KUALA LUMPUR: Prominent historian Prof Emeritus Tan Sri Dr Khoo Kay Kim who passed away this morning is remembered as a caring and loving lecturer.
His former colleague and student at Universiti Malaya (UM) Professor Datuk Dr Ramlah Adam said he was the first lecturer to use the national language as a medium of instruction at the university.
“This helped many students, especially those from the Malay medium to do well in the subjects he taught - Plural Society and Malaysian Political History.
According to Ramlah, Khoo had his own style of lecturing as he was not fond of keeping notes or give his students any.
“He would just ask us to listen. And most of the time, he didn’t talk about the subject, but on ordinary issues, daily news and most importantly, football,” said Ramlah who was an undergraduate student in 1970.
She said at first she couldn’t understand his technique of teaching and often visited the library for references. But when she began reading, all the references Khoo gave in class started to make sense and allowed her to understand the subject better.
“He kept all our mini thesis and constantly referred to them. Because I excelled in his subject, he gave me an A and subsequently took me as a tutor when I completed my undergraduate study. He became my supervisor when I did my Masters,” said Ramlah.
On a more personal note, Ramlah recalled an incident which made her who she is today.
“I was 24 when I got married. He asked me why I got married so young, and scolded me as he thought I would not be able to focus on my research work.
“He was so angry with me. But I took that as a challenge and worked hard to complete my doctorate in 1988.
“When I began to write, I gave him my first two books. He jokingly asked if I was trying to show off.
“Khoo was not only my professor, he was my mahaguru. His passing is a great loss to the country. When I first received the news, I felt numb all over. It brought a flood of pleasant and sweet memories of him back for me,” said Ramlah.