25 Years with R.E.A.L Education Group - Principal Ms Tan from R.E.A.L Kids Kajang Prima

Principal Ms Tan passionately welcoming us into her office in R.E.A.L Kids Kajang Prima.

25 years! Since 1990, from a primary school Teacher in Sang Suria located in Cheras (then called Seri Suria), to an opportunity offered by R.E.A.L to take up a leadership position in our kindergarten in R.E.A.L Kids Seri Suria. It was not an easy decision. But the transition was smoother with a 3-year PTM (Persatuan Tadika Malaysia) course Ms Tan was offered to undertake. A decision she now says, "No regrets. Even on holidays I got to be in the centre. I sacrificed my time to be a leader with job satisfaction".

It was 15th Dec 2003 when Ms Tan officially took up the role of principal for R.E.A.L Kids Kajang Prima. She was asked to set up the new centre in Kajang as at that time only a few students enrolled. She was the principal of both R.E.A.L Kids Seri Suria and R.E.A.L Kids Kajang Prima. She managed 2 centres for 4 years and after that she chose to be full time in Kajang.

Then on for 7 years, Ms Tan achieved full house enrollment in R.E.A.L Kids Kajang Prima. That's when R.E.A.L finally got a new premise purchased for expansion! She can vividly remember she brought her whole family to assist her in clearing up the new premise. It was tiring but it was fun. With her dedication and commitment, she managed to inspire all the teachers to come back on Christmas day to shift from old centre to new center. All teachers came back to work on Christmas day with cheer and fun.

The office furniture that they ordered couldn't come on time. They had to wait until 12 midnight and after installing, it was 3am. Finally, they left the new premise and slept for a few hours before they started commuting back to work again the next morning (the school reopened for its 1st day). But it was worthwhile for her. To some of her long serving teachers, it is not just their second home, some called it their first home. Some teachers even volunteered to stay back after half day's work to accompany and assist other full day teachers because they are so close with each other. It is this kind of close knitting bond that made R.E.A.L Kids Kajang Prima a real home for the teachers and kids. 

She and her team of teachers mop the floor, clean the toilets, cook and do everything themselves when their maid is not available. Full of confidence Ms Tan proudly announced this to us, "You really need to be able to motivate your teachers. Sometimes due to financial burden, a teacher or two gave their resignation letters. But I managed to keep them after I talked to them. For a little bit more pay, it really couldn't compensate the love we've established over here. My teachers stay an average of 5-6 years. My proudest moment will definitely be the concerts. The teachers trained the kids so well." You can surely see the twinkle in her eyes when she spoke of her kids during concerts. "One of our parents was so amazed because our teacher was cheeky enough to convince the kid to practice his speech in private without letting the parents know. We were all so proud of the kids and ourselves when parents exclaimed, 'Wow! Is this my child?'"

From left: Mark, Christopher, Ms Tan, Teacher Santha, Teacher Maliga in front of R.E.A.L Kids Kajang Prima on 6th March 2015. Wonderful visit. We got to know how passionate the teachers were under Principal Ms Tan's leadership.