“Not many people have the privilege of serving another ten years after Government service in God’s service!”
 
The privilege to serve was how Ms Yin Kam Yoke, Education Secretary of the Council of Education of the Methodist Church in Malaysia, thought of her work as she gave her speech at her retirement dinner. 

Friends and colleagues, retired Principals and teachers, associates from the Malayan Christian Schools’ Council (MCSC), members from her church Emmanuel Methodist Church, past Education Secretaries, old students become friends, gathered on 5 April 2008 to honour and celebrate her coming retirement on 23 May this year.

In her career in education spanning 31 years she has been a teacher, lecturer and Head of Department at two teachers’ training colleges, and Principal, the last being ten years as Principal of Methodist Girls’ School, Ipoh. During her studies for the M.A. in Education at Reading University, UK she became a Christian and joined the Methodist church on her return. Upon her retirement from Government service she joined the Council of Education as Deputy Education Secretary in 1998 and became Education Secretary in October 2004.

Ms Yin, as she is called by all, was fondly remembered for all her work at the COE and the Malayan Christian Schools’ Council of which she is the Honorary Secretary since 2002. Ms Moey Yoke Lai, CEO of Methodist College Kuala Lumpur, specially noted her ability to raise funds for building projects, for the college as well as other mission schools. She indicated the unique hand gesture Ms Yin would show (not possible to describe here; you have to see it yourself) to say that getting funds will be no problem and she will take care of it. And get the funds she did! Ms Moey ended with the attribution of the virtuous woman found in Proverbs 31 as eminently suited to describe Ms Yin, although she is neither a wife nor a mother.
 
Bishop Hwa Yung used another reference from scripture to give a description of Ms Yin. In the parable of the persistent widow (Luke 18:1-8), he drew attention to the response of the judge to the widow’s unceasing badgering and plea for justice. He gave in because he could see that she would wear him out with her persistence. In a light vein, Bishop Hwa Yung declined to say how Ms Yin provokes him with her insistent ways and queries. But he noted that this quality, perhaps, was instrumental in her dealings with officials and Government departments to get things moving.

It was a surprise to know that she was a shy introverted schoolgirl who was transformed into an “overbearing
presence.” She testified, “It is by God’s grace that He has transformed me to do His work, by making me overbearing, persistent and vocal, to the extent of being pressurizing.”

Reflecting on what she thought was her greatest contribution Ms Yin chose the small part she played in getting the official approval from the Lembaga Peperiksaan for the change of text for the SPM Bible Knowledge paper from the RSV to the Good News version. All the groundwork was done by others and the MCSC but it had lain dormant for two years at the Lembaga Peperiksaan. She was there when they did respond and had to prepare letters to be signed by the CFM Chairman. Approval was given within seven weeks! This change to a contemporary version of the Bible will attract and make it easier for students taking the subject today. Ms Yin says this small part (“to be His pencil”) would hopefully result in an increase in the candidacy for the paper but more so that the Word of God will be sown to the next generation.
 
What lies ahead for Ms Yin? She will go for a holiday and a prayer conference (the ever eager enthusiast for a deeper spiritual life). One project close to her heart that she has had to shelf is to write short stories. Now we can expect, she says, to see Tales and Testimonies out in 2009, God willing.
 
Although retiring from official working life, she continues to serve the Christian schools as Honorary Secretary of the Malayan Christian Schools’ Council. Both Ms Moey and Bishop Hwa Yung wished her a good rest but also hinted that much awaits her at her desk when she returns from her holidays!