CHAPTER 1 THE KAJANG GOVERNMENT ENGLISH SCHOOL (1919-1929)

 i)                    The School And The Site

The Kajang Government English School had the dubious distinction of being the first government English school in Selangor (1). It became functional March 17 1919 and was officially opened on April 1 1919. A decade later it metamorphosed as the present-day Kajang High School (picture above) at another place.

The then Inspector of Schools,David A. Bishop came for the offical opening,presumably,together with certain other state education officials.The local dignitaries who had advocated for the establishment of an English school in the district since 1916 were no doubt present during the historic occasion. They were Towkay Low Ti Kok, Towkay Ng Bow Thai, Raja Allang, Mr. Arumpalam, Mr. V. Sabapathy and Mr. Gan Boon Teik. In his report Mr. Bishop made no mention of the school's site.However,he wrote that the "old Rest-house buildings" had been converted to accommodate the school premises (2).

The Speaker of the then Federal Legislative Council,Raja Sir Uda also recalled that the school was housed in an old building and he threw more light on the school's site when he wrote that the school was near the Police Station and he had to pass by the school on his way to and from the District Office (3) when he was the Assistant District Officer way back at the beginning of the twentieth century (4).

Photo of Raja Uda (KHS 23/1955)

The man who was on the school's scene for a number of years, Mr. Ng Seo Buck, the Head Master gave kind of an eye-witness account of the school's physical condition in an interview with the KHS Editorial Board in 1956 (5).

The first Malayan Head Master of the Kajang Government English School,the legendary Mr. Ng Seo Buck assumed office in 1923.Three years later he wrote in a report that the school,"the first government English School in Selangor" was in structural decay and he was really apprehensive that fatal accidents might befall his pupils (6).

Photo of Mr. Ng Seo Buck (KHSM 24/1956)

About thirty years since he left the school in 1927,he still didn't mince his words on the condition of the school which he described as a "building full of leaks" (7) .As it was already overcrowded during his tenure,he had to turn the kitchen of the old Rest House into a classroom.

A lone gardener looked after the school's ground.Mr. Buck himself had to double up as clerk and peon.In a rather dramatic and forceful fashion,he further described the physical condition of the school as "hellish" (8).

Anyway there was already an indication that conditons would improve.Mr. Buck was one of the group of five individuals and benefactors in the forefront seeking a new site and building for a new school. The others were Towkay Low Ti Kok,Raja Muhammad,Haji Abdul Jalil and RCM Kindersley.The Ag. Director of Education, Shelly was told that a new site for the school had been selected when he was on a visit to the Kajang Government English school in January 1926 (9). Mr. Buck exited the school a year later when no doubt preparations were under way for the building of the proposed new school.

SOURCES (PHOTOSTATED)

(1) KHS MAG 23/1955.Page 23. N. B. P

(2) KHS MAG 27/1959.Page 18.

(3) KHS MAG 23/1955. Page 2 - The present Bangunan Dato Nazir which was built on its site-writer

(4) Ibid

(5) KHS MAG 24/1956.Page 5

(6) KHS MAG 25/1957. Page 44 - On Turning Back the Pages

(7) KHS MAG 24/1956. Page 5

(8) Ibid

(9) KHS MAG 25/1957. Page 43/Shelly.