Paramita Bandara

Paramita Vathy Bandara (1942 – 7 February 2013) was a Singaporean schoolteacher who served as the principal of three secondary schools over the course of her career. She was first the principal of Tanjong Katong Girls' School, where she was so popular amongst the staff that, when notified of her transfer, they sent a petition protesting the decision to the Ministry of Education. She was then made the founding head of the Pasir Ris Secondary School, which developed a positive reputation under her leadership despite being a 'neighbourhood school', before being transferred to Ang Mo Kio Secondary School, where she moved to prevent its relocation from Ang Mo Kio to Hougang. On her death, The Straits Times proclaimed her one of the country's "best-known educationists."

Early life and education Bandara was born in Singapore in 1942 to a Sinhalese father born in Sri Lanka and a Chinese mother from Sarawak. She was born shortly after the start of the Japanese occupation of Singapore; her mother received protection from the Japanese while en route to the Kandang Kerbau Hospital.

She had three brothers, the three oldest of her siblings, and seven sisters, all but one of whom would also grow up to become educators. One of her brothers was S. K. Bandara, a teacher at St Andrew's Junior College who became the school's principal at age 28. Her sisters included Nanda Bandara, who would also go on to become a prominent school headmaster, and Kal Bandara, who was also a linguist. This was funded with the help of her older siblings, who were unable to further their education due to the family's financial situation and instead entered the workforce. In the same year, she was the only woman selected to be trained as a Cadet Officer in the National Cadet Corps (NCC). She was then put in charge of setting up the corps' girls' section. By July 1974, she was a Staff Officer in the NCC's Administration division, a position she held until 1976. She oversaw the work of around 18,500 cadets and 700 officers. She was conferred the (Efficiency Medal) in 1977.

Tanjong Katong Girls' School In March 1977, Bandara was appointed the headmaster of the Tanjong Katong Girls' School, which was well-reputed.

Having caught wind of Ashworth's rejection, the staff of Tanjong Katong Girls' School began to feel directionless. As a result, a petition which managed to garner 40 signatures from teaching staff and 84 from school staff in total was sent in mid-December to the MOE's Permanent Secretary, then Goh Kim Leong, urging the ministry to reconsider the transfer. The plan, hatched to "show their loyalty and support" for Bandara, was initially to garner around 50 signatures from teaching staff, though several had already left the country on holiday with the end of the school year and were thus uncontactable.

Pasir Ris Secondary School Pasir Ris Secondary School, a 'neighbourhood school', began in January 1985 with only 16 teachers and 400 students, of whom only five had selected the school as their first choice. which had its official opening on 20 August 1987. Two days before the opening ceremony, Bandara realised that the event caterer had not prepared any halal food despite nearly a quarter of the 500 guests being Muslims from nearby Tampines. As such, she and the organising committee decided that the teachers and parents would cook halal food for the guests instead, with those involved phoning up acquaintances to come help out and the school's canteen vendors volunteering to aid in the effort. This led to her being confident that they could collaborate well, eventually resulting in her prioritisation of team sports. That event was one she often recounted. The Straits Times reported in November that the school's sporting achievements in the past year could "fill an entire A-4 page." Bandara commented: "You tell me how can I not be proud. We built the school from scratch."

In July 1991, WEEKENDeast reported that the school would be attempting its first public relations campaign, marketing itself against the more prestigious independent schools in the country. The plan included a $5000 sound and slide show funded by a parent, and leaflets distributed to teachers at nearby primary schools. Bandara claimed that the campaign intended to present the school as a capable alternative to more prestigious institutions. She avoided giving talks in primary schools as she felt that that was too commercialised. In briefings on the Pasir Ris Secondary School to primary school teachers, she focused on providing information on the secondary school system, which those teachers were largely unfamiliar with, as opposed to focusing on the successes of her school.

A survey toward the end of 1991 found that her presence was the leading factor in attracting new students, and she claimed to have been told by many parents from Tanjong Katong Girls' School that they had followed her on her transfer. She claimed in that year to have rejected caning as she "[did] not believe in it", instead finding that counselling was far more effective. She and her sister Nanda separately received the Most Courteous Principal Award in 1993.

Ang Mo Kio Secondary School Bandara was transferred to Ang Mo Kio Secondary School, also a 'neighbourhood school', in 1995. She was offered a position as a school inspector and as the principal of yet another prestigious girls' school, as she felt the need to ensure a "strong base at the bottom of the pyramid". The vice principal at Ang Mo Kio, Pauline Wong, later claimed to have, on learning of Bandara's transferral, playfully remarked: "Uh oh, the 'Dragon Lady' from the east is coming to colonise the north." Bandara found that the students there often came from poorer households and thus had little exposure to theatre growing up. As such, she organised 'lecture-cum-demonstrations' in the arts from groups such as theatre company The Necessary Stage and contemporary dance company Frontier Danceland.

Ang Mo Kio Secondary School along Ang Mo Kio Street 22 in 2017. MOE decided in 1996 that the school was to relocate to Hougang in 2000, as its infrastructure needed an upgrade. M. Nirmala of The Straits Times opined in 1999 that, with regards to a garden party with 600 guests that she had organised in the school's courtyard without seeking clearance from the Ministry of Education, Bandara "[typified] the growing breed of principals who [managed] their schools like companies — by leading people, producing results and answering to 'shareholders. Ang Mo Kio Secondary School returned to Ang Mo Kio in 2002, though by then she was no longer its principal, having retired in 2000. A video tribute created for her on her retirement featured Lee Hsien Loong, who said that she "moved heaven and earth" for what she believed in. She was conferred the Public Service Medal at the 2008 National Day Awards. She was then sitting on the Panel of Advisers to the Juvenile Court. Bandara also sat on the Juvenile Probation Case Committee.

Personal life and death Bandara was known affectionately as "Miss B." or "Mita" by teachers and students. In teaching, she had two 'maxims'; that one should treat all children as if they were one's own, and that one needed to get "down to their level" to understand children. In 1991, she claimed to have felt "amply rewarded", having received recognition and loyalty from staff and affection from students. Bandara stated in 1996 that she had kept all of the cards sent by students and teachers over the course of her career. She herself wrote and sent notes and cards to former colleagues and students, with whom she often kept in touch even after retiring; several former students considered her a 'godmother'. She could also speak Cantonese.

On 4 February 2013, Bandara underwent surgery at the Singapore General Hospital to remove a tumour in her liver. She had not revealed this to her friends as she did not wish to disturb them. She died in her sleep on 7 February of complications from the procedure. Her wake, held the next day, was attended by roughly 100 former students and colleagues. Bryna Singh of The Straits Times proclaimed Bandara "one of Singapore's best-known educationists".