at the last minute. ‘Originally, each team was given three hours to complete the presentation, but just before the event started, we were told we only had two hours. To make things harder, accompanying teachers were not allowed into the hall during the competition. Thankfully, we stayed calm and managed to complete all the tasks successfully,’ he said.

The Form Two student said the victory has strengthened his determination to compete again next year and bring home more medals for Malaysia. The GITC 2025, a prestigious international competition, aims to provide opportunities and test the IT skills of youths with disabilities aged between 14 and 23.