Penang Free School
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Principal | Ramli bin. Din |
School type | Public |
Founded | 21 October 1816 |
Location | George Town, Penang, Malaysia |
Enrollment | approx 1900 |
Abbreviation | P.F.S |
Campus surroundings | Suburban |
Penang Free School is a secondary school located in George Town, Penang, Malaysia.
Contents |
[edit] History
Penang Free School is the first and oldest English School in the South East Asian region. The school founded by Rev. Sparke Hutchings in the year 1816, is located on the island of Penang, Malaysia. Its first headmaster was Mr. James Cox 1816-1821. Its original premises on Farquhar Street first housed the Hutchings School, but is now the Penang State Museum. In 1928, the school moved to its current location on Jalan Masjid Negeri (better known as Greenlane).
Excerpts of the original charter: "That it will be the first object of the Institution to provide for the Education of such children as would be otherwise, brought up in idleness and consequent vice, and without any means of obtaining instruction either in useful learning or in any manual employment, and to implant in them in the early habits of industry, order and a good conduct." -—from "The Original Plan of the Establishment of Prince of Wales Island, Free School, 1816".
[edit] The Rally Of The Penang Free School
[edit] Chorus
Let us march unto fame,
Let the aisles proclaim,
Till our anthem will dare us to do,
Let us onward to win and new laurels gain,
Free School for the brave and for the true.
[edit] Verses
It matters neither how straight the gate,
Nor how charged with dangers the goal,
Let the tempest rage and fell odds inflate,
We'll do it with heart and soul.
When duty calls be it school or state,
We'll do it with God by our side,
For the sons of Free School don't hesitate,
Nor let cool their zeal and pride.
Let's all then join in this Jubilee,
With one loud voice to proclaim,
Our true loyalty and our constancy,
To our Mater still remain.
Source: [1]
[edit] Headmasters
Below are the headmasters who have served the school: [2][3][4]
- 1816-1821: Mr. J. Cox
- 1821-1822: Mr. Churcher
- 1822-1826: Mr. Porter
- 1826-1828: Mr. Anchant
- 1828-1843: Mr. J. C. Smith
- 1843-1846: Mr. Bruton
- 1846-1853: Mr. Fitzgerald
- 1853-1871: Mr. J. Clark
- 1871-1891: Mr. G. Griffin
- 1891-1904: Mr. W. Hargreaves
- 1904-1925: Mr. R. H. Pinhorn
- 1925-1926: Mr. W. Hamilton
- 1927-1928: Mr. D. R. Swaine
- 1928-1929: Mr. L. W. Arnold
- 1929-1931: Mr. D. W. McLeod
- 1931-1933: Mr. M. R. Holgate
- 1934-1946: Mr. L. W. Arnold
- 1947-1949: Mr. D. Roper
- 1949-1950: Mr. M. F. Crocop
- 1950-1951: Mr. P. F. Howitt
- 1951-1957: Mr. J. E. Tod
- 1957-1963: Mr. J. M. B. Hughes
- 1963-1969: Mr. Tan Boon Lin
- 1969-1971: Mr. Poon Poh Kong
- 1972-1974: Mr. K. G. Yogam
- 1974-1979: Dr. Goon Fatt Chee
- 1979-1983: Mr. R. Visvanathan
- 1983-1988: Mr. G. Krishna Iyer
- 1988-1993: Mr. Goh Hooi Beng
- 1993-2000: Mr. Hj. Ismail bin Ibramsa
- Jan 2000-Dec 2000: Mr. Abdul Rahman
- 2001-2004: Mr. Arabi Sulaiman
- 2004-2006: Mr. Mohd Yusof bin Omar
- 2006-Present: Mr. Hj. Ramli bin Din
[edit] Noted alumni
The Free School can boast of being the Alma Mater of many established, well known and successful Malaysians locally and abroad. An individual pursuing his secondary education in the Free School is commonly known as a Free, once the individual leaves the Free School, he is automatically an Old Free. Their contributions to the Free School do not end in education alone; they continue to contribute to the Free School by giving financial help and services through the Old Frees' Association and the Penang Free School Foundation. Some even become teachers and returned to teach the next generation of Frees in the school. Amongst its notable alumni are:
- Tunku Abdul Rahman, 1st Prime Minister and founding father of Malaysia.
- Tuanku Syed Putra ibni Almarhum Syed Hassan Jamalullail, the 3rd Yang Di-Pertuan Agong of Malaysia
- The Raja of Perlis, Tuanku Syed Sirajuddin, also the 12th Yang Di-Pertuan Agong of Malaysia.
- Tan Sri P.Ramlee, Malay actor, director, songwriter and musician.
- Tun Dr. Lim Chong Eu, second Chief Minister of Penang.
- Dato' (Dr.) Anwar Fazal, probably the most influential figure in the worldwide consumer movement.
- Dr. Wu Lien Teh, world-renowned Plague Fighter and pioneer in the modernization of China's public health system.
- Dato' Eddy Choong, former All-England Badminton champion.
- Hj. S.M.Zainul Abidin, renown educationist. He taught most of those listed above.
- Tengku Tan Sri Ahmad Rithauddeen, President of the United Nations Association of Malaysia (UNAM)
- Hj. Mohzani bin Abdul Wahab, Managing Director for Shell Malaysia Trading and in addition to that, he has assumed the position of Local Senior Oil Products Representative, becoming the second Malaysian to hold this position.