COMMENT Judging from the response she received from both students and parents yesterday morning during her retirement ceremony, only one description fits her.

Thun Kooi Lan has to be an educationist par excellence.

No wonder the pupils who were waiting patiently for the ceremony to end, it was a sad occasion. And unlike politicians, these young pupils do not shed crocodile tears.

They were genuine and sincere as one would expect of a 10-year-old who only knows that she will miss her well-loved principal.

Having spent over 39 years of her life as a teacher, Thun finally called it a day after spending 16 years of her career as principal of SJK (C) Puay Chai 2.

She was picked as the principal of the primary school in Bandar Utama on Dec 1, 2000. When the classes were opened to the children, there were only two classes with 266 children in 2001. This number has multiplied 10-fold, with the current enrolment at 2,360 this year.

And, on March 1, 2015, Puay Chai 2 was accorded the Cluster School of Excellence award, a testimony of Thun and her team’s dedication towards education of the future generation.

In her speech, she attributed the success to all her teachers. “Without all of you, this would not have been possible,” she said.

Thun was quick to give all glory to God who gave her good health and the wisdom and the strength to persevere as the principal of a school that has emerged to be one of the best in the state of Selangor.

Inspired by foster parents

Thun’s own life story is inspiring. She has nine other siblings and would have been a school dropout if not for her foster parents, Mr and Mrs Khoo Kok Hong.

The Khoos were teachers themselves and they gave her the opportunity to be successful in life, while her only sister ended up being a housemaid. Because of their act of kindness, now Thun has been able to impact on the lives of thousands of young Malaysians.

Inspired by the Khoos, teaching has since become greatest passion in life. Going beyond just being a teacher, Thun also mentored a number of the younger teachers in Puay Chai.

One teacher, Wong Mei Shen, who has known Thun for over 12 years, shares her testimony briefly. “I started teaching in Puay Chai 2,” she said. “Being just fresh arriving from Ipoh, Datin Thun went the extra mile to help me look for a room to settle in. She was more than a headmistress. She became a mentor to me. That’s how caring she was to her staff.”

One on occasion, Wong said she was assigned to count the day’s collection of school fees. “It was such a huge amount, but Datin had confidence in me and even taught me how to count the money fast and accurately,” she said. “Yes, I will surely miss her.”

If there is one quote Thun would always remind herself on a daily basis, it must have been Albert Einstein’s one liner: “Love is a better teacher than duty.”

Something which I cannot but agree fully her observations when she was quoted elsewhere saying: “Many students come from families where both parents work full-time. Kids from such homes often lack proper upbringing and seek undue attention. I always encourage my teachers to teach with passion and to love their students.”

As a parent, Wong Lai Mun whose two children are still in Puay Chai 2, said she has known Thun for about 20 years. “She is a very concerned teacher and headmistress,” Wong said. “Whenever I met her or shook hands with her, she would drop a comment to update me that my daughter has improved. She is always very concerned about the progress of her school children.”

Thun’s foster father, Wong, said she had tutored many children who came from extremely poor backgrounds. “I believe this is the reason why Datin, in her 16 years with Puay Chai 2, has devoted her whole life to the school.”

Inspiring more teachers

It is my hope that Thun will not waste away her retirement years like some old men with their golf sticks. Instead, she will be given opportunities to speak to thousands of teachers to inspire them to greater excellence.

She may no longer be the principal of Puay Chai 2, but she will at least be given the task to mentor more teachers. And, my wish is to see that Thun puts time to write her autobiography to preserve a legacy that would otherwise be lost forever.

As I mentioned in my previous article on the late Yong Chee Seng of Methodist Boys’ School Kuala Lumpur, my biggest regret is that his legacy has never been preserved for the sake of the future generation. In fact, my persuasion had not worked with at least three of them from the same generation of altruistic Malaysians - Elena Cooke, David Boler and Yong Chee Seng - and now, they are forever gone!

STEPHEN NG is an ordinary citizen with an avid interest in following political developments in the country since 2008.