When I look at the Petronas Twin Towers rising above Kuala Lumpur — bold, elegant, and unmistakably Malaysian — I am reminded of the year 2004, when I had the privilege of speaking in Malay to secure the contract and thereafter co-leading the upskilling of 77,600 Malaysian teachers in English‑medium Mathematics and Science instruction. Born in a kampung in Geylang Serai when Singapore was part of Malaysia, I had become known as an OCBC – Orang Cina, Bukan Cina, preferring to speak in Malay, eat Malay food (with a generous serving of sambal, I must add) and play games Malay kids enjoy like capteh, bola sepak, layang, gasing, keledek, etc. Back to those majestic towers – they reach confidently into the sky, becoming a symbol of what we endeavour to achieve: elevating an entire generation of educators so they could elevate the next. Like the towers’ twin structure, our work required both strength and balance — pedagogical rigor paired with cultural sensitivity, national ambition paired with ground‑level compassion. Traveling north to Penang, I often reflected on how its multicultural heritage mirrored the diversity of the teachers we trained. Penang’s blend of Malay, Chinese, Indian, and Eurasian influences reminded me that effective Learning & Development must honor the cultural tapestry of its learners. Yes, that is where Differentiated Instruction comes in. Our learner-centred training programs succeeded not because they imposed a model, but because they respected the identities of those who would carry the work forward.
In Malacca, where centuries of trade shaped the region’s identity, I saw parallels to my 2005 mandate in Singapore: enhancing the functional literacies and competencies of 500,000 workers. Malacca’s layered history — Portuguese, Dutch, British — reflected the layered needs of a modern workforce. Just as Malacca adapted across eras, our workforce development frameworks had to evolve, integrating communication, digital literacy, and problem‑solving into a coherent national strategy.
Crossing into Johor Bahru, I was reminded of my work preparing 30,000 workers for emerging roles in Singapore’s rapidly changing tourism landscape from 2006 onwards, what with the anticipated opening of not one but 2 integrated resorts namely the Marina Bay Sands and Resorts World Sentosa, in 2010. Johor’s proximity to Singapore symbolized the interdependence of our economies. As these integrated resorts reshape Singapore’s tourism sector, Singapore’s national workforce training agenda has to ensure that workers were not displaced by change but propelled by it.
Malaysia’s natural wonders also became metaphors for my regional responsibilities. In Sabah, the sight of Mount Kinabalu — majestic, immovable — reminded me of the scale of the task when I co-led and trained Sri Lanka’s 250 Vocational Training Authority centres in the 2010s. The mountain’s ascent symbolized the climb toward educational excellence across borders, one step, one instructor, one classroom at a time.
In Sarawak, the longhouses of the Iban and Bidayuh communities echo the communal spirit I encountered while training Indonesia’s lead instructors from across its leading tourism institutes in Medan, Bali, Bandung, and Surabaya. Longhouses are built on shared foundations — a perfect metaphor for regional Learning & Development. Progress is never individual; it is communal, collaborative, and interdependent. As the saying goes, there is no ‘I’ in TEAM.
As I travelled across Malaysia, one of the prized experiences closest to my heart was my season as Chief Learning Officer with the visionary Krista Group, stewarding the professional growth of educators across more than 118 preschool centres nationwide. Whenever I looked at Merdeka 118, Malaysia’s newest skyscraper rising boldly into the sky, I saw a reflection of Krista’s mission — elevating early childhood education with the same courage, clarity, and upward aspiration. Just as the tower stands as a symbol of national progress, our work at Krista was about building strong foundations: nurturing teachers, strengthening pedagogy, and shaping the earliest years of Malaysia’s children. The number 118 became more than a statistic; it became a reminder that every centre, every teacher, every child represented a future worth investing in. … and I thank the visionary management for daring to dream. In those years, I dreamt and learned that the tallest structures are built on the smallest, strongest beginnings.
Finally, in Putrajaya, Malaysia’s administrative capital, I saw the architecture of systems — the same systems thinking I applied throughout my career. Whether designing national IT literacy programs for 80,000 Singaporeans in 1998, teacher‑training frameworks, or tourism workforce pipelines, my work has always been about building structures and communities of practice that endure. Across Malaysia’s landscapes, I see reflections of my own journey — bold as Kuala Lumpur, diverse as Penang, historic as Malacca, interconnected as Johor, and visionary as Putrajaya.
About the Author
A former Solutions Specialist at IBM ASEAN, Dr Thomas Chong is Fellow of Stanford University, USA and had been involved in Malaysia’s Multimedia Super Corridor project before pursuing his dot.com aspirations and serving as the Deputy CEO of an e-learning company that listed on the stock exchange in Malaysia in 2004 . He then returned to public service where he served as the pioneer Deputy Director for National Programs at the Singapore Workforce Development Agency, co-leading among other initiatives, the development of functional literacies and competencies of Singapore’s 500,000 workers in 2005. He then moved to a small unit under the Singapore Prime Minister’s Office before being engaged as Singapore Tourism Board’s Manpower Director, preparing the manpower pipelines of 30,000 workers for emerging jobs in Singapore’s changing tourism landscape. One of his best memories was returning to the home country of his grandparents, Malaysia to contribute to the upskilling of 77,600 Malaysian teachers in 2004. Thomas speaks, writes, thinks in Malay and he adds that he also dreams in Malay, complete with subtitles!