SXI Chapter V

TheXaverian
Journey

Chapter

V

Merdeka! Merdeka! SXI celebrates the formation of our new nation.
38 The Xaverian Journey

V

Copyright WPN Collection Growth and
Restructuring
Tan Sri Wong Pow Nee – an old 1957-1970
Xaverian became Chief Minister of
Penang. National Educational Policy and
Impact on Mission Schools

Following Independence in 1957, there emerged a great demand for
education which saw a tremendous expansion as well as restructuring
of the schooling system. All four existing streams of primary schools
(English, Malay, Chinese and Tamil) were absorbed into a National
Education System (NES), which shared a common curriculum with
Malay and English as compulsory subjects, although taught in different
languages, and sharing a common time-table. The process began with
the passing and then the implementation of the provisions provided
in the Razak Report of 1956 and its companion legislation, the 1957
Education Ordinance.

Following the approval of the Abdul Rahman Talib Report of 1960
and its legislative companion, the 1961 Education Act, the absorption

Growth and Restructuring 39

of secondary schools into the NES followed suit. The Junior and Senior
Cambridge Examinations were abolished and replaced with the Lower
Certificate of Examination (LCE) and the Malaysian Certificate of
Examination (MCE) respectively. Secondary schools received public
funding only if they agreed to teach in either Malay or English, the
two recognised “official languages”, and to prepare their students for
public examinations in these two languages. Since the English language
continued to be the medium of instruction and examination, changes
in the educational policy did not appear to affect Mission schools like
St Xavier’s drastically.

In joining the NES, Mission schools essentially “surrendered” their
premises to the government for conducting classes. The government
would pay the salaries of the teaching staff but did not have to pay rental
for use of the Mission school premises. In fact, the La Salle Mission
Authority (or the Catholic Church in the case of the associated schools)
was given the impression that the Ministry of Education would be
responsible for the maintenance of the schools, although the schools
stood on land which were owned by the Mission, not the Ministry. This
is how the Mission understood their participation in the NES, which for
them implied becoming “fully-aided”. Presumably, the Ministry would
have been responsible for paying the usual utility bills – electricity,
water, seweage and so on.

Instead, they continued to be regarded as sekolah mubaligh, or
Mission Schools, and were treated differently from the other Sekolah
Kerajaan (government schools) in terms of maintenance costs, utility
expenses, provision of furniture and capital grants. They were Sekolah
Bantuan Modal Kerajaan. However, the serious distinctions between
the Sekolah Kerajaan and the Sekolah Bantuan Modal Kerajaan and the
financial implications thereof, had not yet become evident in the 1960s
when St Xavier’s and other Mission schools opted to join the NES.

In fact, Mission schools, especially St Xavier’s, enjoyed a period of
rapid growth and development throughout the 1960s and into the early
1970s. In part this was because the setting up of a NES that operated
in Malay and English resulted in the switch of many students from the
Chinese-medium to the English-medium schools. The average rate of
increase in enrolment of students into the first year of English-medium
primary schools was 14.8 percent from 1958 to 1967. In the case of
enrolment into the first year of secondary schools, the increase was
from 64 percent to 90 percent for the same years (Lee 1972: 16-17),
principally because of students moving from the Chinese-medium
to the English-medium schools. Consequently, the English-medium
Mission schools expanded in spectacular fashion.

40 The Xaverian Journey

St Xavier’s Primary, Mr Lim Gim Boon.
St Xavier’s Primary (Branch)
and La Salle School

This switch was most evident in the expansion of the primary schools.
Enrolment in St Xavier’s Primary shot up requiring a new building to be
built for the Branch School in Pulau Tikus, and the founding of a new
school, the La Salle School, in Air Itam.

Following the adoption of the Razak Report in 1956, the schooling
system was restructured leading to the separation, administratively,
of the Primary from the Secondary component of the school. In 1958,
Mr Lim Gim Boon was appointed the first headmaster of St Xavier’s
Primary School. At that point, it boasted an enrolment of 1,400 pupils
distributed among 33 classes, ranging from Standards One to Six. The
school occupied two blocks of the new school building in Farquhar
Street and ran morning and afternoon sessions.

Mr Ong Kheng Thoe.

St Xavier’s Branch School in the 1950s.
Main Building
Kelawai Road

St Xavier’s Branch School in the 1950s.

Growth and Restructuring 41

Branch School Opening. New building of St Xavier’s Branch School at Jalan Brother James.

Beginning in 1958, the Branch school was also separately administered
as a fully aided primary school with Mr Ong Kheng Thoe as its first
headmaster. Since the existing school was small and there was popular
demand to attend the school, it was decided to build a new school building
in Jalan Brother James costing about $200,000 on land that the Brothers
already owned. The Education authorities made available about half that
amount while the rest of the money had to be raised through donations,
conducting a lottery, organising a funfair and cinema shows. Construction
was completed in November 1961 and the school was officially opened by
HE the Governor of Penang on 10 March 1962. It continues to operate at
the same site until today (Jacques 2010: 216).

La Salle School established in 1962.

Spurred on by the same demand for education, La Salle Primary
School was built in Air Itam at an estimated cost of $180,000. The land
had already been acquired earlier. Mr Heah Joo Seang donated $30,000
and the Ministry of Education was also approached for funds. La
Salle began admitting students in 1962. Several teachers and students
were transferred from the Primary school in Farquhar Street to the
new school if their homes were in the Air Itam-Green Lane vicinity.

42 The Xaverian Journey

Br Nicet Joseph, Superior General, declared open the new La Salle School. The new St Xavier’s Primary School
in Air Itam was declared open by
Br Brendan Hare was appointed the first headmaster. In the second Minister of Education Datuk Amar Dr
year, Br Anselm John Conceicao replaced him. Significantly, La Salle Sulaiman Daud, 12 December 1992.
Primary was declared open by Brother Nicet Joseph, the Superior
General of the La Salle Mission, who visited Malaysia in 1962 (Jacques
2010: 215). Unfortunately, due to the sinking of the land on which the
school was built (in turn because of the proximity of the school to the
Air Itam River), the school had to be demolished. After “squatting” in
the premises of another school for several years, La Salle was phased
out in 1981.

In December 1990, St Xavier’s Primary School in Farquhar Street,
now known as Sekolah Rendah Kebangsaan St Xavier, was relocated
to a new school building in Air Itam, at the site of the former La Salle
School.

Within St Xavier’s itself, only limited building activity was conducted.
Notably, the school built a woodwork and metalwork complex next to
the canteen to house machines and tools donated under the Colombo
Plan, and launched a Vocational Studies component subsequently.
Apart from this complex, a tennis court and two new basketball courts
were also built while the school field, which used to house the attap
school was replanted with new grass and gradually restored for sporting
activities.

SXI Goes Co-ed

Another significant change In 1955, SXI opened its doors to the first batch of Form 6 female students.
resulting from the Razak Report Growth and Restructuring
was the introduction of post
School Certificate or Sixth
Form classes in SXI in 1955, and
with that, the arrival of female
students to St Xavier’s. For the
first time in SXI’s history, girls
from the Convent Light Street,
Convent Pulau Tikus, Convent

43

Butterworth and Convent Bukit Mertajam, who had completed their
School Certificate classes, were transferred to St Xavier’s to pursue their
Form Six education. Other students from Bukit Mertajam High School,
Jit Sin High School and St Mark’s Secondary School – all located on
the mainland and which did not have Sixth Form classes – were also
transferred to St Xavier’s if they had completed their School Certificate
successfully. After two years of classes, the students had to sit for the
Higher School Certificate (HSC) examination.

Life in the Sixth Form
in 1961-62

by Jacqueline Tan Siew Choo

It was an eye-opening experience for 14 ex-pupils of the Convent
Light Street and one from the Convent Pulau Tikus, as we walked
through the portals of SXI in January 1961. There were two Lower
Six classes: Lower 6 Arts with 15 ex-Convent girls and 10 boys
(Xaverians) and Lower Six Science comprising 23 boys and 2 girls
from St. George’s Girls School.

Life in the Sixth Form meant we were no longer spoon-fed with
information – we learnt to be self-motivated and did research in the
well-stocked library.

One occasion that caused the ex-Convent girls to wince was when
the loud sounds of public-caning were audible through the school’s
PA (Public address) system!

During the first half year of Lower Six, the relationship between
the boys and girls was difficult, awkward and even unfriendly. After
six months, our class, Lower Six Arts was assigned the task of
organizing and running a games stall at the school’s fund-raising Fun
Fair. This project was a blessing in disguise as we were forced to
work together, as a result of which, our relationship improved and
friendships developed!

In the 1980s three ex-students of Form 6 Arts (1961-62) class were
promoted to be school principals. They were: Michael Tan Cheng
Chye, who became the principal of SM St. Theresa, Sungai Petani;
Kenneth Coombs, who became the principal of SMR Assumption,
Butterworth; and Tan Siew Choo (Jacqueline) who became the
principal of SMR Convent, Balik Pulau.

Ms Tan Siew Choo (Form 6 Arts, 1961-62) has been a member of the
Board of Governors, St Xavier’s Institution (2007 to 2019)

44 The Xaverian Journey

Care for the Visually Disabled

Yes, the reputation of St Xavier’s was enhanced because it was chosen
by the Education authorities to be developed as one of the schools
for the teaching and learning of the Sciences and Mathematics in the
state of Penang. The arrival of these Convent girls and the boys from
the mainland schools was related to this important development. But
there were also other developments which were shaping Xaverians into
caring young men and women.

Beginning in 1965, with the support of Brothers Director Lawrence
and then Charles, visually disabled or blind students who had completed
primary school education in St Nicholas School for the Blind in Bagan
Jermal, Penang, were emplaced in St Xavier’s – one of a handful of
schools in the country chosen to play this challenging role – to continue
their secondary school education. This was known as the Integrated
Programme for the Blind. In this “integrated system” which continued
until the late 1970s, the blind students attended regular classes with
their sighted classmates. Most of these students performed very well
and two of them, Godfrey Ooi and Martha Ho, subsequently graduated
as teachers from the University of Malaya. So did Charles Goh in
Singapore.

Br Augustus D’Rozario and young blind students.

The specialist teachers who taught them in St Xavier’s included
Mr Xavier Anthony, Mr P Ramakrishnan, Mr Gan Kong Hwee, Mr
Lam Yee Khan and Mr Narayanan. The visually disabled students also
interacted with Br Augustus Rozario, a local Brother who first taught
in St Xavier’s Branch School. After becoming blind in 1953 due to an
attack of tropical typhus, Br Augustus rehabilitated himself and trained
to teach the blind. He first taught at Princess Elizabeth School for the
Blind in Johore Bahru and then at St Nicholas in Penang. After retiring
from St Nicholas, Br Augustus started the Br Augustus of Mary Library
for the Blind which was located in St Xavier’s.

More importantly perhaps, Xaverians of that generation learnt to
interact with the blind students who were sometimes their classmates.
Many volunteered to “read” for their blind friends during recess time,
immediately after school, or sometimes in the evenings in St Nicholas.

Growth and Restructuring 45

Reading did not simply entail the reading of some History or English
Literature textbook. Reading also meant sharing the notes that one had
taken down from the blackboard during lesson time, which obviously
the visually disabled needed help to recall. Yes, many a Xaverian learnt
to interact comfortably not only with the young women but also the
visually disabled, two new-comers to St Xavier’s during the 1960s.

To British Borneo

During this period in the 1960s, enrolment in the secondary school
St Xavier’s averaged 1,200 to 1,300 pupils. The number of Brothers
in St Xavier’s also reached a peak during this period. More than that,
the Brothers in SXI played a pivotal role in the establishment and
development of other La Salle schools not only in the Peninsula, but
also across the South China Sea to British Borneo.

The Church authorities in Borneo had sought the help of the La
Salle Brothers to take over the administration of the Catholic schools
in Sabah and Sarawak since 1916. However, it was only in January 1950,
that five La Salle Brothers were sent to take over the administration
of St Joseph’s School, Kuching, Sarawak with Br Patrick O’Donovon
appointed as its new Principal. With this development, St Joseph’s
became the first Lasallian administered school on the vast island of
Borneo. Next, in 1954, the La Salle Brothers took control of Sacred
Heart Primary and Secondary Schools in Sibu.

In January 1958, Br Fridolin, Br Charles O’Leary, Br Thomas Carney
and Br Raphael Egan arrived in North Borneo (now Sabah) to take over
the administration of Sacred Heart Secondary School, Kota Kinabalu,
from the Mill Hill Missionary Fathers, who had been running the school
since 1903. Br Raphael Egan was appointed as the first Principal. On 22
May 1958, Sacred Heart Secondary School was subsequently renamed
La Salle Secondary School.

In January 1963, the Brothers took over the administration of St
Mary’s Primary and Secondary Schools in Sandakan, and in August
1976 the administration of St Martin’s School in Tambunan was handed
over to the La Salle Brothers by the Mill Hill Fathers. By the late 1960s,
the Brothers’ community ran a total of 44 schools throughout Malaysia.
No doubt, this was the high point of the Lasallian schools in Malaysia.

46 The Xaverian Journey

The Expansion of Lasallian Schools
in Malaysia

The bracketed dates indicate that these schools were founded earlier, but were taken over
by the Brothers in the years specified.

Peninsular Malaysia St Andrew’s School, Muar, Sabah
Johor 1950 (1930)
Pre-World War II La Salle School, Kota Kinabalu,
St Xavier’s Institution, Penang La Salle School, Klang, Selangor 1958 (1903)
1952 (1940)
1852 (1787) St Mary’s School, Sandakan,
St Francis’ Institution, Malacca La Salle School, Kampar, Perak 1963
1953
1902 (1880) St Martin’s School, Tambunan,
St John’s Institution, Kuala St George’s School, Balik Pulau, 1976 (1967)
Penang 1953
Lumpur 1904 Sarawak
St Paul’s Institution, Seremban, La Salle School, Brickfields,
Kuala Lumpur 1954 St Joseph’s School, Kuching,
Negeri Sembilan 1909 1950 (1894)
(1899) Stella Maris Primary School,
St George’s Institution, Taiping, Kangar, Perlis 1956 (1950) Sacred Heart School, Sibu,
Perak 1915 1954 (1902)
St Michael’s Institution, Ipoh, St Francis Primary School,
Perak 1920 (1912) Sitiawan, Perak 1956 St Patrick’s School, Kuching,
1966
Post–World War II Post–Independence 1957
St Anthony’s School, Teluk La Salle Primary School, Jinjang,

Intan, Perak 1947 (1932) Kuala Lumpur 1957 (1955)
Assumption School, La Salle Primary School, Peel

Butterworth, Penang 1947 Road, Kuala Lumpur 1958
(1933) La Salle School, Petaling Jaya,
St Patrick’s School, Kulim,
Kedah 1948 (1933) Selangor 1959
St Theresa’s School, Sungai La Salle Primary School, Air
Petani, Kedah 1949 (1929)
St Michael’s School, Alor Star, Itam, Penang 1962
Kedah 1949 (1934) La Salle School, Sentul, Kuala

Lumpur 1963 (1948)
La Salle Primary School, Ipoh,

Perak 1965

Growth and Restructuring 47

SJTC alumni – classes of SJTC and the
1963/1964/1965 with Formation of
Brother Director Patrick Loh Brothers and
(back row centre) at the SJTC Lay Teachers
hostel in Burmah Road.
Due to the rapid expansion of
the Lasallian schools throughout
Malaya and Borneo as discussed
above, Brother Visitor Fintan
Blake sought and successfully
obtained official recognition
for the teachers training programme that had been conducted in
St Joseph’s Training College (SJTC) for local youths who aspired to
become Lasallian teaching Brothers. In 1958, after two years training,
two Brothers were awarded their Teachers’ Certificates by SJTC which
were officially recognised by the Ministry of Education. In 1959, four
Brothers, and in 1960 another four Brothers, graduated with the same
certificates.
Due to the demand for education, and so more teachers, SJTC next
gained authorisation from the Ministry of Education to accept and train
not only Lasallian teaching Brothers but lay trainee teachers as well.
Upon graduation after their two-year Teacher’s Certificate course, they
would be assigned to the Lasallian schools in different parts of Malaysia
including Borneo. The first batch of students comprised 13 students,
five teaching Brothers and eight lay trainee teachers. Br Patrick Loh, a
local Brother newly returned with a degree from the United Kingdom,
was appointed Bro Director. He was ably assisted by Br Ulrick Currie
who would assume the Directorship in the late 1960s.
A total of 151 trainees received their Teachers’ Certificate from St
Joseph’s. Each year’s intake was approximately 20 students. Because
the classes were small, these trainees received quality training. Upon
completion of their course, most teachers were re-appointed to their
original schools, thus reinforcing the Lasallian character of these
schools. The last class of 23 students graduated in 1968.
Like the La Salle Brothers who came from overseas, principally from
Ireland, these 151 local graduates, Brothers as well as Lay Teachers,
were also imbued with the Lasallian ethos. Together with the foreign
Brothers they would serve as the guardians of the Lasallian Schools,
including St Xavier’s, for the period they continued to teach in the
Mission schools.

48 The Xaverian Journey

Model of Excellence and
Holistic Education

Apparently, much attention was given to restructuring the administration

of the school, the building of new primary schools, the expansion of St

Joseph’s Training College and furthering the Misssion elsewhere during

Br Michael Jacques’ tenure as Director (1956-62).

That said, academic performance also improved, laying the

foundation to strive for even higher levels in the following decade. A

few teachers received British Council or Federal scholarships to further

their education in the UK. Others received scholarships to study in

Kirby and Brinsford College in the UK. Several motivated students Brother Director Michael Jacques.

enrolled for the Teacher’s Certificate in SJTC and upon completion

of the course returned to serve their Alma Mater. Together with the

Brothers, they provided excellent teaching to the increased number of

students attending St Xavier’s.

As well, St Xavier’s developed a strong reputation for its extra-

curricular activities including its School Orchestra, its Corps of Pipes

and Drums, its Cadet Corps, Scouting and Red Cross units; its literary

and debating prowess; and for promoting an appreciation of the arts,

literature and music generally. We shall discuss these activities in a later

chapter.

Significantly, it was during this period of growth in the 1960s that

the mural “Patronage of St Xavier’s”, depicting the life and labours of St

Francis Xavier, was painted in the school lobby by Br Joseph McNally. Br Joseph McNally.
Br Joseph, a gifted painter and sculptor from Ireland, was responsible

for developing the teaching of the arts and crafts in St Xavier’s. Indeed

his art work and artistic legacy is not only found in St Xavier’s but in

several other Lasallian schools in the region too. Perhaps his most

lasting artistic legacy is his founding of the De La Salle College of the

Arts in Singapore, several decades later.

Br Lawrence Spitzig next took over as Director (1962-67). He

added the new library and new lecture theatre. It was during his time

that the Boarding School grew not just in terms of student intake but

also in terms of the academic, sporting and extracurricular activities

of its boarders. The Sixth Form in St Xavier’s

came into its own, too, its many boys and

girls excelling in academic, sports and extra-

curricular activities.

Br Charles Levin took over from Br Lawrence

and ended up as the longest-serving Brother

Director of St Xavier’s (1967-79). In 1970

while Br Charles went on leave, Br Anthony

McNamara served as Acting Director. In 1975,

during another period of leave, Br Celestine

Jennings served as Acting Director. Brother Director Lawrence on Speech Day. The-Guest-of-Honour

was Raja Tun Uda, the Governor of Penang.

Growth and Restructuring 49

Br Michael Blais – Lau Hor. Br Michael Paulin Blais aka
“Lau Hor”
Musical Concert in Memory of
Br Michael Blais, 26 July 1986. The history of this period of The Xaverian Journey would not be
50 The Xaverian Journey complete without additional mention of Br Michael Paulin Blais
whose observations of conditions in St Xavier’s and Penang in 1947
we cited earlier. Not only was he the formidable Conductor of the SXI
Orchestra, and for many years the Brother in charge of the Boarding
School, he was also Supervisor of St Xavier’s and served under several
Brother Directors. As Supervisor, he was in charge of instilling
discipline in school, a difficult but necessary work. And wasn’t he a
strict disciplinarian!

He was tall and his voice was commanding, his walks down the
corridors even intimidating, and he did not spare the use of the rotan
whensoever necessary. In this regard many students recall how they
had been caned by “Lau Hor” the name he was accorded by students,
which in Hokkien means “The Tiger”. His memoir reveals that he was
well aware of this moniker for he refers to himself as “Lau Hor” too!

Students were punished for all kinds of failings, some quite frivolous:
coming to school late, being noisy during class, sporting hair that
was deemed too long, not finishing one’s home-work, one’s shirt not
tucked in properly, and so on. No doubt, it was due to this fear of “Lau
Hor” among students that St Xavier’s appeared and presented itself
a picture of discipline and decorum. In that day and age, caning and
physical punishment of minors in school were not uncommon and not
yet frowned upon. Thanks to the passage of time, and to The Xaverian
Journey that they partook, healing has occurred in most cases, and
many Xaverians still have fond memories of the years spent in their
alma mater, notwithstanding “Lau Hor”.

Criticism of Lau Hor aside, there were also Xaverians who studied
music and played in the orchestra under Bro Michael’s baton, or
Boarders who felt “lost” living away from their families, who remember
him fondly as a kind and patient teacher, and as a warm-hearted and
concerned guardian. Some corresponded with him after he retired
from St Xavier’s and returned to his native Canada. His loving Lasallian
nature shone through in his letters to his former students. Indeed, his
memoir recalling his time in St Xavier’s, reveals a warm and dedicated
person who was deeply concerned about his students, and proud of
his St Xavier’s. Fittingly, “A Symphonic Concert in memory of Rev
Bro Michael Blais JSM” was held in the Dewan Sri Pinang on 26 July
1986 about a year after his death in Canada. That evening the Penang
Symphony Orchestra performed

In retrospect, this era stretching from Independence into the late
1960s might be regarded as an extended second period of growth and
expansion of St Xavier’s, the first occurring in the pre-War period during
Br James Byrne’s directorship. The School established the Sixth Form
and admitted young ladies from the Convent and neighbouring schools.

It separated administration of the secondary from the primary school
as required by the Ministry of Education. Additional primary schools
were built. More than that, the La Salle Brothers, who had used Penang,
in particular St Xavier’s as a base, expanded to all parts of Peninsular
Malaysia, and to Sabah and Sarawak. In this task they were aided by
the fact that they were allowed to train their own teachers, Brothers as
well as Lay Teachers, in the St Joseph’s Teachers Training College. In St
Xavier’s, there had also been further building activity – a new library and
a new lecture hall were added. The “Patronage of St Xavier’s” depicting
the life of the school’s own patron saint was also completed.

But had the Brothers expanded too quickly and over-extended
themselves? There were new winds of change, both internal as well as
external, that would impact dramatically upon the Lasallian Mission in
Malaysia in the following decades.

Struggle for the Ideals
of St Xavier’s

by Brother Director T Michael

The value, prestige and success of every human institution is
measured by the nobility of its ideals, the efficacy of the means
employed to attain its definitive objectives, and the intrinsic ability to
adapt itself to changing situations without sacrifice to its fundamental
character. Our St Xavier’s can take humble pride in its long and
noble traditions, its time-tried methods, conservative although
adaptable, and its singleness of purpose in the training of pupils. So
long as these are preserved, the school will continue to fulfil its God-
given task of producing men of intelligence, men of high principles,
responsible and reliable men endowed with conscience and faith in
the things of the spirit.

Despite the attack of disintegrating forces that plague the religion,
moral, social and personal world of today,
May St Xavier’s never lose sight of the things that matter;
May it never identify with that lustreless, spiritless and frustrating
anonymity of being just another school;
May it ever adhere faithfully to its time-honoured traditions and ever
pursue its objectives with courage, constancy and clearness of vision.

These ideals are worth working and fighting for, for they are the
things that matter and will affect the lives of all with whom you are
or will be in contact through life. Let no one be discouraged or give
up the struggle for the ideals of St Xavier’s and all that it stands for.

Source: Message in The Xaverian 1962

Growth and Restructuring 51