Schooling makes the man: A rural boy is transformed by the Penang Free School mystique August 27, 2025 – Posted in: In The News, Reviews

In order to share in Datuk Tan Boon Lin’s penchant for education, we need to appreciate the social norms that shaped the people’s outlook during the British colonial rule of pre-war Malaya, when Tan was growing up. A key symbol of that colonial ethos was the missionary-run school, where Asian children were moulded by a band of teachers of legendary dedication and discipline into shining specimens of good breeding, ethical conduct and resourcefulness, fit for…