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Malay College Kuala Kangsar

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
(Redirected from Malay College)

The Malay College Kuala Kangsar
Kolej Melayu Kuala Kangsar
كوليج ملايو كوالا كڠسر‎
Location
Map
Jalan Tun Razak

Kuala Kangsar
,
Perak

Malaysia
Information
TypeFull boarding school
Government cluster school
High performance school
MottoLatin: Fiat Sapientia Virtus
(Manliness Through Wisdom)
Established2 January 1905; 121 years ago (1905-01-02)[1]
FoundersSultan Idris of Perak
Sultan Sulaiman of Selangor
Sultan Ahmad of Pahang
Yamtuan Muhammad Shah of Negeri Sembilan[2]
Royal Patron
Conference of Rulers
Sultan Nazrin Shah of Perak
Chairman
Tun Mohammed Hanif Omar
HeadmasterHj. Ahmad Salehin Hj. Sha’ari
GradesForm 1 – Form 5
Year 1 & 2 of IB Diploma Programme
GenderMale
Enrolment650
LanguageMalay, English, Japanese, Chinese, Arabic, French
HousesIdris, Sulaiman, Mohd Shah, Ahmad
Colours     White, Red, Yellow, Black
AccreditationMinistry of Education
International Baccalaureate Organisation[3]
YearbookThe Malay College Magazine
AffiliationsSekolah Berasrama Penuh
GALES
Trust School[4]
SBP School of Global Excellence[5]
Apple Distinguished Schools
AlumniThe Malay College Old Boys Association
Websitewww.mckk.edu.my

The Malay College Kuala Kangsar (abbreviated MCKK; Malay: Kolej Melayu Kuala Kangsar; Jawi: كوليج ملايو كوالا كڠسر) is a residential school in Malaysia. It is an all-boys[6] and all-Malay school in the royal town of Kuala Kangsar, Perak. It is sometimes dubbed "the Eton College of the East".[7]

The Malay College Kuala Kangsar was awarded the Cluster School of Excellence title by the Ministry of Education (Malaysia). Since 2010, the school was awarded the Sekolah Berprestasi Tinggi or High Performance School[8] title, a title awarded to Malaysian top schools. The school has been selected as an International Baccalaureate (IB) World School for Diploma Programme since 2011 and Middle Years Programme since 2016. The Malay College Kuala Kangsar offers the national curriculum (SPM) while implementing IB curriculum standards. MCKK is also a member of an international organisation of best secondary schools in the world called Global Alliance of Leading-Edge Schools led by Raffles Institution of Singapore. About 10% of current students are with public & private scholarships, such as Bank Negara Malaysia, Telekom Malaysia, Yayasan Peneraju Pendidikan Bumiputera and many more. The school’s active participation in various Apple-hosted programmes, competitions and has incorporated the use of Apple technologies in classrooms had led to the school being recognised as an Apple Distinguished School since 2022.[9][10][11][12]

The school is the only boarding school in Malaysia that are under royal patronage.[13] The school's patron is the Conference of Rulers. As an institution under the royal patronage of Conference of Rulers, the school receives royal visits from the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, King of Malaysia every five years and every year from the Sultan of Perak as school's board chairman. The board members are also appointed by the Conference.

The school specialises in rugby, basketball, hockey, debate, robotics and most prominently, leadership.[14]

History

[edit]

Foundation and early development

[edit]

The Malay College Kuala Kangsar was established on 2 January 1905 as the Malay Residential School of Kuala Kangsar. It was the first fully residential school established in what is now Malaysia.[15]

The proposal for the school was developed by Richard James Wilkinson, the inspector of schools for the Federated Malay States. In a letter to the resident-general dated 24 February 1904, Wilkinson advocated the establishment of a residential institution for the education of Malay boys from prominent families and their preparation for employment in the colonial administration.[1]

The project also received the support of the rulers of the four Federated Malay States: Sultan Idris Murshidul Azzam Shah of Perak, Sultan Sulaiman of Selangor, Tuanku Muhammad Shah of Negeri Sembilan and Sultan Ahmad Muadzam Shah of Pahang. The four rulers were subsequently commemorated in the names of the college's student houses.[16]

William Hargreaves, formerly the headmaster of Penang Free School, was appointed the school's first headmaster. Its inaugural intake comprised 40 pupils. According to a report published by the Straits Echo on 15 April 1905, the school initially operated from several temporary premises, including Hargreaves's rented residence and buildings previously occupied by railway employees.

The construction of a permanent campus was approved on 23 December 1905. Its principal building, subsequently known as the Big School, came into use on 1 May 1909 and was formally opened by the Sultan of Perak on 11 December of that year. On the same occasion, the institution was renamed the Malay College Kuala Kangsar.[17]

A colonial report published in 1910 stated that the government intended the college to educate the sons of Malay rulers and members of the upper classes according to the model of a British public school, preparing them to participate in the administration of the country.

Changes in admission and administration

[edit]

The college was initially intended principally for princes and the sons of Malay aristocratic and chiefly families from the Federated Malay States, as well as from territories including Brunei and Sarawak.[18] Consequently, relatively few pupils from non-aristocratic backgrounds were admitted during its early decades.

Admission gradually became less closely associated with hereditary status after the Second World War, amid the growth of Malay nationalism and wider demands for access to education. Selection increasingly came to be based on academic achievement, although the college retained its role as a residential school for Malay boys from throughout the country.[citation needed]

The college was administered by British headmasters until 1965, when Abdul Aziz Ismail became its first Malay headmaster. Since that year, all its headmasters have been Malaysian.[citation needed]

Several writers and intellectuals taught at the college, including Malay scholar Zainal Abidin Ahmad, commonly known as Za'ba, and British novelist Anthony Burgess.[19]

The college temporarily ceased operating during the Japanese occupation of Malaya, before reopening following the end of the war.[citation needed]

Traditions and institutional development

[edit]

The Malay College Magazine was first published in 1939. The college's ceremonial Malay uniform, consisting of a white baju Melayu, black songkok and a distinctively patterned samping, was also introduced during this period. The uniform became compulsory under headmaster N. J. Ryan in 1959.[citation needed]

Although the institution was founded as a boys' school, two girls are recorded as having studied there during its history.[20]

In October 1989, Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, visited the college during their state visit to Malaysia.[21]

In 2004, a board of governors chaired by the then Raja Muda of Perak, Raja Nazrin Shah, was established for the college.[22]

The college celebrated its centenary on 26 March 2005. The ceremony was attended by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, the rulers of Perak, Selangor and Negeri Sembilan, and the governor of Malacca. During the celebrations, the college was proclaimed a national heritage institution.[23]

On 10 June 2006, Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko of Japan visited the college during a state visit to Malaysia.[24]

On 30 May 2007, the Ministry of Education designated MCKK a cluster school. In 2010, it was selected as one of Malaysia's first High Performance Schools. The college's Preparatory School, established in 1913, celebrated its centenary in 2013.[25]

Buildings

[edit]
The Clock Tower

The most recognisable feature of the school is the Big School (built in 1909), a building with pseudo Greco-Roman architecture fronted by a rugby field. The school is built to accommodate 100 students initially, but in 1910, there were 139 boys in the School Register, 124 of them boarders. Thus, the planning for the construction of the Preparatory School was considered and it was referred to as the Sekolah Kechil. The block was completed by 1913 when it took in its first boarders. It was then referred to as the Prep School. It admitted boys who had completed Standard 4 and were being "prepared" for secondary school boarding experience by completing their Standard 5 and Form one at the Prep School.[26] In 1955, the West and East Wing, as well as the administration block and Clock Tower were added. The administrative block (New School) was opened by High Commissioner for the Federation of Malaya, Donald MacGillivray, in 1955. The West and the East Wing, with the original Big School, make up what is now called the Big School. Dorms 1-6 are located in the East Wing, 7–16 in the Overfloor and 17–22 in the West Wing. Two more hostel blocks, the Pavilion and New Hostel were built in 1963 and 1972 respectively; the latter houses second formers. Another prominent feature of the school is the Big Tree, a rain tree (Samanea saman) in front of the East Wing that is said to be as old as the original Big School itself.

New School, Malay College

The Magazine

[edit]

The first college magazine was introduced back in 1939, and it has become a tradition ever since. There are some exceptions on certain years where the magazine was cancelled due to the country’s situations at the time. The most prominent example was from 1941-1946 when the school was closed due to the Japanese occupation of Malaya.[citation needed]

The body that is responsible for the production of the magazine is called The Malay College Editorial Board. It consists of a team of present students from Form 3 until Form 5 which is then split into 3 departments, the Finance Department, the Journalist Department and also the Designer & Media Department.[citation needed]

Sports

[edit]

The college ground is the only place in Asia where an Eton Fives court is found. The court is located on the south side of the Big School, nearby the IB World School campus. With the introduction of squash in 1938, Eton Fives began to lose popularity at the school until it was not played at all. Since a trip in August 2014 by the top UK coach Anthony Theodossi and his assistant, the game's popularity has grown and more students are now playing again. Since then, the students have competed in The Schools National Championships, United Kingdom at Highgate School, Eton College and Shrewsbury School. Every even-numbered years, an alumnus from Eton College will come to the school to teach the present boys the concept of Eton Fives and teaches them the basics.

The school is currently the best rugby school team in the nation.[27] Nicknamed "MCKK All Blacks" after the New Zealand national team for its all black strip, they even perform the haka before matches.[citation needed] Traditionally, it has held match series against the Vajiravudh College of Thailand since 1960. In odd-numbered years, the match is held in Kuala Kangsar, on the school’s ground. In even-numbered years, it is held in Bangkok.[citation needed] In addition to this, MCKK competes with its prominent rivals every year in a multi-games carnival.

The school basketball team is called "MCKK Cagers" and won Piala Hamdan Tahir, the boarding-schools basketball championship, 21 times since 1977, the most in Malaysian history.[28][29] MCKK debate teams have won Piala Perdana Menteri, the boarding-schools national debate, six times for Malay category and four times for English category.

Rivalries

[edit]

MCKK has over the years established academic and sports rivalries with several premier schools, for example, Royal Military College, Victoria Institution, both in the capital Kuala Lumpur, King Edward VII School of Taiping, Sekolah Alam Shah in Putrajaya, and its neighbour, Clifford Secondary School. Notably, the most prominent rival is Sekolah Tuanku Abdul Rahman in Ipoh, which is one of the oldest Malay boarding school in Perak along with the MCKK.

Alumni association

[edit]
Old Boys Association logo

The alumni association of MCKK is known as the Malay College Old Boys' Association (MCOBA) and it was established in 1929. In 2009, the association enrolled its first non-Malay member, Liew Yong Choon.[30] The alumni association is based in a dilapidated building called "Penthouse" of the MCOBA building on Jalan Syed Putra, Kuala Lumpur.

Notable alumni

[edit]

To this date, seven Yang di-Pertuan Agong out of seventeen that have ascended the throne were its alumni, including a Lord President of the Supreme Court and a Sultan of Brunei. Out of the four states that have Yang di-Pertua Negeri, two states have had at least one alumnus reside in office. The father of Malay nationalism and the founder of Malaysia's largest party is also an alumnus. Two Prime Ministers received their education in the college. The college also has produced two Speakers of the Dewan Rakyat. The college's Old Boys also showed their presence in economy, education, law, armed forces and art.[31]

The novelist and composer Anthony Burgess (1917–93), author of The Long Day Wanes: A Malayan Trilogy, was a master at MCKK. He taught English and history and was housemaster at King's Pavilion, between 1956 and 1957, during the headmastership of J.D.R. "Jimmy" Howell. According to Burgess' This Man & Music, he wrote some music there under the influence of the country, notably Sinfoni Melayu for orchestra and brass band, which included cries of Merdeka (independence) from the audience. No score of any, however, has been delivered to posterity.[32] The "Ode: Celebration for a Malay College", Burgess had written for the college's 50th anniversary in 1955, "was swiftly expunged from the school's choral repertoire", when "within months ... he had to leave the school after falling out with the headmaster, JD Howell. The following year Burgess published his first novel, Time for a Tiger. A thinly veiled account of his time at Kuala Kangsar, it so cruelly caricatured Howell and his colleagues that, as Burgess recalled in his autobiography, some of those who deemed themselves traduced 'sought advice about libel' from a local lawyer. The verses of the Ode have survived but not Burgess' original melody.[33]

The college alumni were also noted as being influential in bringing the punk music into Malaysia.[34]

Headmasters

[edit]
From To Headmasters
1905 1916 William Hargreaves
1917 1919 J.O. May
1920 1923 L.A.S. Jermyn
1923 1938 C. Bazell
1938 1949 H.R. Carey
1950 1953 K.D. Luke
1953 1958 J.D.R. Howell
1958 1960 P.G. Haig
1960 1965 Dato' N.J. Ryan
1965 1968 Dato' Abdul Aziz Ismail
1969 1971 Dato' Syed Abu Bakar Barakbah
1971 1973 Dato' Mohd. Ghazali Hj. Hanafiah
1973 1975 Nordin Nasir
1975 1977 Dato' Abdul Rahman Mohd Ali
1977 1982 Wan Abdul Aziz Wan Hamzah
1982 1984 Syed Alwi Syed Aljunid
1985 1987 Zainal Abidin Hj. Ahmad
1987 1992 Dato' Rashdi Ramlan
1992 1994 Dato' Hj. Hassan Hashim
1994 1999 Datuk Hj. Baharom Kamari
1999 2004 Tan Sri Dato' Hj. Alimuddin Hj. Mohd Dom
2004 2009 Dato' Hj. Mohd Rauhi Isa
2010 2020 Anand Baharuddin
2020 2025 Mohd Shahadan Abdul Rahman
2025 2026 Aimin Fadhlee Mahmud Zuhodi
2026 Present Hj. Ahmad Salehin Hj. Sha’ari

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]

Footnotes

[edit]
  1. 1 2 Maktab Melayu Kuala Kangsar, arkib.gov.my
  2. ↑ "About MCKK".
  3. ↑ "Directory: Malay College Kuala Kangsar". International Baccalaureate Organisation.
  4. ↑ "List of Trust Schools".
  5. ↑ "Foreword by Chairman of the Parent-Teachers Association of MCKK".
  6. ↑ Kecemerlangan sekolah satu gender, Utusan Online
  7. ↑ "MyNewsHub | RPK: What Happened In Those 100 Years?". Mynewshub.my. 29 June 2012. Retrieved 6 December 2013.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  8. ↑ Baharom, Raslan (27 March 2005). "Archives; The Star Online". Thestar.com.my. Retrieved 6 December 2013.
  9. ↑ "List of Apple Distinguished Schools" (PDF).
  10. ↑ "MCKK named Apple Distinguished School". 3 October 2022.
  11. ↑ "ADS MCKK".
  12. ↑ "Pelibatan MCKK dalam Simposium Kepimpinan dan Pengurusan Pendidikan Digital KPM 2025". 15 May 2025.
  13. ↑ "MCKK declared a national heritage by King in elaborate ceremony - Nation | The Star Online". www.thestar.com.my. Retrieved 4 November 2017.
  14. ↑ "Improving Student Outcome" (PDF). Pemandu. Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 November 2013.
  15. ↑ "About MCKK". The Malay College Kuala Kangsar. Retrieved 17 July 2026.
  16. ↑ "MCKK – A National Heritage". Malay College Old Boys' Association. Retrieved 17 July 2026.
  17. ↑ Mohd Azli Adlan. "Kolej Melayu Kuala Kangsar". Kosmo!. Archived from the original on 22 September 2010. Retrieved 6 December 2013.
  18. ↑ Federation of Malaya: Annual Report 1946 (Report). His Majesty's Stationery Office. p. 56. Retrieved 27 November 2024.
  19. ↑ "Kolej Melayu Kuala Kangsar". Kosmo!. Archived from the original on 22 September 2010. Retrieved 14 August 2013.
  20. ↑ "Malay College Kuala Kangsar's first female student dies". New Straits Times. 24 August 2016. Retrieved 24 August 2016.
  21. ↑ MCKK Impressions, 1905–2005. Utusan Publications. 2004. p. 431. ISBN 978-967-61-1655-0. Retrieved 22 September 2015.
  22. ↑ "MCKK veterans honoured". New Straits Times. Retrieved 22 September 2015.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  23. ↑ "About MCKK". The Malay College Kuala Kangsar. Retrieved 17 July 2026.
  24. ↑ "Japanese imperial couple visit Malay College Kuala Kangsar". Bernama. 10 June 2006. Archived from the original on 13 December 2013. Retrieved 6 December 2013.
  25. ↑ "MCKK old boys celebrate Prep School's 100th year". New Straits Times. Retrieved 22 September 2015.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  26. ↑ "I was a student at MCKK Prep School - General - New Straits Times". Nst.com.my. 23 June 2013. Retrieved 6 December 2013.
  27. ↑ "Regaining MCKK's lost glories not an easy task". Sports. New Straits Times. Archived from the original on 13 December 2013. Retrieved 22 September 2015.[page needed]
  28. ↑ "MCKK Johan Pertandingan Bola Keranjang HKSBP 2012". Mckk.edu.my. 14 June 2012. Retrieved 6 December 2013.
  29. ↑ "The all-Malay basketball team was a crowd favourite". Saifuddinabdullah.com.my. Retrieved 6 December 2013.
  30. ↑ Archived 20 April 2012 at the Wayback Machine
  31. ↑ "Maktab Melayu Kuala Kangsar - Arkib Negara Malaysia". Archived from the original on 2 January 2014. Retrieved 1 January 2014.
  32. ↑ Archived 12 April 2010 at the Wayback Machine
  33. ↑ "Unveiled: Work by Anthony Burgess suppressed for years; The exclusive Malaysian school where the author taught finally allows his ode to be performed," by Sholto Byrnes, Independent (London), 5 December 2010
  34. ↑ Ismail, Muhammad Takiyuddin; Febriansyah, Muhamad; Syed Anuar, Sharifah Nurshaihdah (3 February 2003). Punk, Penentangan dan Politik Transnasionalisme (in Malay). Strategic Information and Research Development Centre. ISBN 9789670960593. Retrieved 15 November 2024.

Bibliography

[edit]
  • Johan, Khasnor. Educating The Malay Elite: The Malay College Kuala Kangsar, 1905-1941. Pustaka Antara. Malay College Old Boys Association. The Malaysian Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society. ISBN 967-937-356-8
  • Johan, Khasnor. Leadership But What's Next? ISBN 983-3318-52-5
  • Paridah Abd. Samad (2009). Datuk Seri Najib: A Long Political Journey. From The Golden Boy of Malaysian Politics to Malaysia's Sixth Prime Minister. Partisan Publication & Distribution. ISBN 978-983-99417-4-6

Further reading

[edit]
  • Neil J Ryan. The Last Expatriate: Reminiscences of an educationalist in Malaysia. Utusan Publications & Distributors Sdn. Bhd. ISBN 967-61-1730-7
  • Nik Ismail Nik Daud. Arbain Kadri. Prosiding Simposium MCOBA 1. 3 December 1989.
[edit]

4°46′34″N 100°56′17″E / 4.7761222222222°N 100.93816944444°E / 4.7761222222222; 100.93816944444

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