Cheryl Ann Fernando

Global Education Technology Lead Teach For All

Cheryl Ann Fernando is the Global Education Technology Lead at Teach For All. Cheryl was previously a Teach For Malaysia alumni and served in a rural school in Malaysia. Her efforts in teaching rural students in Malaysia gained the nation’s attention and was turned into a local film, Adiwiraku (My Superhero). It went on to win numerous awards both locally and internationally, making it one of the key teacher movies in the Malaysian education space. Cheryl also became the CEO of PEMIMPIN, building on the work of Global School Leaders. PEMIMPIN offered high quality training and coaching to school leaders and teachers from all over Malaysia, making it one of the few organisations to venture into professional development for teachers in the country. PEMIMPIN has worked with over 3,000 schools in the country and incepted some of the most ambitious programmes in the country - from the biggest prize philanthropy through the Malaysia Teacher Prize and LADAP Plus, the only professional development app in the country. Through PEMIMPIN, she also worked with Global School Leaders to share best practices and work with school leaders in Kenya, India, Indonesia and Brazil. Cheryl was recognised twice as Asia’s Most Influential in Education, Prestige Malaysia’s 40 under 40, and part of Obama Young Leaders’ Fellowship Programme. Cheryl was also the youngest member to sit in Malaysia’s National Education Policy Reform committee in 2018, where she worked on the policy to restructure the Malaysian education system. She has also contributed various articles and thought leadership pieces on the education system in Malaysia, particularly on education technology, school leadership, and professional development of teachers.