Ban Huat was born into a true-blue Baba-Nyonya family and is proudly Peranakan. He studied in ACS and NJC, and has a BA Honours in History and a Master’s in Southeast Asian Studies from NUS. A trained teacher, he was privileged to spend the formative years of his career in his alma mater. He then served as Head of Department in Victoria School, and later assumed senior and lead specialist positions in the Ministry of Education. After 30 years of public service, he is now pursuing his personal interests.