Malaysia's First Father of Education from Chemor
It is a great pride for the field of education that a native of Perak became the first individual in our country, Malaysia, to be awarded the title of Father of Education for his services and excellence in efforts to improve the quality of education in our country.
For your information, he is the individual named Dato' Seri Aminuddin Bin Baki who was born in
Chemor
, Perak on January 6, 1926. Dato' Seri Aminuddin Bin Baki received his early education at the Malay School of
Chemor
in 1932. Shortly after passing his fifth-grade examination in 1936, he continued his studies at Anderson School, which was the best English school in Ipoh at that time. He successfully completed his secondary schooling in 1941. Around 1945, Dato' Seri Aminuddin Bin Baki began to show an interest in student associations, having been deeply impressed by the Malay Students' Association established on November 20, 1945, at the Victoria Institution, Kuala Lumpur, even though the association only had 11 members.
This association later changed its name to the Malay Students' Literary Union on February 11, 1946, with the aim of uniting all student associations in Malaya. Dato' Seri Aminuddin Bin Baki was appointed as secretary and later established the Persatuan Pelajar-pelajar Melayu Insaf (PERMI) in Perak in April 1946. However, his involvement was only temporary because in October 1947, Dato' Seri Aminuddin Bin Baki was accepted as a student at Raffles College, which has been part of the National University of Singapore since October 8, 1949. In 1949, Dato' Seri Aminuddin Bin Baki was offered a place at the University of Malaya, Singapore. While at the university, Aminuddin had an interest in teaching, and to gain experience, he registered as a part-time teacher at the Anglo-Malay Night School. He taught at the school from 1949 until 1951. In 1950, he became active in GPMS again and was appointed as the President of the association. In the same year, he passed his Master of Arts examination and, the following year, obtained his Master of Arts degree with Honours.
After completing his studies in 1951, Dato' Seri Aminuddin Bin Baki returned to Perak and became a teacher at the Sultan Yusuf English School in Batu Gajah for a short time, and later continued to serve at Anderson School until July 1952. Not long after, he continued his studies in the field of education at the Institute of Education, University of London, on a Queen's Scholarship, and left Penang by ship on July 12, 1952. Dato' Seri Aminuddin Bin Baki obtained a Master's degree in Education in July 1953. After returning to his homeland, he was offered a lecturer position at the Sultan Idris Teachers' College located in Tanjung Malim. He introduced Islamic History to students, which was not included in the syllabus. In September 1955, Dato' Seri Aminuddin Bin Baki was involved in preparing the Razak Education Report, and in 1960, he was chosen as a member of the advisory committee for the preparation of the Abdul Rahman Talib Report. For additional information, besides receiving the title of the nation's first Father of Education, he was also the individual responsible for drafting the National Education Policy in 1956. Dato' Seri Aminuddin Bin Baki also held the position of Chief Education Advisor, now known as the Director-General of Education, and was the youngest person ever appointed in Malaysian records, at the age of 36 in 1962.
Many schools and institutions in Malaysia have been named after him. On November 26, 2015, the Sultan of Perak, Sultan Nazrin Shah, posthumously awarded him the Darjah Seri Paduka Mahkota Perak in conjunction with the Sultan of Perak's birthday to commemorate the services of Dato' Seri Aminuddin Bin Baki. He was also the individual who created the Lower Certificate of Education (SRP), the Malaysian Certificate of Education (SPM), and the Malaysian Higher School Certificate (STPM). Dato' Seri Aminuddin Bin Baki established the Malaysian Examinations Syndicate in 1963. Dato' Seri Aminuddin Bin Baki passed away on December 24, 1965, at the age of 39, due to a heart attack after performing prayers. His last position was as the Director-General of Education Malaysia.
