Bhupathy Nee Sadasu is passionate about teaching. So passionate that she has dedicated 43 years of her life to it.
At the same time, she is equally devoted to union work and has served in the executive committee of the Singapore Tamil Teachers’ Union (STTU) since 2000.
Needless to say, Bhupathy is today a well-respected member of the Tamil teachers’ fraternity.
“I need to be a very good teacher and I also believe that those who come into this line need to have the passion for it, and not look at it as a job. Teaching is different from other jobs.
“I have seen a lot of my students who have done very well. It is my greatest achievement, my contribution. And to the younger union members, I need to be a role model to them,” she said.
Bhupathy’s commitment and enthusiasm have not gone unnoticed. She was recognised at the recent May Day Awards 2021 with the Comrade of Labour award.
But despite the accolades and years of experience, the veteran union leader and teacher is never too proud to become a student again and learn from those she has mentored in the past.
Four decades of teaching has shown Bhupathy that learning never stops.
When COVID-19 forced schools to switch to home-based learning for a while, she found herself having to pick up new skills to keep up with the times. Conducting lessons online was one of them.
“I am not IT-savvy. I had to learn a lot of new things. It was a good lesson and challenge for me. I am more confident now but when I don't know something, I approach people.
“I am willing to learn even if I am older. I go to the young teachers and ask them to teach me,” shared Bhupathy.
This attitude of humility is something she always tries to impart to her peers.
“When you move up in life, you have to be humble. No matter where you are, you need to be humble. You should help society in whatever way that you can,” she said.
Bhupathy has indeed played a role in helping the community.
As part of STTU’s leadership team, she has headed sub-committees that focused on professional development and productivity improvement of teacher members. And for more than 10 years, she has been supervising the union’s Tuition Project, one of their community service initiatives.
“I felt happy to be involved in managing this tuition centre for less privileged students. Many parents brought their kids here for tuition as we had qualified and experienced teachers … It became very popular and we had very good feedback from the parents,” Bhupathy said.
She also served as a member of the NTUC Women’s Committee and has been participating actively in its programmes.
All these activities required a lot of sacrifice in terms of time and effort but have brought about a sense of achievement in Bhupathy. She is most thankful for the opportunity to do what she does.
“The most important thing is that I have the support of my children. I think if you have a supportive background, a supportive family, anything is possible,” she said.
Bhupathy retired from teaching in 2012. But she has carried on as a teacher on a contract basis since then.
She still goes to school every day, handles a form class, and conducts mother tongue language lessons. Of course, union work is still a big part of her life.
“Teaching is my passion. And I feel a sense of satisfaction being in the union. Both keep me occupied because I feel that once I don't work, once I am not involved in anything, that would be wasting my time.
“I will do it until I can. And that’s because it makes me happy,” she said.
