SXI Chapter X

TheXaverian
Journey

Chapter

X

146 The Xaverian Journey

X

Options for
Lasallian
Education in
the 21stCentury

In 1957, more than half the population had never had any formal
schooling, only six percent had received secondary level schooling,
and less than one percent had attained post-secondary education. By
2016, Malaysia had achieved 97 percent enrolment at the primary level,
94 percent at the lower secondary level, while the equivalent at the upper
secondary level was 84 percent. This implied that 84 percent of every
enrolled class of Malaysian students spent at least 11 years in school.
These eleven years of schooling were also provided free to all. These
statistics have been taken from the Malaysian Education Blueprint
2013-2025, published by the Ministry of Education. The number of
tertiary level institutions and the number of students enrolled had also
grown exponentially; it was a high 17 percent in 2016.

Options for Lasallian Education in the 21st Century 147

Also praiseworthy is that the educational programmes have
incorporated equity considerations to ensure that rural populations,
regional minorities and women have been given the opportunity to
access educational opportunities. This sensitivity towards traditionally
marginalised groups has been facilitated by the New Economic Policy,
itself an affirmative action policy on behalf of poorer and more rural
based bumiputera. Concerted efforts had also been made to enrol girls
in schools.

Meanwhile, whereas there were four separate schooling streams at
Merdeka in 1957, nowadays a single national school system prevails.
This transformation was achieved through very careful arrangements
requiring much accommodation among the various ethnic groups.
The central government had developed an educational system which
allows for the teaching of primary school education in various minority
languages while insisting on sharing a common curriculum, a national
examination system, and a unified teaching scheme, regardless of
the language they were teaching in. The largest proportion of the
development budget has been allocated towards education for
more than two decades to facilitate this transformation. The above
considerations focus on the accessibility of Malaysian youths to
education and on equitable access for diverse groups.

Improving Accessibility, Politicisation
and Declining Standards

Alas, there are signs that the national integration project has started to
unravel, not because the original educational system was necessarily faulty,
but because the education development project was also subjected to wider
political and socio-economic developments in Malaysia, following the May
13 ethnic riots in 1969. In the post-1969 era, Malaysia saw a shift in the terms
of governance – from one that was more universal in its treatment of the
different ethnic groups to one wherein Malay pre-eminence was projected.
Accordingly, the Constitution was amended, new laws adopted, the New
Economic Policy (1971-90) which positively discriminated in favour of
Malays and other indigenous peoples launched. The educational system, too,
was subjected to these substantive changes. Islamic resurgence in Malaysia,
beginning from the 1970s, has further subjected the national educational
system to Islamisation policies.

As well, after 60 plus years of one-party rule under the UMNO-Barisan
Nasional, the administration of education became extremely centralised and
politicised. Although state and district levels of administration have been
created, the duties and functions of the lower levels continue to be determined
by the central authorities. The role of the lower levels is essentially to carry
out decisions and policies decided at the top. In this regard, there are two
important considerations: first, the federal Ministry of Education, indeed,
any organisation, which employs an estimated 420,000 teachers and another
32,000 administrators, cannot be expected to function efficiently. One size

148 The Xaverian Journey

cannot fit all! A response to the Malaysian Education
Second, with its large work force, the Ministry attracts power-crazed Blueprint.

politicians and officials for political ends. Not surprising, the making of
educational policy in Malaysia has been characterised by “flip-flops”,
i.e. policies get overturned constantly by incoming ministers. The best
example of this is the flip-flop in the teaching of English. Beginning
from the 1970s, all subjects were taught in Malay. However, in the
early 1990s, not least because of increasing globalisation, the Cabinet
decided that Science and Mathematics ought to be taught in English
in schools, as well as in the universities, reversing the policy that
had been in practice for some 20 plus years. It required retraining
of Science teachers to teach in English, writing new guide books for
them, and preparing text books in English for the pupils. Just as the
policy was stabilising after about 10 years of gradual implementation, it
was decided by another new minister of Education that the policy had
discriminated against rural Malay children in particular, who were not
facile in the English language. Hence the policy was reversed. Belatedly,
yet another minister has decided that urban schools could be allowed
to resume the previous policy provided parents, teachers, and school
boards supported the decision.

Similarly, whereas an earlier minister had
made the passing of English a compulsory subject
for graduation from public universities, this
requirement was dropped by his replacement as
the minister of higher education.

Not surprising, such flip-flops driven by
political expediency rather than by sound academic
considerations, have impacted on the quality of
teaching and learning in our national educational
system. The government’s own Malaysian
Education Blueprint 2013-2025 highlights
how the performances of Malaysian students
have lagged behind the performances of their peers in neighbouring
ASEAN countries in globally administered assessments like Trends
in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) and the
Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA).

One consequence of declining academic standards is the withdrawal
of middle-class non-Malay youths from our national schools including
from St Xavier’s. Many parents have sent their children to national-type
Chinese medium schools where academic standards (and discipline)
are apparently better maintained. Some other parents have sent their
children to relatively expensive private international schools. A smaller
number have also resorted to home-schooling their children.

Accordingly, the enrolment pattern in St Xavier’s Institution and
in its primary schools has undergone a significant shift: whereas non-
Malay students, especially Chinese were previously the dominant
group, nowadays St Xavier’s boasts an enrolment pattern almost equally
divided among Chinese, Indians and Malays. From the Principal Dr
Sim Hock Keat, we learn that there were 1,168 students enrolled in SXI

Options for Lasallian Education in the 21st Century 149

150 The Xaverian Journey as of May 2019. Of this total, 22.1% are Malays, 38% are Chinese, 35.5%
Indians and 4.4% Others, including Sabah and Sarawak natives. As well,
94.4% were males, only 5.6% females.

Similarly, whereas the vast majority of our teachers were previously
non-Malays, especially Chinese, nowadays, the 107 teachers in SXI
comprise: 36% Malays; 36% Chinese; 26% Indians; and 2% Others.
Significantly, 60% of the teachers are women, only 40% men (see lists of
SXI Teachers 1999 and 2019, pp. 80-82).

As well, there is no longer any La Salle Brother teaching in St Xavier’s.

Discerning the Way Forward
for Mission

In 2007, after the 44th General Chapter of the Institute of the Brothers
of the Christian Schools that was held in Rome, the La Salle Brothers
of the Penang District also held their follow-up Chapter wherein they
adopted the document “Being Lasallians in Malaysia: Our Educational
Mission the Way Forward 2008-2010” (henceforth The Way Forward),
as a guide to promote the Lasallian Mission in Malaysia. To this end, an
Assembly of the Malaysian Lasallian Education Council was convened
in Kuala Lumpur in October 2007 attracting almost 200 participants:
Brothers, teachers, alumni, Board members, current students.

The Way Forward acknowledged that “we are witnessing the passing
of an era in the history of the Lasallian Mission in Malaysia, what
with the loss of autonomy, the decline in the availability of Brothers
and the handful of Brothers still involved in the teaching ministry”.
Lest the Lasallian schools become completely mainstreamed and the
Lasallian Mission comes to an end, the Brothers have a responsibility to
consolidate the Lasallian identity of these schools, preparing them for
a handover to Lay Associates who share the Lasallian ethos and spirit”.

In order to realise these concerns the Brothers agreed, first, that
they had to recruit competent Lay Associates who have a strong sense
of the Lasallian spirit. They had to start functioning actively within
the existing schools’ Boards, or establish such Boards if they were not
yet in existence. Alumni associations also had the additional purpose
of ensuring that the Lasallian spirit and ethos were kept alive and
promoted. On their part, the Brothers needed to internalise the goals
of their Lay Associates and support their objectives with open hearts.

Br Anthony Rogers, then Director of the La Salle Brothers in
Malaysia had stressed:

“there is a very important link between Vision and Mission and
our Lines of Action for the future. …our Vision is not just a dream
or pure idealism. Vision is the translation of our fundamental
beliefs into new forms of action that are not only in keeping with
the original inspirations of the founder but have a new relevance
and meaning in the context of our times. Vision without a relevant
Mission is vague idealism and a Mission without a proper
understanding of Vision is pure activism”

Transformation of Schools,
Revitalisation of Boards

First, priority was to be given towards Boards of Governors and
revitalising our schools even in the midst Managers of St Xavier’s Institution
of an overall decline in the quality of and its two primary schools, 2018.
teaching and learning in the schools. For Br Front: Tan Sri Ong Gim Huat, Mr Adrian
Anthony, it was desirable for the Mission Lee Ching Kiang, Dr Francis Loh Kok Wah,
to push towards developing the Lasallian Bro Anthony Rogers, Dr Sim Hock Keat,
schools into so-called “Cluster Schools” or Mr Chuah Eng Keat, Ms Oh Hooi Sue
“Trust Schools”, which, though still under Back: Mr Mohd Fauzi bin Mohammad Dali,
the purview of the Ministry of Education, Mr P Podimhatia, Mr Kumarativataviam,
allowed for more autonomy than other Mr Naresh Kumar, Ms Rowena Yam,
schools under the National Education System (NES). The aim was to Ms Melissa Ong, Ms Norjan Osman,
be able to intervene more effectively in order to improve the quality of Dr Cecilia Ng Choon Sim, Ms Jackie Tan
education. Siew Choo, Mr Kenneth Ho, Mr Wallace Tan,
Mr Christopher Lee, Mr Victor Tan
No La Salle Brother serves as Brother Director in any of the Lasallian Absent: Datuk Seri Kenny Ong,
schools throughout Malaysia today. In fact, there is not a single La Salle Ms See Swee Sie, Mr Alex Oon, Ms Lilian
Brother teaching in any of the 44 La Salle public schools embedded in Tong, Mr Ooi Gim Ewe, Mr Quah Boo Hock,
the NES. Hence it has become critical that the Boards of Governors/ Mr Tan Ban Cheng and Mr William Tan
Managers be revitalised. As mentioned, the role of the Board was
rendered ambiguous with the passing of the new Education Act 1996. Dr Francis Loh.
St Xavier’s, during Brother Paul Ho’s tenure as Principal, functioned
without a Board. However, with his impending retirement, it became
urgent to reconstitute a Board. Consequently, the Boards of Governors
and Managers were re-established in SXI and the primary schools in
2008 with Dr Johan Saravanamuttu appointed by Brother Visitor as
chairman. Unfortunately Johan had to resign that same year due to his
relocation to Singapore for work reasons.

In 2009, Brother Visitor appointed Dr Francis Loh Kok Wah, an old
boy and then Professor in the School of Social Sciences, Universiti Sains
Malaysia, as chairman of the Boards of St Xavier’s and its two primary
schools. He continues to hold the post to date.

Dr Sim Hock Keat, the principal acts as Secretary while Brother
Director Dato’ Br Anthony Rogers is the Advisor.

Nowadays, the Board’s role has been enhanced because of the absence
of a teaching Brother Director and/or other teaching Brothers. Perhaps
the Board’s most important role is in identifying and recommending
candidates of our choice to be the Lay Principal. It plays this role in
consultation with Br Anthony and the other Brothers representing the
La Salle Mission. This task is not as easy as it sounds. For it is difficult
nowadays to locate old Lasallians, let alone old Xaverians, who are in
the teaching profession and are willing to be considered for the post.
Even if they are willing, they must fulfil certain other requirements set
by the Ministry of Education, not least attend a 6-month long training
programme designed to prepare heads of schools. The individual will

Options for Lasallian Education in the 21st Century 151

also need to complete assignments, sit for tests and prepare a folio.
Fortunately, St Xavier’s has been able to nominate a former Lasallian

to be our first Lay Principal, and a Xaverian as our second Lay Principal.
Prior to joining St Xavier’s, Mr Loh Kea Yu had served in La Salle
Secondary School in Klang and so had imbibed Lasallian values. He
served from 2009-2015.

Dr Sim Hock Keat (2016 to 2019) was the second Lay Principal. He
attended Form 6 in St Xavier’s and had taught in St Xavier’s for 20 plus
years prior to his appointment. His availability and his preparedness to
enrol for the gruelling headmaster training programme was God-sent. He
has provided tremendous stability to the school and many new initiatives
have been undertaken during his tenure. It should be noted that neither
of these first two Lay Principals is a Christian. Yet both have served this
Catholic Mission school most satisfactorily; for the La Sallian values and
ethos are extremely universal rather than narrowly Catholic.

Funding, Physical Well-Being and
Development

The second major task of the Board is to maintain our school building
and other facilities so that the best physical environment possible is
provided for our students’ education. Alas, this has been a challenge.
From our discussion earlier, you will recall that although Mission
schools are considered part of the NES, they are not entitled to many of
the financial benefits the other national schools are entitled to.

In the new Education Act 1996, it is clearly stated that there are only
two types of government schools: Sekolah Kebangsaan (national school)
or Sekolah Bantuan Kerajaan (government-aided schools). Following
the passing of the 1996 Act, the Lasallian (and other Mission) primary
schools were re-categorised as Sekolah Kebangsaan, and the secondary
schools as Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan. As Sekolah Kebangsaan, St
Xavier’s and its primary schools, indeed all Mission schools, should
henceforth, be entitled to capital grants and full grant-in-aid as provided
for in the Act (Part I, para 2, p. 13 of the Act). Alas this has not been so.

Instead, the Ministry of Education has continued to regard the
Lasallian schools including St Xavier’s as Sekolah Mubaligh or Mission
schools, the term already used in the previous Act which resulted in
their categorisation as sekolah bantuan modal. This is also the term used
to categorise the Chinese and Tamil conforming schools. In essence,
the sekolah bantuan modal are schools that operate on land, and in
buildings that are not owned by the government. On account of this
fact, all the sekolah bantuan modal continue to be ineligible for capital
grants and full grant-in-aid. The renaming of the mission schools as
sekolah kebangsaan after 1996 did not alter or redress this discrepancy
in financial support for them.

Hence, from 1996 to 2008, the government continued to pay the
salaries for the administrative staff and teachers. It also provided the

152 The Xaverian Journey

so-called Lain Perbelanjaan Berulang Tahun (LPBT or Other Annual 153
Recurring Expenses) grant given to all schools for operational and
maintenance expenses (for example: examination papers, chemicals
used in the science laboratories, library books, calculated on a per capita
basis and depending on the subjects involved). Occasionally the Mission
schools including St Xavier’s succeeded in obtaining matching-grants
on a dollar-for-dollar basis from the federal government upon special
application, but on a one-off basis. In this regard, the school had to raise
its dollar from the alumni and other benefactors. But such matching
grants were few and far between.

As well, whereas the Ministry paid the utility bills for the sekolah
kebangsaan penuh, which could also request the State Education Office
for chairs, tables, computers, musical instruments, etc, the sekolah
bantuan modal like St Xavier’s had to pay for utilities and other bills
themselves, and source their own tables and chairs as well! With
rising rates for electricity and water, finding enough money to pay our
monthly bills has become increasingly difficult. Such discrimination in
the Ministry’s treatment of the Mission schools – which do not charge
the government rent for use of their premises as schools, to teach and
educate generation after generation of youth – has been raised with
Ministry officials time and again, but to no avail.

Fortunately, Mission schools began to receive so-called “special
allocation” grants from the Prime Minister’s Office (rather than from
the Ministry of Education) beginning in 2009. About the same time,
the Penang State Government
(which had been taken over by
the then Opposition coalition)
also began providing annual
financial allocations to Mission
and other schools in the state.
No doubt, such a development
had everything to do with
the emergence of a more
competitive two-party system
in politics. Thanks to this
political development, schools
like St Xavier’s benefitted from
the availability of government grants from both the federal as well as
state governments, for the first time! This was unprecedented. Such
funding have enabled the Board to refurbish the science laboratories,
upgrade the teachers’ room and lecture halls, install LCD projectors
and other electronic equipment in classrooms to facilitate e-teaching,
rewire the schools, and undertake numerous projects to repair the
toilets, canteen, roofing and ceiling, to name a few.

Since the change of government in the 14th General Election in May
2018, these grants have been regularised and come from the Ministry
of Education’s allocation, whereas they used to be made available on
an irregular basis via the Prime Minister’s Department. There is some
hope that the financial situation for Mission schools will improve in the
medium term.

Options for Lasallian Education in the 21st Century

The new Old Xaverians’
Association Hall in St Xavier’s
Branch School.

Heritage Centre

That said, such funds from the federal and state governments remain
inadequate to sustain all the development needs of the schools and the
various activities of the students. Recall that the school is more than
50 years old and maintenance and upgrading of the school had largely
been neglected due to a lack of funds.

Hence, the Board has had to resort to fundraising perennially. A
recent fundraising effort among alumni, parents, teachers and other
well-wishers facilitated the building of a new block in SXI, which has been
named the SXI Heritage Centre. Within it can be found the Karpal Singh
Hall, donated generously by his family, in memory of the outstanding
human rights fighter, long-time Opposition parliamentarian, and an
old Xaverian. The recent fundraising effort also financed the building
of a new multi-purpose hall in St Xavier’s Branch School. It has been
named the Old Xaverians’ Association Hall, to recognise the generosity
of the OXA.

With the guidance of Br Anthony Rogers, the Board is currently
preparing our Heritage Rooms which will record the history of the
Mission in St Xavier’s with special focus on the roles of the Brothers,
teachers and former students. It is in conjunction with this effort that
this book The Xaverian Journey has been prepared as a record of our
heritage, and as a means to disseminate our Lasallian values to all
Xaverians, and beyond.

Lead and New Directions

Coinciding with these new initiatives was the inauguration of the
Lasallian East Asia District (LEAD) as the new administrative entity of
the La Salle Brothers on 15 May 2011. The official launch was conducted
in conjunction with the 160th anniversary of the arrival of the La Salle
Brothers in the Asian region, in turn coinciding with the founding of St
Xavier’s Institution, its first school in Asia.

SXI celebrates 160 years.
154 The Xaverian Journey

(Prior to this Malaysia was part of Brothers re-enacted the arrival
the original District of Penang, made of the first group of Brothers to
up of Malaysia, Singapore and Hong Penang in 1852.
Kong for more than 100 years. Apart
from these three countries, LEAD
also includes Burma, the Philippines,
Thailand and Japan).

Brothers from throughout LEAD
congregated in Penang to celebrate
the occasion as well as to discern the
future of LEAD’s Mission together. In
tandem with the Brothers’ gathering,
St Xavier’s successfully hosted the
5th Malaysian Lasallian Educators’ Conference in May 2012, which
was attended by teachers and administrators from Lasallian schools
throughout Malaysia. And at the end of the year, almost two thousand
alumni attended our home-coming celebration in the school.

The challenge of moving beyond the old Penang District towards
LEAD has resulted in new and exciting exchanges, networking and
the emergence of a wider Lasallian Family in Asia. It has also given
new impetus to the staff, students, alumni and Board members who
have benefitted from joint meetings and workshops, as well as student
exchanges with fellow Lasallians from other parts of Asia.

Br Anthony Rogers in Residence

In 2016, after serving as Brother Director of the 44 Lasallian schools in Br Anthony in residence in St Xavier’s.
Malaysia for two terms, Br Anthony Rogers, an old boy, was appointed as
Brother Director and Convenor of St Xavier’s. He is now in residence at
St Xavier’s. A respected educator with much regional and international
experience, he has invigorated St Xavier’s in new directions.

He has pointed out that St John Baptist de la Salle’s work flourished
because “he launched a movement” and the community that survived
him was “neither monastic nor clerical”. According to Br Anthony, all
La Salle wished for was an association of committed laity and teachers
working towards a common goal. He wanted them to be brothers to
one another and older brothers to the children in their care. Br Anthony
also notes that “even before the Brothers whom he (John Baptist de
La Salle) formed were involved in Mission, they spent time through
formative process to cultivate a deep spiritual experience because the
task entrusted to them was not just a human initiative but a divinely
inspired mandate” (Life of John Baptist de La Salle, 2015).

Put another way, the Xaverian or Lasallian Mission in Penang in the
future can be driven by ordinary people like all of us provided we are
brothers and sisters to one another, focusing especially on the needs
of the young and needy, and driven by our own engagement with the
Divine.

Options for Lasallian Education in the 21st Century 155

Option for the Last, the Lost
and the Least

In line with the three priorities identified in “The Way Forward”, Br
Anthony is not only interested in i) transforming our schools through
revitalising the Boards, and facilitating formation among old boys,
parents and teachers, he is also keen on ii) promoting new educational
initiatives in St Xavier’s and iii) upkeeping the Lasallian spirit of catering
to “the Last, the Lost and the Least”.

With regard to the second priority, Br Anthony has tried to launch
an alternative international school that offers technical and vocational

education and training
(TVET) to the “not so rich”,
so that those young people
who are not academically
inclined will nonetheless have
the opportunity to realise
their potential, which is what
a Lasallian education ought
to provide for. To this end
he worked with educational
entrepreneurs and educaters,
and has lobbied the relevant
government authorities for
the necessary licenses and
permits. Finally, in mid-2019,
after ten years of lobbying the
Ministry of Education (and
one should add, a change of
government in Putrajaya),
Br Anthony and his partners were given a license to launch their
alternative international school to be called the La Salle Institute of
Further Education, or LIFE.
With regard to the third priority in “The Way Forward”, special
programmes have been organised to provide special attention to the
needs of the weaker students. In the primary school, a La Salle Learning
Studio specially caters for slow learners. The La Salle Learning Centre
at Penang Road conducts learning sessions in the Centre as well as
in St Xavier’s itself, to cater for the same group after school hours.
As well, special arrangements have been made to organise baking
classes, originally initiated and conducted by Br Paul Ho, for the less
academically inclined students during school hours .

156 The Xaverian Journey

A Call for Decentralisation

The current centralisation of the educational system in Malaysia runs
contrary to the trend in countries elsewhere where decentralising to
the state and local authorities has occurred. Increasingly, parents,
alumni, the local community and local industry/business are mobilised
to play more comprehensive roles in educational matters including the
running of schools. In this regard, more responsibilities could be given
to the Boards of Governors/Managers in the national-type and Mission
schools, to the Parent-Teacher Associations, and even to alumni
associations, which have already assumed certain responsibilities, at
least with regard to maintaining the physical well-being of the schools
and in maintaining their school traditions.

Apart from these roles, decentralisation should also encompass
decision-making on the deployment of heads of schools, teachers, extra-
curricular activities, if not engaging with parts of the main curriculum
itself. The Ministry of Education can work closely with the teachers and
the members of these Boards, PTAs and alumni. In this manner, the
quality of teaching, the physical improvement of the schools and the
overall teaching-learning environment will be upgraded in a more cost-
effective fashion too. Indeed, if more funds can be allocated downwards,
and powers on how to spend those funds can be devolved to the local
level, it is possible that there will be more competency, accountability
and transparency over the use of those funds.

Historically, programmes have been designed by the Ministry under
the impression that “one size fits all”. The experiences of the past reveal
that conditions in schools in different locales differ; so, too, the ability of
the teachers in dealing with different circumstances. Reviews of global
experiences indicate that different sorts of interventions are required in
order to better serve different schools at different performance levels.
For sure, the children have their different strengths and weaknesses
which are best catered for at the local level, not from the centre with
standardised instructions and teaching materials.

By granting more autonomy to schools which are located in urban
areas and which cater for more middle-class children, the Ministry
can redirect its focus, give more attention, and allocate more funds
to schools, especially in the rural areas, which do not yet have strong
parental and community support. Such reforms, including engagement
with parents and community, will restore trust in the education system.

Finally, we need to restore the dignity of the teaching profession and
recruit more young people to become committed teachers. With their
trust in the education system restored, parents will stop discouraging
their children from becoming teachers. More capable and qualified
people of all races will step up to join the teaching profession. Yes, we
need dedicated teachers like the La Salle Brothers and the lay graduates
of the St Joseph’s Teachers’ Training College.

Options for Lasallian Education in the 21st Century 157

Comings and Goings, 2000 to 2019

2002 August 23 Brother Visitor Peter Foo, a Xaverian, was the Special
Guest on the occasion of our 150th Anniversary Celebration.

For this special occasion, Brother Charles Levin arranged a 150th
Anniversary Anthem entitled “God Bless St Xavier’s” (sung to the tune
of “God Bless America”) which was led by the school choir, accompanied
by the Band:

God Bless St Xavier’s
School that I love
Stand beside her
And guide her
Through the day
With the Light
From above

Hearts aglowing
Flames bestowing
Loving radiance
From above

God bless St Xavier’s
My home sweet home
God bless St Xavier’s
My home sweet home

Since that day, this Anthem has been sung at the weekly School
Assembly every Friday, before singing the Alma Mater’s Call.

2009 June 19 & 20 Retirement of Br Principal Paul Ho after 15 years
and 9 months at the helm. There was a special farewell assembly in the
school in the morning and a farewell concert by the band and other
students in the school hall that evening. There was a Farewell Mass in
the school chapel the following morning followed by a farewell banquet
that evening.

2009 August 18, Datuk Br Lawrence Spitzig, Director of SXI 1962-
66, died in Kuala Lumpur at the age of 91 years old.

2010 March 21 Visit of Brother Superior General Alvaro Rodrigues
to the District of Penang. This meeting was held in the La Salle Centre
in Ipoh. St Xavier’s sent a delegation.

2011 March 31 Br Michael Jacques (Director of SXI 1956- 61) passed
away in Petaling Jaya. A Memorial Service was held in the SXI Chapel.
Bishop Anthony Selvanayagam was the celebrant of the Mass.

158 The Xaverian Journey

2012 March 31 La Salle Asia-SXI 160th anniversary. This special
day began with an Assembly in the School with La Salle Brothers from
East Asia. An exhibition on the La Salle Mission was declared open,
informal meetings between Brothers and students conducted, and an
evening mass was held in the Assumption Church next door. A Dinner
with the Chief Minister YAB Tuan Lim Guan Eng closed the special day.

2012 May 28 St Xavier’s hosted the 5th Malaysian Lasallian
Educators’ Conference with the theme: “Transforming Lasallian
Schools in Malaysia – through Faith, in Service as Community”. Bro
Anthony Rogers, Director of the Lasallian Schools, Malaysia delivered
the main address. Delegates from Lasalle schools throughout the
country participated.

2012 October 16 Rest in Peace Br Charles Levin, former Director of
the school (1967-79).

2012 December 15 About 2,000 Xaverians, students, staff and other
well wishers attended the reunion dinner held in school. But Br Charles
could not be with us.

2014 April 20 Funeral of YB Karpal Singh. SXI flew the school flag at
half-mast in his honour. The SXI Band played at the funeral ceremony
in Dewan Sri Pinang and the Scouts accompanied the cortege on the
streets. The cortege stopped in front of the school for ten minutes
where a large crowd of teachers, alumni and students led by Br Anthony
Rogers and Br Stephen Ooi had gathered. Led by the band, we sang the
“Alma Mater’s Call” to bid farewell to an illustrious son.

2015 December Farewell and thank you to Mr Loh Kea Yu who had
served five years as the first Lay Principal. He asked to be remembered
as the principal who “quietly transferred out”, back to La Salle Klang,
his home town.

2015 March 27 Visit of Brother Superior General Robert Schieller
to St Xavier’s.

2017 January The Chief Minister of Penang YAB Tuan Lim Guan
Eng visited SXI and handed a cheque for RM200,000 from the Penang
State Government in support of the building of our Heritage Centre.

2019 Tercentenary celebration of the death of St John Baptist de La
Salle, founder of the Lasallian Mission.

2019 November 22 Farewell to Dr Sim Hock Keat who has been
principal of St Xavier’s from 2016 to 2019. Thanks to his leadership, we
are moving steadily ahead in our Xaverian Journey into the 21st century.

Options for Lasallian Education in the 21st Century 159