Francis Light School

Francis Light School (12 February 2005)
© Timothy Tye using this photo

Francis Light School Location Map

Francis Light School (12 February 2005)
© Timothy Tye using this photo

Francis Light School or Sekolah Kebangsaan Francis Light is a primary school along Perak Road. It was founded in 1930 and named in honour of the English country trader who landed in Penang to establish the island as a British trading port settlement. For much of the mid 20th century, Francis Light School was considered one of the elite primary schools, as it produced one of the biggest intakes of students into the secondary Penang Free School.

Francis Light School was my alma mater, as my father also wanted my education to progress to Penang Free School, a path that it did take. Over the recent decades, the school has very much lost its luster, as the government seemed determine to erase the elitism of the colonial schools.

One of the most famous students of Francis Light School is the late P. Ramlee, who studied there from 1939 to 1941 until the Second World War broke out.

Getting there

The nearest bus stops are at Jalan Dato Kramat, a distance away from the school. That was how it was during my schooling days, when I had to walk to the bus stop near Lorong Kulit (the place known in Hokkien as See Kham Tiam).