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Aminuddin Baki (Father Of Modern Malaysian Education), Ipoh
Aminuddin Baki was born in 1926, a Mandailing from the Lubis clan in Chemor. He pursued his early education in Chemor Malay School, followed by Anderson School, where his education was interrupted by World War II. During his school days, he participated in student organisations championing the lot of Malay students, as he felt the indifference shown by colonial authorities towards Malay education had brought about the backwardness and provincialism of the Malay community. He believed that education was the means to inculcate national aspirations and improve the economic prospects of the Malays.
In April 1946, he set up Persatuan Pelajar-Pelajar Melayu Insaf (PERMI) to represent the students of Perak, having branches in Ipoh, Batu Gajah, Telok Anson and Kuala Kangsar. Later, he initiated the formation of nationwide federation of Malay students' organisations, from his base at No.3, Ipoh Road, in Tambun.
He chaired the historic meeting of the Gabungan Pelajar-Pelajar Melayu Semenanjung (GPMS) in 1948 in Ipoh under heavy police watch, with student leaders representing seven organisations gathered at the hall of the Technical College. He continued his studies at the Raffles College (Singapore) in 1947, and then taught at Sultan Yussuf English School (Batu Gajah) and Anderson School (Ipoh), before pursuing an Education degree at the University of London on a Queen's Scholarship. Then, Aminuddin lectured at the Sultan Idris Teachers College (Tanjung Malim), pioneering modern teaching methods and the standardization of the Malay language, and introduced Islamic history and civilisation as a foil against Western mental colonisation.
He was the architect behind the Razak Report on Education, and was credited with laying the basis of the nation's education system and making Malay the national language.
He was appointed as the Chief Advisor for Education at the age of 36, in 1962. Besides that, he was a Senate member of the University of Malaya, chairman of the Historical Society of Malaya, as well as a member of the Malay-Indonesian Spelling Committee (Malindo), Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka and the Fullbright Commission. He passed away at the young age of 39, in 1965.
For his efforts in education field, he was recognized by UNESCO, and remembered as the 'Father of Modern Malaysian Education'.
To read more about Sultan Idris Murshidul'adzam Shah, click here.
To read more about Anderson School, Ipoh, click here.
To read more about the book ‘Kinta Valley’, click here.