Memories of Malaya - 5. Pasar Road English School
My father has been inspired again to share another story from his childhood as part of his guestblogging series, Memories of Malaya. Being my father, there is the invariable section on food. So there are no suprises there - however, I am surprised to learn that he was taught gardening at school - hmm, he’s kept that a secret all these years: the next time he comes over to the UK to visit me, I shall have to set him digging and weeding in my garden….
He has just turned 70 this year so the time that he is writing about in this post would be around 1947:
English speaking
At the age of 8 or 9 years old I was sent to an English language school which is a school where the teaching was in the English language and the use of the expression “English school” in this note will refer to this category of schools unless otherwise specified. I do not know the discussions that might have taken place by my parents as to what type of school their child and later on children would be sent. I suspect that there was little or no discussion and it was a matter of course that I would go to an English school. Both my parents and paternal grandfather were educated solely in English. There were many families where the fathers were educated in English and their mother tongues though usually at an elementary level for both languages. Many Chinese were very passionate about the Chinese language. They consider it as a mark of patriotism to China and culture both of which they felt would be lost if the Chinese language was not taught to their children. Despite glaring evidence in every day life that those who were educated solely in the Chinese language enjoyed a lower standard living, many families still insisted on sending their children to these schools.
So much to learn
Anyway there I was in the Pasar Road English School sitting at a bench desk and on a bench sharing it with 2 other boys. There were 40 boys in a class. One of the earliest lessons, I remember, was the teacher teaching us by asking us to repeat the five vowels.
In one of the sessions I remember wondering to myself as to how long it would take me to be educated to university level to study medicine and how this could be accomplished when there was so much to learn. My Father was a medical doctor so that was naturally my reference point. The school day started at 7.45 in the morning and ended at 12.30 in the afternoon. The school day was divided into periods of 40 minutes each with a half hour break or interval as it was called. Sessions consisted of reading aloud from simple English text books and doing arithmetic, drawing, singing, gardening and P.E. Not all subjects were covered everyday. The subjects were distributed throughout different days of the week.
The “reading aloud” part of the lesson consisted of the teacher calling out a boy who would read a few sentence or a paragraph and then another boy and so on to read the prescribed section of the book. This is good training as the boy would learn to stand-up and speak out. After each boy had finished the teacher would give an explanation of the part that had been read out. For arithmetic we used books which had the problems set out and we copied them into exercise books and added our answers to the problems. If there was anything meant for the whole class it was written on the blackboard using a white chalk.
The classrooms were airy and the teachers were competent, hardworking and did not shirk their work on the whole. If you were caught doing mischief you would be made to stand on the chair or outside the classroom and when the headmaster went on his rounds and he saw you he may on rare occasions add his own punishment which may include a stroke or two of the cane on your outstretched palm.
Gardening
An interesting feature in the curriculum was the period for gardening which was allotted two periods consecutively and once a week. During this period we would dig rows of beds and would plant sweet potatoes, beans and some other easily grown vegetables. If it did not rain for a week or so we would have to water the beds with water from the tap. The tools for the work were supplied and kept by the school and they were used by other classes as well. Peer pressure would force every boy to do some work even if it was merely weeding the beds. It is a shame that nowadays when we have all sorts of classes to prepare children, the gardening period is done away with. It would teach young children the dignity of manual labour and that dirtying ones hands is not beneath scholars. This period appeared to be a holdover from the schools during the Japanese occupation when we had such periods and we did the same thing. The reason for this I suspect is because Japan being very much dependent on its agriculture wanted its population to respect and love the land and also to plant for the war.
Food
As this was a period just after the war and many were suffering from lack of protein the school supplied free milk once a week. We would each be given a full mug of milk which we could drink it using our own mug there and then or take it home.
During the interval many of the boys would go to the tuckshop to buy their snacks which consisted of sliced fruits or fried noodles. Coming from a doctor’s family I was not allowed to eat tuckshop food for hygiene reasons. I would have sandwiches spread with butter and sprinkled with sugar brought from home. Because of the heat of the day the butter would have soaked into the bread and it was quite delicious but still I would pass by the tuckshop and longed to join in the crush to get some snacks. I think young boys do not like to feel left out of things. Most of the time I just strolled around the school. Some boys would put up a net and play a few games of badminton or kick a football in the field. But I did not and do not like sports and also did not like going back to class feeling hot and sweaty.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
A request for help: I don’t have any photos from that period either of a school or school boys. Can anyone help and donate a copyright-free photo for me to illustrate this post?
Photo: of a school in modern Malaysia thanks to gxianfu from flickr.com (CCL)
memmlya
- Posted on
Wed, November 14th, 2007 - Author
Yang-May Ooi - Category
- 20 responses
- Leave a comment
April 23rd, 2008 at 5:15 pm
You should post up a photo of the school itself to give it justice.
April 23rd, 2008 at 6:57 pm
Hi Andrew, if you have photos of the school that you could let me have to post up that would be great.
June 5th, 2008 at 10:26 am
Your are from PRES 1 or PRES 2? I was from PRES 1 from 1979 - 1984. I got few photos but the quality is not goot (from hp)
June 6th, 2008 at 9:49 am
Hi Shahrul, my Dad’s reply to your comment: “I was in the Pasar Road English School (i.e. what PRES, I presume means) from 1946 to 1950. I do not have any photos of the school of that period. The one in the article is quite a recent one; in our time it was a single storey building. There was only PRES during my time.”
June 15th, 2008 at 5:16 pm
Hi, anyone from Pasar Road English School 1 who studied between the years 69 and 74? That means you’d be about 45 now, my age. Need to get in touch with former teachers if only to thank them for all their help and kindness. You tend to reminisce the past a lot at this age you know, and suddenly, you realise how some teachers really made a mark in your life, moulding you, encouraging you to do your best… I remember a couple of teachers in particular, Cikgu Russiah or was it Rassiah… she was dimunitive in size, but you know, kids being kids, they (not me) used to call her the 3-inch-nail.
Then there was Mrs Chong and Mrs Skelchy… gosh that was so long ago. Anyway, feel free to get in touch with me at hishamharum@yahoo.com Cheers! And thanks to the author and her dad. : )
July 2nd, 2008 at 1:31 am
I left PRES 2 in 1969 to head for the VI, as per the writer albeit more than a decade after him. I was probably one of the last batches before the administration made significant changes to the entry of PRES and BRS students into the VI.
I remember Mrs Chong and I think also Mrs John. Have to see if I still have pics of the school back then. I understand much has changed since.
July 2nd, 2008 at 3:46 am
Hi Dennis, just so happened I thought of the school today. I was there (PRES2)from 1962-67. The wooden block was i spent my 1st year there. My class teacher was Miss Devi. Mrs John if I’m not mistaken was my std 5 teacher.
Still remember the days when we have to sweep the classroom off sand and dust before having to sit on the floor. The school sports was a great event each year.The rest I’ll let you all ex-PRES 1 or 2 to ponder.
July 2nd, 2008 at 8:14 am
Hisham, Dennis, Omrin - it’s great that after all these years you still remember your teachers. Also, it’s interesting how school culture has changed - it seems strange to me that students were required to clean the classrooms in those days. Thanks for sharing your memories.
July 15th, 2008 at 2:55 pm
Hi Yang-May,Hisham,Dennis and Omrin - I too was just thinking of my good early school years. I was in PRES(2) from 1961-1966. I had many good memories like assembly days singing the school song, the annual sports day and the sporting awards we achieved in the Inter-School Soccer U-11 and U-13 competitions and Inter-School Athletic Meets. I was a member of the school relay-team and soccer team. My sport house colour was Blue House. I will never forget our disciplinary master i.e. Mr Kattar Singh. He was very firm and strict but good for us all in the over all discipline of the school. It was a very good and well sought after school with very bright students moving on to good institutions of higher learning like Victoria Institution, St.John’s Institution and Methodist Boys’ School. Nice to be able to communicate with some of the old boys. Cheers!
November 6th, 2008 at 6:06 pm
Hi there
I was in PRES 1 from 1957 till 1962.I was Prefect in 1962.I recall my teachers from Std.1 till Std.6
Std 1 -Mrs.Kandiah; Miss.Gomez
Std.2 -Miss Mano and Miss Chandra; Miss Poh Yang Lim
std.3 -Miss.Kandiah
Std.4- Mrs.Kulasingam;Mr.Paul Lee; Mrs.Chong
Std.5-Mrs.Chan
Std.6-Mr.Goh Say Eng;Mr.Ng Sik Pooi;Mr.A.Vaithilingam;Mr.Ng Seng Kiat; Mr.S.Ratnasingam;Mrs.Samy; Encik Othman
I still recall the HM Mr.Choo Ah Kong.i met Mr.Ng Sik Pooi last month-still jovial as in the 60’s.From him I knew some had deceased whilst some like Goh Say Eng have migrated to Australia.Those were the days you could get a glass of syrup for 5 cents, a kuih for 10 cents and a bowl of curry mee for 15 cents.If any of you were in PRES in the same period please contact me at mohangopaliyer@hotmail.com
By the way who can forget the fierce Mrs.Abraham and the Mr.albakri who used to conduct the school song.Sadly I heard from a current teacher in that school that the school embelem of OWL was changed last year.Sadly no Old Boys protested?
January 11th, 2009 at 2:38 am
Hi folks,
I wonder if there is anyone who was in my class or year who shares mutual recollections - I was in PRES (1) from Std 4 to Std 6 (1963) when Chew Ah Kong was Headmaster. The names Goh Say Eng, Vithalingam, Ratnasingam and Ng Sik Pooi ring a bell with me! I was in the band too – initially played the recorder then the drum; we were a good marching band with prizes to boast!!
At interval time, I remember going out of the back gate for iced pineapple drink and sometimes bought foreign postage stamps for collection! The hawkers did good business with PRES pupils as well as those from the adjacent Chinese school.
I then went on to the VI and I am now in the UK working as a GP.
And whosoever changed the owl emblem has absolutely no sense of history - pathetic! Is there an Old Boys Association?
I would love to hear from anyone - tkkhong@googlemail.com
Best wishes,
Teck Keong (aka Teck Khong for short now in the UK and in Google!)
January 11th, 2009 at 7:06 pm
Thanks Teck Keong for adding your memories of Pasar Road School. Hopefully, other old boys will get in touch with you - or add their comments to this post.
January 12th, 2009 at 1:27 am
Yang-May,
Being new to your blog site, I am unsure which primary and secondary schools you attended.
When I was in Kuala Lumpur last year, I stood outside a prime shopping mall and looked across the road to where I was at kindergarten - the BBGS - a well-respected feeder school too for the Victoria Institution. It has sadly been replaced by another edifice of capitalism.
I often reminisce at the decline of the golden era of education in Malaysia and the brain drain, and ask myself the various imponderable ‘what if’ questions.
Time unfortunately moves on, so we must hope, pray and work for the best.
On a different note, may I congratulate you on your excellent blog site!
Teck Keong
January 12th, 2009 at 4:30 pm
Hi Teck Keong - I was at BBGS 2. Yes, very sad that the school has now been replaced on site by a block of flats. And thanks, I’m glad you like my blog!
January 25th, 2009 at 11:56 pm
I am slightly sad that yet another milestone - another new year - is soon to be celebrated as I write this; memories become that little bit more distant while friends and friendship get just a tad more sparse as time marches on our lives.
But for those of us with memories of the yesteryears - fond and maybe at the time not so pleasant - we have a blessed reason to celebrate. We are alive and we can all pass on the gifts of knowledge and experience.
So, let us all enjoy a very happy, healthy and, dare I say, prosperous (Chinese) New Year of the Ox! Best wishes to all!
January 26th, 2009 at 4:36 pm
Happy Chinese New Year to you, too, Teck Keong.
February 25th, 2009 at 12:04 pm
Those PRES boys who have gone on to the VI might like to know that a big reunion of all VI ex-students in the UK is being planned for 2011/2012.
I believe that there has always been a strong contingent from PRES(1) and(2) to the VI. Now, that a chance for a double reminiscence, or two-lane nostalgia!
Love to hear from VIOBs (and Gs!) PRES or otherwise!
Teck (tkkhong@googlemail.com)
June 3rd, 2009 at 5:58 pm
Hi my name is Dawn , I was born in Malaya..Then known as Malaysia,In 1962, My brother was born in Singapore in 1961 we then moved to Aden,does any-one have any idea where i may of been born as ive never seen my original birth certificate and my parents split up when i was young,and we went to childrens homes, all i know is it was malaya and march 62 please can someone give me any ideas ty Ps there was a freedom fighters war on at the time i have been told…im unsure of details
June 6th, 2009 at 12:45 pm
Dawn, if you know which town, then check with the local registry office (although their archiving in those days was pathetic) or if you were born to a military family check their registers (or enquire the RAMC)
June 6th, 2009 at 12:48 pm
Three burning questions for anyone out there in cyberspace with the answers to these 3 questions?
Does anyone have the lyrics and tune of the school song?
Did PRES1 and PRES 2 share the same school song?
Does PRES still exist today?
Many thanks!