We strive to teach every child well

Dr. Kau Kun Chui: Educational Milestones 

Dr. Kau pursued her studies in Singapore and Hong Kong and later served as a university teacher at Hong Kong Polytechnic University. Subsequently, she worked as an Assistant Professor at Xiamen University Malaysia. During her teaching career, she successfully guided her students from failing grades to graduation. Driven by her educational philosophy, she resigned from her position as Assistant Professor to explore alternative solutions to education outside the traditional system.

At the age of 19, while in her first year of University of Malaya, Dr. Kau began working as a private tutor to support herself, covering her living expenses for three years of university. After graduation, she served as a Chinese teacher for one year at a renowned private educational institutional in Singapore.

While teaching in Hong Kong, Dr. Kau assisted a kindergarten advocating the Reggio Emilia educational approach in relocating twice and personally lent HKD 200,000 to support the kindergarten. She also volunteered for two years as a teacher at The Village School (kindergarten) in Taipo.

In 2022, she founded Books River Classroom, the world’s first free bilingual school. By offering private tutoring in Chinese and English to affluent students, the classroom generated income to subsidize the education of children from labor families (online) and orphanages (physical). These children were taught Chinese, Malay, English, mathematics, rhythmic movement, and creative drawing.

In 2024, Books River Classroom received official government recognition as a legitimate social enterprise, achieving steady growth under government oversight. By the end of 2024, the classroom had provided over 3,000 hours of free education and expanded its teaching team to ten members. Dr. Kau established the world’s first free bilingual school by working without pay and personally funding teachers. The curriculum expanded from Chinese and English classes to include Malay, mathematics, and art.

Books River Classroom plans funding to equip orphanage children with AI tools and self-learning platforms, enabling them to learn independently. Computer-based learning will further provide training opportunities for underserved learners.

Dr. Kau Kun Chui hopes her Books River vision: where the rich and the poor share the same educational resources, where we strive to teach every child well, and where we accompany children through every challenging moment to ensure this mission can endure for the long term!

2  .Miss Angeline Choong

She graduated with a BSc (First Class Honours) in Psychology and Cognitive Neuroscience, and was awarded the Nottingham Dean’s List Award and Scholarship (2017 and 2018), the English Literature subject Award, and a full scholarship from MCKL. She teaches English grammar, writing, speech and pronunciation.

3.Teacher Naia Woo

The founder of the children’s educational institution, she has been running study tours for decades, leading children to explore the community and let them learn while walking. Graduated from the Department of Management of a British University, she holds a certif ed teaching certificate in Mandarin as a Second Language. Collaborated with a number of large enterprises and national institutions to teach courses related to Chinese language. Care about the community, actively donate and participate in the from Univermálne Sharity Corps.

4. Dr. Yow Li Ping

Graduated with a major in Engineering Cost and is currently working as an Assistant Professor at Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman Malaysia (UTAR). Dr, Yow Li Ping is the teacher in charge of the tutoring programme at Ti-Ratana Orphanage, where she leads other teachers to teach in small class sizes and focuses on supporting the 30 weakest students in the school to help them improve their academic performance and cross the passing mark. She is committed to providing each student with a personalized approach to learning to improve students’ attitudes towards learning. 

5.Dr.Wong Lee Lan

PhD from National Tsing Hua University in Taiwan, she is currently teaching Malay at National Tsing Hua University in Taiwan. Her approach is fresh and creative-she even has an award-winning podcast. With clear and sharp communication, a lively mind, and a fun personality, she is both responsible and engaging, making her an excellent teacher. She fully assisted Books River in handling public relations matters and took over Books Rivers Malay language possing class

6.Keith Poon

With more than 7 years of teaching experience, he has worked as an English teacher in many primary and secondary schools in Hong Kong, and is also a multilingual community interpreter. He teaches conversation, reading aloud, phonics, guided reading, creative writing, and secondary school interview skills, and has developed additional teaching resources to improve students’ English proficiency.

7.Angel Mak

A practising psychotherapist who provides counselling and therapy services to individuals and families, both adults and children. Her practice embodies a holistic and integrated philosophy that promotes healing and personal development, providing trauma healing and cultural care. She teaches English classes in Books River Classroom and provides psychological counseling to students.

8.Miss Tan Lay Hun

Bachelor of Education (Honours) (Major in Teaching English as a Second Language – TESL) and Master of Education (Counselling and Counselling) from the University of Malaya, and was a Senior Lecturer at City University and UNITAR International University.

9.Joanne Mok

Scholarship holder at Asia Pacific University (APU) to pursue a Bachelor of Science in Information Technology with a concentration in Information Systems Security.

10.Angie Lee

A graduate of the Illustration Department at Dasein Academy of Art, she has worked as a graphic designer and kindergarten teacher. She now runs her own art studio where she teaches children’s painting, and has also joined the Books River teaching team, teaching primary-level art, math, Chinese, and Malay.

11.Berryes Lee

I entered the education field at 19 as a temporary teacher. On my first day in school, I was excited but nervous—and because I lacked experience and was influenced by older colleagues who warned me not to be “too friendly,” I became overly strict. The school also practised a traditional, teacher-centred approach, which made students dislike my lessons. They even cheered when I was absent.

Later, I joined a holiday teacher-training programme. It was the most stressful yet unforgettable period of my life: teaching on school days, and travelling five hours from Seremban to Pahang during holidays for classes. Those days were filled with friendship and laughter, but also heavy assignments, exams, and school responsibilities. Over time, the exhaustion reduced my patience, and although I loved teaching, I began to doubt myself when students seemed lazy or unfocused.