Kogilavany A. Kanapathy

Kogilavany A. Kanapathy, born in Klang in 1962, followed her father’s footsteps as a Tamil School teacher, graduating from Seri Kota Teachers Training College, in 1985. She began her career as a teacher in 1986 in SJKT Gadong, Tanjung Sepat, Selangor.

In 1999, she was promoted as the Headmistress of SJKT Ladang Emerald, Klang. It was a challenging position due to frequent flooding in the school. With the cooperation of the Parent Teacher Association (PIBG), she acquired a new piece of land for the school. She upgraded the school’s computer lab with assistance from PIBG and managed to improve the conditions of the school field through the Shah Alam Town Council. She took efforts to counter the decrease in the number of student enrolment by distributing brochures to residents of Bukit Kemuning and Taman Sri Muda. Her efforts paid off as the number of year 1 classes increased to two classes. In the year 2000, PIBG of SJKT Ladang Emerald was awarded as the best PIBG among schools in Klang district.

In July 2001, Kogilavany was transferred to SJKT Sungai Renggam, Shah Alam. At that time, new buildings were being constructed in the school. Through her own initiatives, a special program was organized to cultivate teamwork and improve quality of teaching. SJKT Sungai Renggam went on to become the best Tamil school in UPSR 2002 and received the MIED’s President Award. In 2002, 39 she was transferred to SJKT Puchong. Her contribution in this school was notable as the number of students’ enrolment increased yearly establishing its position as one of the biggest Tamil school at that time. She worked hard to upgrade the academic standards in the school by organizing numerous intensive training camps and courses for teachers and students.K. Kogilavany paid great attention to hone reading skills among students. She personally conducted early morning reading classes for year 1 students. Eventually, the school emerged as the best Tamil school in Petaling district and was placed among the top 10 Tamil schools in Malaysia for UPSR examination. In co curriculum activities the school excelled up to the state level.

In 2009, K. Kogilavany was appointed as the headmistress of SJKT Simpang Lima, Klang, the first Cluster Tamil School and the biggest Tamil School in the country. She took the challenge to lead the school with the support of the School Board of Governors (LPS), PIBG, Alumni and NGOs. She held a huge responsibility in maintaining the school’s bench mark as the top Tamil School in Malaysia and also to bring it to a greater height.K. Kogilavany was awarded the Excellence Service Award in 1998 and 2011. In 2007 she was promoted as an Excellence Headmaster by the Ministry of Education.

As a headmistress, she put a tremendous amount of effort to increase and improve facilities in schools through effective coordination with LPS, PIBG, NGOs, Teachers and Parents. She believes in team work and encourages her teachers to do the same. She attributes this success to her dedicated teachers, LPS, PIBG, Alumni, School Development Team (SDT) and NGOs.