Political Career
In May 1946, Dato Onn Jaafar became the first leader of the United Malays National Organization (UMNO). Onn, Thuraisingham and several others, which included Henry H.S. Lee and V.M.N. Menon, became the vanguard of the multiracial Malayan independence movement. In response to this movement and the specter of the UN anti-colonial stance, the British instituted self-government and Dato Onn became Member (Minister) of Home Affairs while Dato Thuraisingham became Member (Minister) of Education.
As the first Member of Education in the Federation of Malaya, Thuraisingham established a comprehensive system of education beginning in 1951 to provide free education for all children between six and twelve years of age; thus implementing the recommendations of the Barnes and Fenn Reports he presented to the Federal Legislative Council on 19 September 1951.
He stated:
| “ | The Barnes and Fenn Reports are before you and I trust that all of you have read them. The one single factor that emerges from these two reports is the urgency with which all our education must be modelled to create a singleness in our plural society and build on it a powerful Malayan nation.
The comradeship among children of all races from a multi-racial school which ripens into friendship in adult years is of inestimable value for knitting together the different races. |
” |
Implementing the Barnes and Fenn Reports meant that more teachers were needed and so he established a teacher's training college in Kota Bharu and also leased teacher's training facilities at Kirkby and Brinsford Lodge in England. He also had more schools built, especially in rural areas.
In addition, Thuraisingham was one of the prime movers of the Social Welfare Lotteries System which financed the provision of welfare services to the poor of all races in Malaya.
Read more about this topic: E. E. C. Thuraisingham
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