Farewell, but not goodbye to a respected leader and FOBISIA champion Margaret Rafee - Sri KDU International School Where and how did your teaching journey begin, what brought you to Asia, and how do you feel about the end of the journey? My teaching career began in Luton, U.K. in 1979 when I was appointed as a French teacher, in a catholic secondary school, immediately after graduating from St. Mary’s, Strawberry Hill, with a B.Ed in French and English Literature. I arrived in Malaysia in 2013, after a long and successful career in the U.K., culminating in 10 years of headship at Alperton Community School, in the London Borough of Brent. After ten years leading this school, I felt I had done everything I could, bringing it to Ofsted outstanding and securing the funds for a new school building. I decided to leave it to someone else to move the school forward. THE FOBISIAN: June 2021, Term 3, Issue 36
Although I took early retirement, I was not ready to “hang up my boots” and I decided to try something completely different. By then, my children were independent adults, so I decided to fly the nest with my husband and go international. We had always had a fascination with Malaysia, as my husband was born in Sri Lanka, in a Malay family. When I saw the job advertised at Sri KDU International School, I thought it would be a great opportunity to spend a couple of years getting to know Malaysia. However, my passionate commitment to any school I join and my wish to make it the best that it can be, has led me to spend eight wonderful years here. I would have liked to spend ten years leading the school, as I did at Alperton, but the global pandemic has put a stop to that. I have accomplished a great deal
in a setting I didn’t expect to experience, so despite the pandemic cutting it short, I still feel fulfilled at the end of my journey. I have had the opportunity to meet amazing students, excellent staff, supportive parents and developed a deep love for Malaysia. I have many happy memories from my 43 years in education and those gained in Malaysia will be some of the best and most long-lasting.
How long have you been involved with FOBISIA and how did you become involved with the FOBISIA Board? I spent three years building up Sri KDU International school to a British standard which I thought worthy of being a member of FOBISIA, thus in 2016 we successfully applied for membership. I proudly presented the school at the March 2017 41
