Malaysia's oldest Malay school continues to instil the merdeka spirit in students

GEORGE TOWN, Aug 22 Ogos (Bernama) -- The oldest malay school in Malaysia, Sekolah Kebangsaan (SK) Sungai Gelugor, is living up to its duty of educating the younger generation about the history of the country’s independence and to instil a love for Malaysia and its harmonious multicultural way of life.

SK Sungai Gelugor headmaster, Zamzuri Ab Rahman said the school’s administration never forgets to celebrate the National Month every year in a grand fashion, and will arrange various activities to engage students and decorate the school to boost their patriotic spirit.

"The role of us school administrators are to ensure students don’t forget about how Tanah Melayu and Malaysia came to be, to address wrong views and instil a love for our country,” he told Bernama recently.

The school would organise activities such as history exhibitions and Merdeka-themed contests, like quizzes and colouring contests every August, he said, as students need to realise how hard people had to struggle to overcome obstacles to achieve independence.

In terms of decorations, Zamzuri said the school was busy putting up Jalur Gemilang flags all over the school, especially in classrooms, to complete their National Month celebrations.

“We hope such activities will not only educate, but what’s important is for students to feel and remember these celebrations,” he said.

Zamzuri also said SK Sungai Gelugor intended to retain its heritage building to ensure that the school’s 196-year history and its role in educating previous generations would always be remembered.

Although the 21st century is filled with modern wonders, SK Sungai Gelugor retained heritage features in its original building, and optimised students’ learning by applying information technology.

"Initially, the area was a rest area for rubber plantation workers during the British era, and then a plantation owner, David Brown upgraded the horse barn, turning it into a classroom for educating adults.

“Only in 1826, were several wooden buildings built to officially house students, who were mostly children of plantation workers living here and that was how the education legacy of SK Sungai Gelugor started,” he said.

The original school building has been turned into the SK Sungai Gelugor Heritage and Cultural Gallery, which houses a collection of items and photos, courtesy of former teachers of the school.

-- BERNAMA