The body of the first Malay female professor Dr Fatimah Don was buried safely
PETALING JAYA: The body of education figure and the first Malay female professor Puan Sri Professor Emeritus Dr Fatimah Hamid Don was safely buried at the Taman Medan Islamic Cemetery, here at 2.45 this afternoon.
The deceased, who was also the former Dean of the Faculty of Education at Universiti Malaya (UM) from 1978 to 1990, breathed his last while in the recovery phase after battling a stroke for the past year, at KPJ Tawakkal Hospital, Kuala Lumpur at 2.35 this morning.
The former Dean of the UM Faculty of Education Professor Emeritus Datuk Dr Isahak Haron, when met, said that the passing of Fatimah, who was his mentor while at UM, was a bitter thing to swallow, remembering all the guidance that the late had given in nurturing scientists like him.
“She is a firm and highly knowledgeable person in the field of education, the curriculum is very good in terms of administration and her relationship with us (staff and lecturers)…throughout her life her service has been excellent for me.
When she became dean, I was his deputy dean and he gave me a lot of guidance and also when I took my education diploma she was my lecturer so she was one of the people who gave me a lot of lessons and guidance when she was my dean and teacher,” he told reporters when found at the Tun Abdul Aziz Mosque here today.
Also saddened by the passing of the deceased is former UM Vice-Chancellor Professor Emeritus Datuk Dr Hashim Yaacob, who said that when he took up the position, she was the person who proposed the deceased to be given the title of Professor Emeritus considering his outstanding contribution in the field of education.
“Allahyarham contributed a lot of fresh ideas in improving the quality of education in the country and she was a great and respected name in the field of education that is why we at UM recognized her at that time,” he said.
Fatimah began her career as an assistant lecturer in 1964 at the Faculty of Education, UM and was subsequently appointed as a Professor of Curriculum Development who is also a Curriculum Consultant, Ministry of Education thus becoming the first Malay woman to be appointed as a professor.
Fatimah retired as a professor in 1990 after 26 years in service.
The deceased was also involved in producing the draft of the National Women’s Policy, the Women’s Development Action Plan and the UN Women’s World Conference report as well as the “Convention on the Right of the Child” (CRC) and “Convention on the Elimination of All Forums of Discrimination Against Women” (CEDAW) reports.
