353867$$.$1 M.A •• O.B.E., P.J.)c. 1*0$5$$$$

OF

Compiled by E.C. HICKS, M.A •• O.B.E., P.J.)c.

1958

KP JB 1781

PERPUSTAKAAN NEGARA MALAYSIA

HISTORY

OF

ENGLISH SCHOOLS

IN PERAK

Compiled by E.C. HICKS, M.A .. a.B.E .• P.J .K.

1958

Published under the auspices of

THE PERAK LIBRARY. IPOH.

KP JB 1781


CONTENTS

PAGE

Introdnction V

The Perak Library 1

Education in Perak in the Last Part of the 19th Centlll'Y 4

The 'Engli h School Kamunting 6

King Edward VII School Taiping 8

Lady 'rreacber Girls' School, Taiping 11

Clifford chool, KuaJa Kangsar 13

Anglo- hine e School, Teluk Anson 16

Anglo-Chine e School, Parit BUl1tar 18

Anglo-Chinese chool, Ipoh 20

Anglo-Chine e Girl' chool, Ipoh 23

The Convent, Taiping .. 25

Anglo-Chinese School, Kampar 27

Malay College~ Kuala Kangsar 30

Government English chool, Tronoh 30

The Convent, Ipoh 31

Sultan Yussuf School, Batu Gajah 33

Anderson School, Ipoh 35

St. Michael's Instiultion, Ipoh 38

Anglo-Chinese School, Sitiawan 42

Government English School, Gopeng 44

St. George's Instiultion, Taiping . . 45

Government English chool, Tapah 46

The Convent, Teluk Anson 47 J..

Iskandar Shah School, Parit 48 i

The Trade School, Bagan erai 49 ., .

The Trade chool, Ipoh 50 . \ Art chools, Perak 52

Teacher Training in Perak . ': .1: ~.. ;.:

l-- . . ... 52

Aided English Schools . . 55

Private Eng]i h Schools 55 iii


INTRODUCTION

The late Mr. tlangara Pillai Rajaratnam, :a1.C.H., J.P., was born in Oeylon on June 17th 1889. He entered the Central School, Taiping in 1904, at a time when the enrolment in all the Govemment and Aided Engkh school in Perak amounted to 1,368. In 1912 he passed the teachers' Normal examination, chool enrolment having by tl1en riRen to some 3,000. H e served as a teacher in three 5chool. - K ing Edward YII School .• 'Iniping, Government English School, Batu Gajah. and Anderon " chool, Ipoh until he retired in IH3!), by which year el11Xllments in Governments and Aided English ~cbooL had risen to 500, while private English schools had also been opened and had enrolments of a total of ome 3,000 pupils. Just befure his sudden death in JuJy 195G Mr. Rajaratnam \\"a ~ planning to write a booklet about the English schools in Perak, giving from hi rich store Ot memorie8 tl1e history of each school dllring the period of 3:- years when he had known them () well, and \"hen their enrolments had expanded tenfold. There had been a further fouTfold expan ion in the 17 years since his retirement, which in it~ \ray had heen more spect&cuhrr, having been main] concentrated linto the post-war years. But it was of the earlier period that Rajaratnam wa.~ better qnalificd to write, and wheu his untimely death prevented the fulfilment of his project I decided to colle t what ma.terial I could find preserved in records and in the memories of those still alive, in order that the history of thi interesting period of education might be better known. Govemmnet reports in the Taiping M:u seum and in the Federal Se~retariat, Kuala Lumpur, have been the main sources of checking and supplementing accounts which have been written by pa t and present teachers of the .. chools. Among. t these I hould mention particularly :NI€ssr s. W. E. Perera, S. RajanayaglUll, Syed Shaidali. J. M:. Morai , Moissinac Yeoh Teng Khoo, V. Nadason, ~f. E. M:oreira, AbduJ Hamid Khan, Oolin Campbell K. T. Thomas, Mrs. Navaredrulm, Miss M. Poul ier Miss . Moreira and the Heads of the Schools concerned. The oTder in which the accounts are recorded corresponds approximat.ely with the chronological oTder in which tJle schools were founded. The management of many schools has changed in the course of years. Private and Mission schools have become Government schools and vice versa.

Until very recently there ha never been a clear ~ividing line between Primary and Secondary English schools in Perak. Schools have been comprehensive, that is their a.im has been to start at the lowest standard and to continue to af' high a standard as possible. Cambridge cla sses for the Prelimina.ry and Junior Certificate exi ted in Taiping and in Ipoh in t.he fu"St decade of the twentieth century, but not until after World " ar I were there more than a score of Senior Certificates crained. By 1937 the number had increased tenfold. the Oert.ificate having been re-designated as Bchool Oert.ificate. In 1937 the curriciIhwl of t.wo Ipoh schools includClcl O ~nel"al Science for the first time. Both for girls and boys the curriculum has been rather Tel'tricted: local and foreign language. have been studied by only a few: provision for Art t.eaching ha.s been spoTadi . although an expatriate Art teacher \Va. appointed in 1926 : commercial and vocat~ onal trainin~ has not been given much emphasis, although again an expatriate Commercial Master was appointed in 1921. evertheless developments in the. c direction were always urged by enlightened local teachers like Rajamtnam. 'rhe first full Cambridge Higher Oertificates were gained in 1955 and it is here that the histories end.

Boarding hostels have long been a feature of P erak schooL . A sum of $2,500 for a Malay Boarding House, Larut appeared in the E -timates for the year 1903. The Malay ReRidential Oollege at Kuala Kangsar, a Federal v


vi

Institution, for many years had roughly one third of its enrolment Perak boys. A hostel for Malay boys at Ipoh was opened in 1921, in which year the first Special Malll.Y ClasRe>; were opened at King EdwaTd VIT School, Taiping, English School, Kuala Kangsar and at Anderson School, Ipoh. It is recorded that in 1921 Malays .numbered 721 out of the total enrolment of some 5,000 in Perak English schools.

As a teacher Mr. liajaratnam was best known for his out-of-school activities, amongst which may be mentioned the organisation of sports and games, the supervision of hostel>; for Malay boy>;, the inauguration of evening adult classe . and the development of the Perak Library. As Mr. Raja.ratnam latterly had made the Perak Library the Headquarters for his manifolrl public a.ctivitier, it has been decided that any profits accuring from the sale of tbis booldet will be offered to the Perak Library.

I shall be most grateful to receive from readers any correction or additional material which they ca.l'e to supply.

E. C. HICKS.

c/o P. O. Box 736.

Kuala Lumptil' .

•


THE PERAK LIBRARY

The Perak Library is the culmination of the labour of love of many spirited and devoted citizens of Ipoh, both past and present. It goes back to to more than a quarter of a century when its seed was first planted in a room of the Ipoh Town Hall. Under the aegis of the Ipoh Rotary Club, it was first called the "Ipoh Juvenile Library", to cater to the needs of school children. Later at the suggestion of tbe late Mr. S. Rajaratnam, the word "juvenile" was removed and the library became known as the "Ipoh Library". Adults were admitted as members, and the committee whicb managed it was mainly composed of Rotarians.

After the Liberation, some salvaged books and a few rickety shelves were, through the courtesy of the Public Relations Department (now Department of Informatkm), housed in a corner of their office in Brewster Road. With an energetic committee headed by Dr. Wu Lien-teh, Mr. :M:. S. Mahendran, Mr. J. V. Morais, Mr. Ung Khek Cheow, Mr. Lee MUll Yui, and many others, efforts were made to construct a building of its own. After determined attempts, the present site was acquired from the State Government which also contributed $25,000.00 towards the building. The public responded witb a similar sum, and the building committee headed by Dr. Wu Lien-teh went ahead with the 1


2

task. Originally, it was the aim to have a two-storey building, but as the funds were not ufficient, the committee decided to commence with the first storey. The foundation stone was laid by the Mentri Besar of Per'ak, Datoh Panglima Bukit Gantang, in 1950. The building was ready oon after, and officially opened by Hi Highne . . , Sir Yussuf Izzuddin Shall in 1951.

With the late Mr. Rajaratnam as its President, he was able to approach and obtain much valuable as istance for the nascent library. Books came pouring in from the United States I nformation Service, the British Council (which had a branch in the L ibrary), the Rotary Club of Ipoh, and from source kno"'n only to Mr. Rajaratnam him~elf. Tamil literature found its place in the library because of the efforts of Tamil . chool teachers, who put up some Tamil drama and netted nearly $4,000.00 which they generously handed to the Library. With books also came book-cases.

The present 'Titer who has been associated with the Library since 1948, as a member, Committee member and ubsequently its Hon. Secretary is in a position to Rtate emphatically that largely through the late Mr. Raj aratna m . Mr. 1f. S. ~fahendran and Datoh Panglima Bukit Gantang, has it been possibl e to complete the Library project, with the plendid co-operation of the tate Government and the generous public. In a memorandulll, dated 14th .June, 1954, to the Hon'ble the Mentri Be aI', Perak, Datoh Panglima Bukit Gantang the writer stated inter alia, «. . . . . . The other matter I would like to bring up again, Sir, i the question of another storey to the Perak Library . . . . .. Owing to the pres ing need for a hall in Ipoh, the State Government could undertake the project and meet the demand of the hall-consciou and hall-hungry citizens of Ipoh . .... . " Fortunately for the Library, the Mentri Besar himself it · President, and himself a great lover of books (he possesses one of the finest private libraries in the country) vhared our aspiration. . Under his in piring leadership and invaluable a sistance, the second storey was completed. For this we are indebted to the State Government for its generous donation of $20,000.00 and an interest-free loan of another $20,000.00.

'rho 'e of us who have follO\Ted its uphill struggle cannot and must neyer be content. (There was a time not so very long ago when ea ch Committee member had to ad vanc $30.00 to pay the clerk, becausD the coffer s were empty) . Although we are heartened that we have friends to help us in need, the help must be con ta.nt and bOlmtiful. '" e wi h to e:xpress our gratitude to U.S.I. S., the Ipoh Club, the Rotary lub, the Department of Information, Kuala Lumpur. the Au tralia and New Zealand A <ociation and others, for book and magazine~

r eceived. The President, Datoh Panglima Bukit Gan tang, ba placed some 150 books from his referen e library at the di>;posal of members in the Library. The Gurney Memorial Fund handed nearly $3,000.00 for the establHmlent of the H enry Gurney :Memorial Children's ,ection in the Library. The rughty Cathay Organisation and its formidable ri\7al Messrs. Shaw Brothers have assisted us. Tow-kays Foong Se011g, F oo Yet Kai ($1,000.00 each); Towkays Ong Kong Tay Chong Kok Lim, Foo Seik Kai, r eh Seng Khoon, Goh Siew Hock and Datoh Panglima Bukit Gantang ($500.00 each) have been honoured by having the new lomrre window named after them.


But the story of the Library is an unending story, fol' knowledge InlOWS

no frontiers, nor is it the monopoly of one people. Like the sun it mdiates its life-giving properties everywhere. We count on all to help in the dissemination of knowledge by giving us the means to accomplish this noble and unselfish end. The older generation "who have not much time to read" could help ul' in cash or kind. Parents and teachers could encourage their children or wards by example or precept, to enrol as members. No cheaper or finer gift could be conferred on a normal boy or girl than membership of a library where for a paltry sum a month, the child can acquire the distinguished company of a whole world of writers, thinkers, scientists, philosophers, dramatists, painters, teachers, scholars and poets. It is one of the finest investments one can. make, for one of the really satisfyin.g and truly rewarding pleasures of life, the simple habit of reading good books. Could you help us then to make the Perak Library, which is also accessible to non-members at all library hours, a well-stocked library so that it will become, in the words of its President, Datoh Panglima Bukit Gantang, "a legacy well-worth leaving to those who come after us." ?'

"SEOH THEAN C HYE.

H em. Se01·oo,t1'Y.

Pemk Libm·ry.

3


4

EDUCATION IN PERAK IN THE LAST PART OF THE 19th CENTURY (1878 -1900)

The first official mention of Education in Perak i in the Resident'n Annual Report for lS18 - for year after the igning of the Treaty of PangkoT. The Resident, Hugh LO\\', \Hites under Education ... . "Thi is a new establi hment instituted in the hope of inducing a de ire for ducation amongst the children of the Rajahs and others at Sayong." (It i interesting to note that in December 1956 the .P .W.D. cRlled for tendeI. for a permanent English chool at Sayong) . 'L'he totnl o"'xpemliture recorded for the yriJT 18'18 on education '1ras $15 ont of a state e}..'penditure of $280 332.

In 1888 it if< recorded that F. T. Thorold, Acting :M:agishate was appointed Acting Inspector of ehools. By lSR!) - the yea r in which H. H. Sultan Indris was installed - ' the e timatk!S for expenclihue on Education amounted to $1,G45 out of a total of $2,313,751 State expenditure. Mr. Thorold record that there were then 90 boys at the Taiping Central School clas. ified as follow : Primers 18, Beginners 23 Stanclard I 18, II 13, III 9, IV 5, VI 1. H e also opines " .. . . it is high time tha.t schools were staJted at Ipoh and Gopen." rrhe schools then exi ting with their enrolment. al'e listed below. Apart from the Taiping Oentral School, there wa,; ,;ome English taught in the Kuala. Kangsar and Teluk Anson School ' . Mr. ThoTo~d report:; of KliMa Kangsar that" tJle knO\dedgc of Engli h displayed by the 4 boys leaves much to be desired."

Taiping Central School

Kanlunting

Tamil Mission, Taiping

Matang Tamil

Tamil l\Iis!'ion Bagan Serai Boy

Tamil Mission Bagan Semi Girls

Taiping Girl

Malay Schools

Selanla

K ampong ICe-dah

Sungei Megat Adris

Sungei Siakap

Bagan Serai

: 'impa.ng Limn

Jalan Rahru

Kuala Kangsar

Batu Gajah

Telok Anson

90

41

22

21

4R

20

8

59

28

25

16

32

20

40

-19

28

31


In 1890 the Perak Government Gazette records : "No. 58. The School: master, 'l'aiping, t.o be styled Head Master, Central School, Taiping, with effect from 1st. January, 18!l0." In the 8ame year Mr. H. R. Collinge Waf: appointed Inspector of Schools, a post. he continued t.o hold lmtil he died when on leave in the United Kingdom in 1914. It is recorded for t.he same year that 2 private Chinese schools were opened in the village of Kamunting.

In 1895 "an English school was start.ed at Ipoh by American missionaries, and by a special concession, it. was at once admitted t.o the privileges of the Code." There were in this year 10 English Schools 84 Malay schools and 2 Tamil schools. 534 pupils (70 Malays) were learning Bllglish out of a total of 4,258. 'fhe English schools were: 'fajping Central (going up to Standard VII) ; Taiping Girls; Anglo-Tamil, Taiping; Anglo-Chinese, Kamunting; Kuala Kangsar; Parit Buntar; Tel uk Anson; American Mission, I poh; French Mission, Bagan Serai; French Mission; Taipillg. All -except the last three were government schools. It is recorded that there was " a necessity to appoint a· third European master at the Central School, the premier school of the State." In 1896 a playground was made for 'the premier school', and the same year "new physical drill wa .. taught at a number of schcols. Toy guns ahout. 3 feet in length are used in the exercises." The annuaJ expenditure of the department had now risen to $52,264. There were 28 Malay boys (out of a total of 159) attending t.he Central School. including 3 young Rajas from Kuala Kangsar and the son of the Sri Maharaja Lela. Each pupil in average attendance at the English schools cost Government $17.50 a year.

In 1897 a Mission Girls' School was opened in I poh, and we ha ve the first mention of Adult Education - a regimental school for the Malay States Guides being provided in Taiping.

In 1898 a normal school or training college was opened in Taiping 'with a view to creating a supply of teachers of a hetter class for the Govemment Malay Boys' Schools of the F.M.S.' It operated for 2 years only and trained 10 Teachers and closed when 'a joint Training College for the Colony :mil the Nat.ive States nnder an English Principal was started at Malacca.'

In 1899 the American Mission took over the English School at Teluk Anson. There were 28 pupils. Mr. J. Driver, the Inspector of Schools. F .M.S. records that the 3 principal ~'.M.S. schools for boys were: Central School, Taiping (enrolment 204); Methodist School, Ipoh (152); Victoria Institution, Kuala Lumpur (411). He also mentions the need for technical and industrial education. and says somewhat prematurely " ... . II foreign vernacular education is to spread: it should I think be made compulsory to teach either English or Malay with it."

In 1900 Mr. Stainer was appointed Headmaster of the Central School, where he was to stay for over 20 years. There were 15 English schools (10 Government and 5 grant-in-aid). Four schools had European teachers, namely the Central School, Taiping; the Anglo-Chinese School, Ipoh, which recorded the first Junior Cambridge pass for rerak; the Convent .• 'l'aiping; and the Uethodist Girls' School, Taiping (formerly Government Girls' School) . 5


Documents

353867$$.$1 M.A •• O.B.E., P.J.)c. 1*0$5$$$$