The Heart of an Educator in Business

About two or three weeks ago – depending on when this blog post eventually gets published – I ran into an ex-colleague of mine while gallivanting at KSL City Mall at Johor Bahru.

Mr Eric Koh, an ex-colleague of mine who dates back to around 2003 to 2005 in Westwood Secondary School, was the HOD of CCA at that point in time, if I remember correctly (yes, my memory of events is beginning to get a little hazy; I used to be able to pinpoint the exact years of things that occurred to me).

By then, Mr Koh was already a legend in education.

He was one of the Who’s Who in the St John’s Ambulance Brigade at the national level (Eric, please feel free to correct me if I am getting it all wrong), initiated the National Youth Achievement Award (NYAA) in Westwood Secondary School and basically launched all the adventure camps in our school, which was unfamiliar then but all-too-familiar in all, if not most, schools today.

Like I have always said, success begets success; and winners become bigger winners as time goes by.

When we have an achiever in the school context, the same achiever will definitely make waves outside of the school context.

Mr Koh is a case in point. Already a legend in the educational landscape, Mr Koh will definitely make waves in the commercial landscape, even if the launch setting is a little tragic.

Founding B & G, a Vietnamese Bride Marriage Agency

The exact context of the when’s and why’s Mr Koh founded a Vietnamese bride agency is well-documented across the internet.

Mr Koh has granted multiple interviews across various platforms about the tragic events that eventually led to him marrying a Vietnamese wife, and how the experience propelled him to start a Vietnamese bride marriage agency on his own.

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You can read one of the interviews here,

on mothership.

As a policy, I will not repeat a story that has been well-documented across the internet. In addition, it is not my practice to recount tragic stories, since I also have many of my own.

I should know better.

But what I would like to write about here is how an educator actually brings heart to business.

Business is Business

You have all heard the saying: “Business is business; nothing personal.”

In many of the movies we watch, the villains will justify their heinous acts by quoting this line.

But with Eric, it’s not just business. In fact, it never is.

The Eric Difference

Unlike the other agents in the market – trust me, I hate that ‘agent’ label – Eric does everything in his power to ensure the longevity of the marriage.

Like the old school discipline master which he was, Eric screens the men who intend to take a Vietnamese wife, as well as the Vietnamese women who intend to marry our local men.

The two profiles must match to produce the longest-lasting marriage possible.

And he is quick to insist, “Marriage first, courtship later.”

Unlike the normal process of dating then marriage, tying the knot through a Vietnamese bride marriage agency means that the whole process is reversed.

Eric makes it a point to remind the Singaporean men under his charge not to neglect the dating and courtship phase.

Just because they have already netted the wives doesn’t mean they can skip the dating process.

His insistence on a screening process on behalf of the Vietnamese brides-to-be means that he would receive flak from local men who fail to make the mark.

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