The Elena Cooke Education Fund

 

The Elena Cooke Education Fund –

Empowering Today’s Youth for Life

Miss Elena Maud Cooke KMN

Miss Elena Maud Cooke KMN

BBGS.  A school that pioneered women’s education and nurtured generations of girls from families rich and poor in the tradition of excellence, discipline and godliness.

It started in 1893 when a determined missionary lady, Miss Betty Langlands, gathered a few women in Brickfields (Jalan Tun Sambanthan as it is known today).  Her vision was to educate the women in this country, to raise their status in the eyes of society, in order that they might live fuller lives, having earned a worthier place in the world.

Other headmistresses who followed after stayed faithful to the vision, including Miss Elena Maud Cooke, principal from 1958 to 1977.  She was not only the longest serving headmistress of the premier girls’ school, but the only person who spent fifty years of her life as a student, teacher and headmistress of the secondary school. After she retired, she continued to serve the school as a member of the Board of Governors and, subsequently, the Chairman.

Miss Cooke touched many lives during her service. While she was a fierce and strict disciplinarian, she loved her students. Her care for all in need was apparent and the students learnt from her to care for others.

On 4 August 2009, the Elena Cooke Education Fund was launched in honour of Miss Cooke.  This fund is to help needy children, girls and boys, be they orphans or from poor and troubled families, to pursue quality education after secondary school.  We want to give every opportunity to deserving children who want, but cannot afford, to realize their potential.

Today, the Elena Cooke Education Fund is managed by the BBGS Alumni Berhad,  a company limited by guarantee set up and managed by ex-BBGS girls.  Details of the Board of Directors and the Selection Committee (who vet and evaluate scholarship applications) are found on this website under “About BBGS Alumni Berhad”.

 

The school building might be gone, but the alumnae of Bukit Bintang Girls’ School will carry on the legacy of their alma mater.

Elena Cooke Education Fund Scholarship – LIST OF RECIPIENTS (as at 2023-12-31)

 

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