Mabel Thambiah
Sri Lankan educator (1916–1987)
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Mabel Thambiah (23 February 1916 - 17 December 1987) was a Sri Lankan educator.[1]
Biography
Thambiah's parents were Mary Pooranam Thambiah and J.A. Thambiah. She attended Kandy High School and Chundikuli Girls' College, Jaffna. She then moved to Colombo and studied for a Bachelor of Arts degree at University College, Colombo, graduating in 1937.[1]
In 1938, Thambiah was appointed a teacher at Vembadi Girls' High School in Jaffna, specialising in geography. In 1950 she became the school's principal, a position she held until her retirement in 1970.[1][2][3]
In 1970, the school opened a new assembly hall, classroom and laboratory building, which was named the Mabel Thambiah Block.[3]
Thambiah was active in community organisations. She was president of the Jaffna branch of the YWCA and vice-president of the national organisation. In 1956, she represented Sri Lanka at a YWCA conference in Japan.[4] She was also president of the Jaffna branch of the University Women's Association.[1]