Friday March 30, 2012
Impressions of a non-Old Boy
ROAMING BEYOND THE FENCE By TUNKU 'ABIDIN MUHRIZ
In Perak’s picturesque royal town, the MCKK shows physical
signs of ageing, and some licks of paint would do much to improve the first
impression.
Obviously, some Malay College Old Boys read this column
because I received about a dozen messages of curiosity after I wrote that I’d
describe my trip to the Malay College of Kuala Kangsar (MCKK), fulfilling an
invitation by the headmaster. One old boy of the Sixties predicted that I would be
scathing, lamenting dejectedly: “If you want to see how much the Malaysian
education system has deteriorated over the years, just look at MCKK. It is a
perfect symbol of how things have gone wrong.” Coming from an old boy, that was instructively candid.
Certainly when I arrived at the school, nestled in Perak’s
picturesque royal town, there were physical signs of ageing, and some licks of
paint would do much to improve the first impression. Immediately in the entrance lobby are signs of the school’s
illustrious history: plaques commemorating events from generations ago that
probably enhance the self-confidence of the teachers and students who walk
through it.
An adjacent waiting room has shelves crammed with trophies,
shields and mementoes of equally ancient provenance.In a classroom, I saw the fruit of the international
relationships that the MCKK has cultivated, including youth summits and sports
fixtures; they have a particularly special relationship with Vajiravudh College
in Bangkok.
I was shown a dormitory of the Mohd Shah house, named after
the Yang di-Pertuan Besar of Negri Sembilan who co-founded the school in 1905.
The other three houses are named after Sultans of the other Federated Malay
States. In the old days, princes were not allowed to be in the house
corresponding to their state, presumably to prevent overzealous expressions of
state patriotism and to instead inculcate loyalty to the school. Today, the school enjoys the patronage of all nine Rulers.
After meeting the relaxed senior boy charged with the heavy
responsibility of overseeing the dormitory, I joined the Form Ones for lunch. Their discipline was impressive: after synchronised seating
and prayers, barely any clanging was heard from hundreds of forks and spoons
against the metallic dishes as ravenous appetites were appeased before an
afternoon of activities and further studying. I informed the students that I had come to the school having
met many illustrious alumni, and that they should be mindful of this
institution’s role in the life of the nation. Headmaster Anand Baharuddin is working to ensure the school
continues to play a leading role.
New developments include the International Baccalaureate
wing: so far, the only other school offering this in the government system is
Tunku Kurshiah College, mirroring the anecdotal propensity that MCKK old boys
end up marrying TKC old girls who produce offspring who repeat the cycle. Next month, the school will for the very first time in its
107-year-old history participate in an international competition outside Asia,
courtesy of its new Robotics Club who will be sending a team to the VEX
Robotics World Championship in California.
However, the headmaster is also inspired by history on
campus. Astoundingly there are two courts for Eton Fives, which he
says he wants to restore – but who they will play against is baffling, as there
are probably no other courts within a four-hour flying radius.
I spotted a dilapidated, probably once gorgeous house nearby
– Norton’s House, they call it – but as so often is the case with decaying
buildings in this country, it has proven difficult to find sufficient interest
and money to restore it. I have seen this mismatch of ambition with resources in so
many schools I’ve been to recently, whether or not they have a historical
legacy.
Of course, the nation’s coffers cannot endow every school
with the funding that the elite private schools enjoy, but empowering teachers
and parents to make decisions without recourse to the ministry is something
more easily done.
Indeed, in Malaysia today, the depth of concern from parents
about their children’s education can be seen across ethnic and class lines:
from the numerous petitions of the umpteen pro-PPSMI groups to the incident
involving Deputy Education Minister Datuk Dr Wee Ka Siong on Sunday.
> Tunku ’Abidin Muhriz is President of Ideas Malaysia.
