Cover Khairul Anwar Mohamad Zaki, co-founder and CEO of Pandai reflects on education and shaping tomorrow with Maxis this Merdeka season
Khairul Anwar Mohamad Zaki, co-founder and CEO of Pandai reflects on education and shaping tomorrow with Maxis this Merdeka season
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Spotlighting Malaysians who embody the spirit of “Tomorrow Begins Today,” this story by Maxis together with Tatler Malaysia features Khairul Anwar Mohamad Zaki, whose work in education through Pandai is helping the next generation unlock their potential
Produced by Tatler Malaysia partnering with Maxis, we spotlight Malaysians who embody the spirit of “Tomorrow Begins Today.” Their journeys reflect how the right influence, big or small, can transform lives and shape futures. For Khairul Anwar Mohamad Zaki, co-founder and CEO of Pandai, that influence is education. His efforts to bring accessible education to the forefront earned him recognition as a Tatler Gen.T honouree of 2022, part of a community that celebrates young leaders and innovators shaping the future across Asia.
Read more: Lessons for millions: 5 edtech startups from Asia to watch
“Many call me Bird, and it reminds me of a bird’s eye view—always flying high, but staying grounded,” Khairul shares. “I didn’t grow up in a wealthy family, but my mother was a teacher, so I was fortunate and succeeded in my education. I saw first-hand how education can transform one’s life.”
Education not only transformed Khairul’s own life but also shaped his perspective as an entrepreneur. Together with his co-founders, Akmal Akhpah and Suhaimi Ramly, he sought to merge two long-standing passions for technology and education into a single vision. Having run separate ventures since 2007, they revisited their ambitions in 2019 and, through a process of elimination, distilled their ideas into what would become Pandai: an edtech platform designed to make learning engaging, personalised and accessible for all.
Above Khairul Anwar teaches us that by choosing meaningful actions today, step by step, he can change the way Malaysia’s younger generation accesses education
What began with simple mathematics quizzes soon evolved, shaped by user feedback and the needs of students, into a comprehensive platform offering gamified quizzes, flashcards and revision tools built on Malaysia’s national syllabus. Scaled rapidly during the pandemic, Pandai has since grown into a nationwide movement, touching the lives of nearly half a million students.
Pilot programmes in schools across Kuala Lumpur revealed not only improved grades, but also greater confidence and motivation among learners. These were transformations teachers could see reflected in the classroom. The platform has also celebrated schools fostering strong learning cultures against the odds, such as SK Batu 60 Beaufort, which received Pandai’s own Best School Award in 2025.
See also: How Asia’s edtech entrepreneurs are making a difference in learning and teaching
Its growing influence has drawn recognition from organisations including the United Nations Development Programme and the Octava Foundation, while regional expansion into Brunei and support from international investors, including Y Combinator, have further propelled Khairul’s mission for the platform. At its heart, Pandai remains rooted in a simple belief: with the right tools, education can change lives.
“With knowledge, whether a child is in the city or in the village, they can still access quality education. I hope we nurture the next generation to be more confident, more curious, and more capable—not only excelling in examinations, but also succeeding in life,” Khairul says.
Through Pandai, Khairul is bridging gaps with gamified learning tools built on Malaysia’s national syllabus
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Building Pandai, however, was far from effortless. From the start, Khairul and his team grappled with the challenge of creating a platform that could resonate with Malaysia’s diverse student population. Finding the right balance of content, features and user experience often kept them awake at night. Without early external investment, they relied on resourcefulness and determination, iterating quickly based on how students interacted with the app, even redesigning elements such as swipe features to reflect natural habits.
Reaching users also proved difficult, with word-of-mouth (beginning among family and friends) playing a crucial role before wider adoption took hold. Yet it was precisely in these moments of trial that Khairul’s belief that “Tomorrow begins today” became his compass: the conviction that every small, determined step forward could open the path to greater change.
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For Khairul, education is the truest form of freedom and the key to independence—a force that empowers individuals to shape their own futures. Seizing the moment means recognising that every choice made today, whether sitting for an exam, building a business or simply choosing not to give up, carries the power to transform tomorrow.
“Some people dream of success, while others actually wake up and work hard for it. The tomorrow we dream of begins with what we do today. Tomorrow begins today,” Khairul says, as he hopes for Malaysia to be a place where all dreams can come true as long as one works hard and never gives up. “Merdeka is freedom, and to me, education is that freedom. Selamat Hari Kebangsaan dan Hari Malaysia.”
Credits
Creative Direction: Eke Sumber Omardin
Videography: Micky Wong
Producer: Sally Yap & Atiyya Zulkarnain
Photography: Yiew Kian Yan
Photography Assistant: Amru Shakir
Camera Crew: Arianto Bin Mintek (ANTO)
Styling: Azza Arif
Hair: Krispy Chan
Make-Up: Krispy Chan
Video Editor: Peh Ean Jei
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