In the 1960s and 1970s, hers was a name spoken in awe and admiration across many Malaysian households. Rasammah Bhupalan was not merely a teacher or activist, but an example of commitment and integrity to be emulated.
Born on 1 May 1927 into a family of educators, Mrs Bhupalan’s life was shaped by service from a young age. At just 16, she joined the women’s wing of the Indian National Army (INA) to fight against British colonial rule. She was stationed in Burma before illness forced her return to Malaya in 1945.
For those of us caught in our post-adolescent defiance, it was a humbling realisation. Our rebellious spirit came nowhere near the courage and conviction she had shown at that age.
After earning her degree from the University of Malaya in Singapore in 1953, she began a distinguished career in education. She taught at the Methodist Boys’ School Kuala Lumpur (1959–1964) and then served as principal of the Methodist Girls’ School Kuala Lumpur for 14 years. She later headed Methodist College Brickfields, continuing to inspire generations of students.
Her contributions to the nation, however, went far beyond the classroom. A pioneer in Malaysia’s women’s movement, she founded the Women Teachers’ Union in 1960, followed by the National Union of Women Teachers.
She played a key role, together with the National Union of Teachers, other teachers’ associations and many other leaders of the profession, in the historic 1961 campaign for equal pay for women educators.
As co-founder of the National Council of Women’s Organisations (NCWO), she championed education, women’s rights, anti-drug efforts and social justice.
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For these lifelong contributions, she was awarded the Tokoh Guru (Outstanding Teacher) title in 1986 – a fitting tribute to someone who believed in education as the great equaliser, and in service as the highest form of love for the nation.
Those who did not live through that period may not realise that teachers were once among the most organised and radical professional groups in the country. Teachers’ unions and associations were among the first to confront the government on issues such as fair wages and discriminatory policies against women.
Their campaigns, which at times included strikes, are now largely forgotten. But they were a remarkable example of disciplined and coordinated civil resistance. Their strategies ranged across the full spectrum of non-violent action, carefully planned and executed with impact and clarity of purpose.
Rasammah was in the thick of this movement, working alongside not only the unions but also some of the most respected educationists the country has known.
It was a time when being a teacher meant more than guiding students in the classroom – it meant engaging with the broader moral and political questions of the day.
Their actions reflected a deep sense of professional responsibility and a willingness to stand up for principle. There is much in their example that remains relevant, and perhaps instructive, for those in the profession today.
Her voice was unforgettable. I once saw her speak to a hall of students. She began like a mother, gently urging them to recognise their potential and use it well.
Then, she spoke passionately about education as the key to opportunity for rich and poor alike.
Finally, she ended as the firm teacher, setting down the rules they were expected to live by.
Pin-drop silence hung over the hall, but you could feel the tangible stirring of young minds.
She was, almost unconsciously, a true Malaysian – always speaking with love and concern about her country, without ever needing to wear patriotism on her sleeve.
That, too, was her lesson to us: that patriotism lives in action, not talk. And would it that the divisive voices of today, so quick to lift the garments we wear to examine our loyalty, might learn this simple truth.
Rasammah Bhupalan’s legacy will live on in the countless lives she touched, in the many causes she advanced, and in the vision of Malaysia she never stopped believing in.
Some of her values and her passion for social justice must have rubbed off on her students. One student she taught at the St Mark’s Secondary School in Butterworth in 1955-56 was a certain P Ramakrishnan, who himself became a teacher, trained at Kirkby, and leading light in the National Union of Teachers. Ramakrishnan went on to become social reform group Aliran’s longest-serving president from 1993 to 2011.
Perhaps not surprisingly, Mrs Bhupalan became a committed supporter of Aliran, making monthly donations to its cause for decades. This was the message she wrote when our print magazine Aliran Monthly ceased publication in 2013:
Thankfully, Aliran continues to raise awareness through its online presence and social media.
We remember her not with sadness but with deep gratitude for all she was and for all she leaves behind.
- Tegakkan maruah serta kualiti kehidupan rakyat
- Galakkan pembangunan saksama, lestari serta tangani krisis alam sekitar
- Raikan kerencaman dan keterangkuman
- Selamatkan demokrasi dan angkatkan keluhuran undang-undang
- Lawan rasuah dan kronisme
She was a legend and a trailblazer. RIP