Raja Singham Receives Gandhi Memorial Trust 2025 Award for Public Services
On 2 October 2025, the Gandhi Memorial Trust honoured Mr. Raja Singham, Co-Founder and Managing Director of the BAC Education Group, with the Gandhi Memorial Trust Award for Public Services. The ceremony, held on Mahatma Gandhi’s birthday, recognised Raja’s lifelong dedication to education, social good, and humanitarian service.
Accepting the award, Raja reflected with humility:
“It is an honour to receive this award on Gandhi’s birthday. But this is not a personal achievement — it belongs to my wife, Meera Mahendranathan, my family, my colleagues at BAC, and the many donors, friends, and supporters who have walked this journey with me. Nothing we do is ever done alone.”
A Life of Service Through Education
Over three decades, Raja has transformed BAC Education into a powerhouse of learning and social impact, spanning more than 25 entities in higher education, training, digital media, and technology. His mission has always gone beyond literacy and academic success; to build character, foster inclusivity, and serve humanity.
Through platforms like SPMFlix, IGCSEFlix, UPSRFlix, PT3Flix, SJKCFlix, and SJKTFlix, BAC has delivered over 9,000 free lessons and resources, reaching hundreds of thousands of students nationwide. At the same time, initiatives such as 1MillionDevices.my have helped bridge the digital divide by equipping underprivileged children with laptops and tablets.
Empowering Communities
Raja has long believed that education must uplift the most vulnerable. His projects have touched marginalised communities, refugees, stateless children, and people with disabilities. Beyond education, initiatives like FreeMakan provided food aid to over 200,000 people during the pandemic, while partnerships with UNICEF and other organisations extended humanitarian aid as far as India, Sri Lanka, and Nepal.
Entrepreneurship has also been a central pillar of his mission. Programmes like Project DEEP and ASEAN Mentorship for Entrepreneurs Network (AMEN) have mentored and funded over 10,000 entrepreneurs across ASEAN, while thousands of single mothers and B40 families have been trained and empowered to build sustainable livelihoods.
Guided by Gandhi’s Ideals
In his speech, Raja reminded the audience of Gandhi’s timeless wisdom: “The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in service to others.”
“Education is not just about literacy or knowledge. It’s about building character and serving humanity. We must stop viewing people through the lens of race, citizenship, or religion. Service means service to humanity — regardless of who they are.”
He emphasised the importance of humility, quoting Gandhi as an example of how a humble man could change the world. “Humility,” he said, “is far more powerful than anything else.”
Hope in Action
Raja also spoke of the simple but profound act of showing up:
“It is very easy to sit in the background and not do anything. But within each of us is the power to do great things. It doesn’t need to start big — sometimes it begins with just listening to someone who has a problem. Nothing is impossible if we start now.”
A Collective Honour
Closing his remarks, Raja dedicated the award to every member of the BAC family, past and present, and to the wider community that has supported his vision:
“This award belongs to every student, every colleague, every donor, and every partner who has believed in the power of education and service. We could only achieve all these because we live in a kind and caring society.”
A Legacy of Service — Previous Recipients of the GMT Award
Raja Singham now joins a distinguished line of public servants and social change-makers who have received this honour. Past recipients include:
- The Late Yang Berbahagia Dato' Seri Utama Karpal Singh: The “Tiger of Jelutong,” YB Karpal Singh was posthumously awarded the GMT Public Service Award in recognition of his long years of legal, parliamentary and human rights activism.
- Yang Berbahagia Dato' Ambiga Sreenevasan: Renowned lawyer and civil society figure, YB Dato' Ambiga was honoured by GMT for her advocacy, integrity and dedication to the rule of law.
- Datuk Dr. Anwar Fazal: The longtime peace activist and founder of the Penang Gandhi Peace Centre was recognised for his decades of promoting Gandhian values and global peace.
These recipients reflect the breadth and depth of civic contribution the awards aim to celebrate — from legal activism and human rights advocacy to grassroots peace building and educational outreach.
As the newest recipient of the GMT Award, Raja joins the ranks of citizens whose work embodies Gandhi’s ideals — steadfast service, ethical leadership, inclusivity, and hope. His journey reminds us: ordinary people, acting together, can write extraordinary stories.
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