Bukit Baru Primary English School, Melaka: A headmaster's recollections

Bukit Baru Primary English School, Melaka : A headmaster's recollections

As recounted by Mr. Chin Yik Kuen ( headmaster of BBPES from 1961 to1969)

"Good morning, children". The early morning greetings still ring clear in a headmaster's mind and bring back a flood of nostalgic memories.



The School staff

"Good morning, children,"  _ that is how I used to greet the school at its assembly every morning. That was back in 1961 when the Bukit Baru Primary English School was first established. Today, after more than fifty years, the school which was fondly known as BBPES has blossomed beyond recognition, From its humble beginning as a rural school it has achieved its place as one of the best schools in  Melaka and I am proud to be associated with it.

In January 1961, BBPES started with three standards ( standard one to three) and was set up essentially to cater to the educational needs of children residing in Bukit Baru area. Besides providing  primary education, the school took in a class of boys from the town schools who wanted a second attempt at the Standard Six Entrance Examination for promotion to a secondary school. These boys did very well and the school managed to achieve more than the 50 percent pass target, Mention must be made of the pioneers of the school. Mrs. S. Murugesan, a Kirkby-trained teacher , was the senior assistant and she did much to bring up the standard of the school with her firm, but caring and protective attitude. There were four young men on the staff who were very enthusiastic and thorough in their work _ Mr. Gan Lin Chye stood out as the first sports secretary of the school and the other three were Day Training Centre trainees who were undergoing their practical teaching practice in the persons of Mr. Ho Swee Kin, Mr. Lam Kok Leong and Mr. Chong Kim Soon. Another Kirkby-trained teacher attached to the school was Mr. M.C. Ruthrapathy who took great pains to get the Standard Six pupils get through the promotion examination. And there were Miss Ann Sequerah, Miss Toh Gek Leng and Mrs, Vincent Lai who were 'school mums' of the highest calibre.  There was also a very quiet religious teacher, Encik Abdul Rahim Ahmad who went about his way in raising the Islamic knowledge of the Muslim pupils. To keep the school neat and tidy, there was no better person than Encik Sharif Budin in those good old days. So the few of us started BBPES with a sense of trepidation, but with a positive outlook.

The teachers played a prominent role in organising the various functions _ the annual picnic, the inter-school teachers' games, after sports buffets, the annual end-of-year dinner and the satay parties for festive occasions. I shall always savour the magic moments of those moon-lit nights when we would gather at the school padang to share the simple yet delectable fare of bubur cacar and goreng pisang. The close camaraderie that existed among the teachers and headmaster is one which I will always treasure.  

Another remarkable milestone in the history of the school was the establishment of deaf education classes. On the 3rd of September, 1962 the first two classes for the deaf was started with twenty two pupils under the charge of  Mr. Francis Chai and Encik Abdul Hamid bin Jaafar.  The two classes were specially equipped with equipment such as audio meters, hearing aids and other electrical appliances. There was a clamour for more places as only twenty two pupils were selected among the 200 applicants. The following year another special class was opened with the assistance of the Malacca Rotary Club which raised enough funds for the purchase of equipment. Besides the formal teaching, the teachers made extra efforts to organise trips to the various places of interests in Malacca and the other states. There was a year when the pupils made a trip to Singapore to meet their counterparts. Credit must be given to the untiring efforts of the teachers for the deaf in the persons of Cik Saadiah bt Ahmad, Miss Doris Chan, Mr. See Seng Teck and Mr. John Daniel.

Indeed, mention must be made of the full co-operation rendered by the Board of Managers headed by Mr. Loong Lekk Boo who was the chairman throughout my tenure as headmaster of the school. Added to this the school's P.T.A. was a dynamic force that assisted the school in its many projects throughout the year.   

BBPES Staff 1961

(Sitting L to R ) Mrs.S. Murugesan, Miss Ann Sequerah, Mr. Chin Yik Kuen(headmaster), Miss Toh Gek Leng, Mrs. Vincent Lai. (Standing L to R) Mr. Ho Swee Kim, Mr. Chong Kim Soon, Mr. Gan Lim Chye, Mr. M.C. Ruthrapathy, En. A. Rahim bin Ahmad, Mr. Lam Kok Leong

BBPES Staff  ( Ex SDHS Staff Mr Jee Kim Joon and Mr Teo Boon Khoo in the group photo)

Photo courtesy of K C Low

MWTC trinee teachers with BBPES staff 1961

The school buildings and facilities


As for the school itself, BBPES is located on a small hill which provided a commanding view of its surroundings. The school started with three main blocks _ two blocks consisted of twelve classrooms and one block known as the administrative block, housed the headmaster's office, clerk's office, the staff room, library and a store room. But within the next two years, the school added another block of six classrooms and a hall-cum-tuckshop. After Merlimau English School, BBPES was the second Government school to acquire a hall-cum-tuckshop. BBPES can be considered as the last of the six primary English schools to be established in Malacca after World War II. The Jasin  English School, the Alor Gajah English School, the Durian Daun Girls' School, the Masjid Tanah English School and the Merlimau English School,  all established in the 1950s , preceded the Bukit Baru Primary English School. It was a great day when the Chief Minister of Malacca, Y.A.B. Encik Abdul Ghafar bin Baba officially declared the school open on 15th June 1962 and it was also the day when the school held its first annual sports meet.

Back in the 1960s, much to the envy of the other primary schools in the state,  the school could  boast of a 300 -metre running  track. This was made possible with the co-operation of the Day Training Centre which was located at the site of the present Education Department( which has since been relocated). Back then the Day Training Centre( DTC) and BBPES shared a common entrance. When the DTC decided to erect a hall, it had to acquire part of the roadway leading to the school and in return it let BBPES acquire part of its land for the construction of the 300- metre running track. The entrance to the school was relocated to a vacant, unsold land and until today remains as the main entrance to the school.      

The new entrance to BBPES which replaced the one leading from the DTC entrance

A housing lot was acquired for the construction of the new entrance

Bukit Baru Primary English School Jalan Dato Palembang

Established January 1961

The main block 1961

12 classrooms were added in 1961

Workers' quarters' under construction

Two toilet blocks with water tower and workers' quarters

Workers' quarters

BBPES tuckshop 1961

The school field under construction

School activities


As for school activities, in those days the pupils showed keen interest and participated in the annual school sports and were happy to join the occasional educational trips to other states.  A common feature in the school calendar was the school concerts and Prize-Giving Day and pupils and parents alike look forward to the events with much interest and anticipation.  The school's ethos is to provide healthy activities and a favourable social environment where pupils are able to experience the joy of childhood. For extra-mural activities while the boys participated in the more physical games the girls were taught needlework. 

It would not be out of place to mention that the BBPES soccer team was trounced 10-0 on its first outing, but made amends when it avenged its defeat the following year. Likewise in athletics the school was minced meat in the early years, but in 1968 the school athletics team took top honours in the State. The school relay team made record-breaking runs every time the foursome took to the running track. BBPES was also not lacking in the academic field as it always managed to score more than 65% in the national examination. All in all it was a gratifying experience for both teachers and pupils to see so much being achieved in so short a time. 

Winners of syarahan competition 1965

Below photos of Childrens' Day 1961. 

Musical chairs

Makan time

Ice-cream for all

Conclusion

Pupils and teachers come, and pupils and teachers go, but BBPES stands steadfast. With the country's rapid development, the school too has undergone both physical and social transformation. The school is now known as Sekolah Kebangsaan Jalan Dato Palembang and Malay has replaced English as the medium of instruction. The school is now one of the premier schools in Malacca and besides its academic excellence it is gratifying to see  its remarkable achievements in the field of sports and games. I believe what the school has achieved today is due largely to the commitment and sustained efforts of past and present pupils and teachers . My sincere wish is for the school to grow from strength to strength and with  better things to come.
Good luck!
Chin Yik Kuen ( headmaster 1961 to 1969 )

Acknowledgements: 
A huge thank you to Mr. Chin Yik Kuen for sharing the early history of the school and his personal experience as headmaster of the school  and for the photos which he has kept in immaculate condition all these years. Thanks also to K.C. Low for his invaluable assistance in interviewing Mr. Chin and getting the necessary information and photos.
To all the ex-teachers and pupils of BBPES, I hope this write up will rekindle fond memories of your days at BBPES.

C. S. Wan

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