From M Santhananaban

I learnt with much sadness and sorrow early this month of the passing of Boonlert Somchit, a highly regarded and respected former physical education teacher at the Sultan Abdul Hamid College (SAHC) in Alor Setar, Kedah.

Mr Boonlert, as his students will remember him by, was a dedicated and devoted teacher who instilled in his pupils the need for regular basic exercises for fitness.

Apart from instilling diligence, and discipline, he also encouraged regular training to enable his pupils to participate as well as excel in various sporting activities.

The need to play by the rules, to be courteous and to develop teamwork was also emphasised so that every member of the team performed to the best of their ability.

More than that, he instilled in his pupils the importance of fellowship and friendship on the sports field, so that both the winning and losing side emerged with a sense of fair play, satisfaction and friendship.

The sprightly Boonlert was more than a teacher to many of his pupils. He was also their guide and guru, not only in the sports field, but also in the way they carried and conducted themselves.

For most of his pupils, he was a larger-than-life presence as, for a decade or so, at least two other members of his family were also on the teaching staff.

The well known Boonlert family will be long remembered for their integrity, dedication and devotion to public service, especially in providing a good education, instilling the values of hard work, honesty and honour, as well as their commitment to fostering good conduct.

After his retirement from the teaching service, Boonlert was co-opted to assist at the federal level in sports programmes. He was also called upon to assist the nation during the Commonwealth Games in 1998.

While at school in those good old days in the 1960s, we looked forward to Sports Days and Speech Days, which the then Sultan of Kedah attended unfailingly.

We did not hear of accountability, efficiency, good governance or transparency in our curriculum or extracurricular activities, but we seem to have had a discreet and punctilious adherence to such exemplary standards from the example of our teachers.

Then there were the beloved headmasters — Long Heng Hua, Tan Boon Lin, NA Ogle, Ong Poh Kee and Joginder Singh Jessy — and at the apex of the education system was its fair and farsighted hands-on minister, SAHC’s own M Khir Johari.

Born in 1935, Boonlert is survived by his spouse and three sons.

M Santhananaban is a retired Malaysian ambassador with more than 45 years of public sector experience, and an FMT reader.

The views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of FMT.