Hadijah Rahmat is a prominent Malay language and culture expert and educator, an author and poet whose works have been used as texts in Singapore schools, and a leading scholar in Malay-Indonesian Studies.

At the National Institute for Education (NIE) where she is an emeritus associate professor, Hadijah headed the Asian Languages and Cultures (ALC) Academic Group, which promotes innovative and cross-cultural research in the Malay, Chinese, and Tamil languages.

A key goal of hers has been to change the way mother tongue languages are taught. She introduced multiculturalism courses at NIE for mother tongue teachers. The courses, conducted in English, teach Chinese language teachers about Malay literature and Malay language, while Tamil language teachers learn about Malay folklore and Chinese culture. While leading ALC, Dr Hadijah also worked on various cross-cultural programmes to foster a stronger attitude of equality and unity.

Hadijah was the driving force behind the introduction at NIE in 2000 of the first bachelor’s degree programme in the Malay language. Before this, aspiring Malay language teachers in Singapore had to get their degree in Malaysia.

As chairperson of the Malay Language Curriculum and Pedagogy Review Committee in 2004, Hadijah and her team undertook an in-depth review of Malay language education in Singapore schools and produced a clear vision of Arif Budiman, or ‘the learned person who contributes to society’.

In both her academic and her literary work, she takes a multi-disciplinary approach, synthesizing literature, geography, history, and sociology. A topic close to her heart is ‘kampung’ or village life.

She once said: “My writing is heavily influenced by village life in the 1960s to the mid-1980s. I was born and lived in the village for 27 years. Many issues such as poverty, social and economic problems are among my concerns that I express in my work.”

In 2005 she published Kilat Senja, an account of life in Singapura’s kampungs based on the extensive interviews she did in the 1980s with elderly villagers. The book is a record of settlement and socio-cultural histories of kampungs in Singapore, almost all of which have now given way to modern housing estates and commercial developments.

Other books she has written include Burung Kenek-Kenek, Bunga Kasih Ibu, and The Last Kampung Mosque.

Hadijah has also sought in her writing to highlight the stories of legendary Malay heroes such as Badang, the 14th century strongman who is said to have thrown a massive slab of stone, known as the Singapore Stone, at the mouth of the Singapore River.

In 2011, Hadijah was the first woman to receive the Tun Seri Lanang Award. The award, which is presented by the Malay Language Council, recognises outstanding literary figures who have contributed to and enriched the Malay literary scene.

In 2022, she was named the Berita Harian Achiever of the Year (Anugerah Jauhari). This award recognises the individuals who demonstrate perseverance, determination, integrity, the ability to overcome adversities, and are role models for the Malay/Muslim community in Singapore. She has received numerous other awards.

Hadijah’s flair for writing was first demonstrated when, aged 15, she was appointed as a student writer for Majalah Harapan, a Ministry of Education (MOE) publication. Her first short story published in the magazine centred on the theme of women’s empowerment and was titled, ‘Idah Tidak Menangis Lagi’ (Idah No Longer Cries).

To type out her story, Hadijah had to get the help of a neighbour, Ma’at bin Melan, who worked as a clerk and had access to a typewriter. Hadijah’s family then had limited means. Her father was a technician and her mother, who had to care for seven children, supplemented the family’s income as a washerwoman. When Hadijah did well at her GCE ‘O’ Level examinations, her mother dug into her meagre savings to buy her daughter a small, light blue typewriter.

It was her parents, Hadijah said, who inculcated in her the value of education, hard work, and discipline. There are no shortcuts to chasing one’s dreams or aspirations, they taught their children.

Hadijah graduated from the National University of Singapore (NUS) with a Bachelor of Arts in Malay Studies & Geography in 1979 and MA in Malay Studies (1985). In 1987 she joined the National Institute of Education. She pursued her PhD at the School of Oriental Studies (SOAS), University of London, from 1992 to 1995.

She has written seven and edited 16 scholarly books in both the English and Malay languages; 16 book chapters, 35 journal articles and 30 conference papers; two poetry books and two children’s books, and numerous articles in journals and newspapers.

Hadijah spent more than 25 years studying the life and work of Munshi Abdullah, the prominent literary figure and thinker of the Malay world in the 19th century who is considered one of the early pioneers of Singapore. In 2020, her 2-volume book titled Abdullah bin Abdul Kadir Munshi was published. It is the most comprehensive study to date of the man who has been called the father of modern Malay literature and who was Sir Stamford Raffles’ interpreter.

Hadijah Rahmat is a prominent Malay language and culture expert and educator, an author and poet whose works have been used as texts in Singapore schools, and a leading scholar in Malay-Indonesian Studies.

At the National Institute for Education (NIE) where she is an emeritus associate professor, Hadijah headed the Asian Languages and Cultures (ALC) Academic Group, which promotes innovative and cross-cultural research in the Malay, Chinese, and Tamil languages.

A key goal of hers has been to change the way mother tongue languages are taught. She introduced multiculturalism courses at NIE for mother tongue teachers. The courses, conducted in English, teach Chinese language teachers about Malay literature and Malay language, while Tamil language teachers learn about Malay folklore and Chinese culture. While leading ALC, Dr Hadijah also worked on various cross-cultural programmes to foster a stronger attitude of equality and unity.

Hadijah was the driving force behind the introduction at NIE in 2000 of the first bachelor’s degree programme in the Malay language. Before this, aspiring Malay language teachers in Singapore had to get their degree in Malaysia.

As chairperson of the Malay Language Curriculum and Pedagogy Review Committee in 2004, Hadijah and her team undertook an in-depth review of Malay language education in Singapore schools and produced a clear vision of Arif Budiman, or ‘the learned person who contributes to society’.

In both her academic and her literary work, she takes a multi-disciplinary approach, synthesizing literature, geography, history, and sociology. A topic close to her heart is ‘kampung’ or village life.

She once said: “My writing is heavily influenced by village life in the 1960s to the mid-1980s. I was born and lived in the village for 27 years. Many issues such as poverty, social and economic problems are among my concerns that I express in my work.”

In 2005 she published Kilat Senja, an account of life in Singapura’s kampungs based on the extensive interviews she did in the 1980s with elderly villagers. The book is a record of settlement and socio-cultural histories of kampungs in Singapore, almost all of which have now given way to modern housing estates and commercial developments.

Other books she has written include Burung Kenek-Kenek, Bunga Kasih Ibu, and The Last Kampung Mosque.

Hadijah has also sought in her writing to highlight the stories of legendary Malay heroes such as Badang, the 14th century strongman who is said to have thrown a massive slab of stone, known as the Singapore Stone, at the mouth of the Singapore River.

In 2011, Hadijah was the first woman to receive the Tun Seri Lanang Award. The award, which is presented by the Malay Language Council, recognises outstanding literary figures who have contributed to and enriched the Malay literary scene.

In 2022, she was named the Berita Harian Achiever of the Year (Anugerah Jauhari). This award recognises the individuals who demonstrate perseverance, determination, integrity, the ability to overcome adversities, and are role models for the Malay/Muslim community in Singapore. She has received numerous other awards.

Hadijah’s flair for writing was first demonstrated when, aged 15, she was appointed as a student writer for Majalah Harapan, a Ministry of Education (MOE) publication. Her first short story published in the magazine centred on the theme of women’s empowerment and was titled, ‘Idah Tidak Menangis Lagi’ (Idah No Longer Cries).

To type out her story, Hadijah had to get the help of a neighbour, Ma’at bin Melan, who worked as a clerk and had access to a typewriter. Hadijah’s family then had limited means. Her father was a technician and her mother, who had to care for seven children, supplemented the family’s income as a washerwoman. When Hadijah did well at her GCE ‘O’ Level examinations, her mother dug into her meagre savings to buy her daughter a small, light blue typewriter.

It was her parents, Hadijah said, who inculcated in her the value of education, hard work, and discipline. There are no shortcuts to chasing one’s dreams or aspirations, they taught their children.

Hadijah graduated from the National University of Singapore (NUS) with a Bachelor of Arts in Malay Studies & Geography in 1979 and MA in Malay Studies (1985). In 1987 she joined the National Institute of Education. She pursued her PhD at the School of Oriental Studies (SOAS), University of London, from 1992 to 1995.

She has written seven and edited 16 scholarly books in both the English and Malay languages; 16 book chapters, 35 journal articles and 30 conference papers; two poetry books and two children’s books, and numerous articles in journals and newspapers.

Hadijah spent more than 25 years studying the life and work of Munshi Abdullah, the prominent literary figure and thinker of the Malay world in the 19th century who is considered one of the early pioneers of Singapore. In 2020, her 2-volume book titled Abdullah bin Abdul Kadir Munshi was published. It is the most comprehensive study to date of the man who has been called the father of modern Malay literature and who was Sir Stamford Raffles’ interpreter.