16 January 2025
On Making a Difference: The Joyful Journey of an Educationist
New book alert: On Making a Difference: The Joyful Journey of an Educationist by Dato’ Tan Boon Lin (Dip Ed ’51, Arts ’55), published by Areca Books, 2024.
The inspirational life story of Dato’ Tan Boon Lin, one of Malaysia’s noted leaders in education, spans a pivotal era in the history of the country. Coming of age during the Japanese Occupation, Dato’ Tan embraced the optimism of Merdeka and the task of nation-building. With over 200 photographs, newspaper clippings and mementos from Dato’ Tan’s personal collection, his autobiography,
On Making a Difference: The Joyful Journey of an Educationist, recounts stories of his family, his childhood, the mentors who shaped him and his 36-year career in advancing education in Malaysia. The book is dedicated to his wife, Ms Wong May Lian (Arts ’55, Dip Ed ’56), a fellow educator, source of adventure and lifelong companion.
Dato’ Tan was born in 1927 in the British Colonial Straits Settlement of Penang to Ms Yeap Soo Cheow and Mr Tan Kean Hong. He fondly recounts his early school days at the Anglo-Chinese School in rural Nibong Tebal where his father was a teacher and also the Cubmaster. Dato’ Tan’s mother was from a Peranakan (Baba-Nyonya) family and served as one of the foundational mentors of his life.
In 1939, the life of this young man from the little
village of Nibong Tebal was forever changed when he was admitted to Penang Free
School (PFS). Dato’ Tan credits his teachers with setting high expectations and
inspiring him to excel in the face of this premier school’s academic rigour.
His adolescent years at PFS were interrupted by the
harrowing ordeal of the Japanese invasion and Occupation. During the war, Dato’
Tan quickly learned what it meant to be independent and responsible, taking odd
jobs to help support his family. The Penang Library remained open, and his
voracious reading provided a welcome escape from the grim realities of war.
Thus, when the war ended, he was ready and eager to return to PFS.
The PFS years were special for Dato’ Tan, changing
him physically, emotionally and academically. The leadership mentoring he
received from his Scoutmaster and his experience serving as Troop Leader
transformed him into a confident and self-reliant young man. Being appointed a
Senior School Prefect brought him closer to the school and planted in him the
desire to further his education so that he could return to teach at PFS.
Dato’ Tan Boon Lin studying in his ‘cell’ at Raffles
College, circa 1947
Dato’ Tan was granted the opportunity of a lifetime when he received a three-year Malayan Union Scholarship to study Arts at Raffles College in Singapore in 1947. In 1949, the merger of King Edward VII College of Medicine and Raffles College led to the establishment of the University of Malaya in Singapore. Thus, Dato’ Tan graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in history in 1950 and a Diploma in Education in 1951 from the University of Malaya. In October 1951, his ambition was realised when he became the first University of Malaya graduate to be appointed a teacher at PFS.
In 1954, Dato’ Tan made the strategic career move of returning to the University of Malaya in Singapore to pursue a fourth-year honours degree. This move opened avenues for promotion through the ranks of the Education Department to fill the voids created by the departure of British expatriates as a result of Malaya's independence.
In the book, Dato’ Tan describes his experience as a fourth-year honours student. “As I began the momentous task of researching and writing the thesis, my professor Dr C N Parkinson wisely advised me that the main goal was not to produce a groundbreaking historical document, but to learn the rigour and discipline of academic research and scholarship. ‘One has to learn how to crawl before one can walk or run.’ My thesis year was, in many ways, an academic coming of age for me. I learnt to think critically, conduct research, understand and argue multiple sides of an issue, and clearly document and present my findings according to the accepted norms of academic scholarship. The thinking and organisational skills I acquired during this pivotal year proved to be extremely useful to me throughout my career.”
Professor Parkinson, the well-known British naval historian and author of Parkinson’s Law, modeled a commitment to getting to know one's students personally by inviting the entire history class to his house every Friday for a meal with his family. Dato’ Tan emulated Parkinson throughout his career, and till this day, his former students speak fondly of him as a headmaster whose leadership style involved ‘walking about’ the school, taking a special interest in the academic and extracurricular activities of the students.
Dato’ Tan Boon Lin’s honours thesis, ‘The Chinese in the Larut Wars: 1861–1874’,
University of Malaya Singapore, 1955, and his graduation photograph.
Dato’ Tan Boon Lin (second from left) leading the
graduates to the Main Hall on Convocation Day, 14 July 1951
In 1956, with his honours degree in hand, Dato’ Tan re-entered government service on the leading edge of education in the new nation. After his appointment as a history teacher at High School Malacca, he served as the headmaster of Gajah Berang Secondary School in Malacca, Sultan Abdul Hamid College in Kedah, and most notably as the first Asian headmaster of PFS (1963-1968). His career culminated in the Ministry of Education, as the State Director of Education in Pahang and Penang, followed by his role as Chief Inspector of Schools and finally as Director of the Technical & Vocational Division. After his retirement in 1982, Dato’ Tan joined Tunku Abdul Rahman College as Director of Student Affairs (1983-1987). Throughout his career, Dato’ Tan sought to enable students ‘to develop their potential and to help them become strong, confident, independent-thinking young men and women properly equipped and prepared to take their places in our society.’
Honours graduates, University of Malaya in Singapore, 1955. History professor,
Dr C N Parkinson, the well-known historian and author of Parkinson’s Law is seated
second from right. Dato’ Tan Boon Lin is standing in the centre.
In 2011, he was awarded the Darjah Setia Pangkuan Negeri (DSPN), carrying the title of Dato’ for his life’s work as an educationist.
In this autobiography, Dato’ Tan, as a lifelong learner, offers thoughtful reflections on his life, his work, his passions, and his family. His life purpose deepens as a newfound faith brings fresh perspective and growth in his understanding of leadership and service. There is much to learn from one of Malaysia’s most respected sons, a servant leader with a strong sense of duty who dedicated himself to making a difference in the lives of young people.
Text by Peter Tan and Rachel Durfee. Photos courtesy of Tan Boon Lin.