Lai Kuin was born in Batu Pahat, Johor, in West Malaysia. She attended the local Tengku Mariam’s Girls’ School and then the Temenggong Ibrahim Girls’ Secondary School before going on to English Col...voir plusLai Kuin was born in Batu Pahat, Johor, in West Malaysia. She attended the local Tengku Mariam’s Girls’ School and then the Temenggong Ibrahim Girls’ Secondary School before going on to English College, Johor Baru, for her preuniversity education. She then won a federal government scholarship to the University of Malaya to earn her bachelor of arts and diploma in education degrees.
She also has a graduate diploma in applied linguistics from the SEAMEO Regional English Language Centre in Singapore, as well as a master of arts (applied linguistics) from the Institute of Education, University of London.
Lai Kuin joined Hwa Chong Junior College as one of its pioneer teachers, when the college first opened its doors in 1974, teaching general paper, English literature, and English as a second language to the Chinese stream students. During her thirty-four-year teaching career at Hwa Chong, she also held appointments as the students’ mentor for the Ministry of Education ASEAN Scholarship students to the college each year and as senior teacher adviser of the students’ council from 1994 until her retirement in 2007. She was in charge of the college students’ annual UCAS universities applications for admissions programme to the Oxbridge universities in the UK and to the Ivy League universities in the US.
Lai Kuin took early retirement at the end of 2007 to devote her time to the enlarged family. Today, she has three grandchildren. Aside from enjoying time with them, she also enjoys cooking and baking, reading, writing and traveling, and she regularly helps out at a church outreach program for one of the centres for the elderly.voir moins