 Penang Free School
The Penang Free School is the oldest English-language school open to children of commoners in Southeast Asia. The person who is credited with leading the idea of setting up such a school was Reverend Sparke Hutchings, and the proposal was forwarded to the Governor of the then Prince of Wales Island in 1815.
The original plan, which was proposed by a committee set up by the Governor, called for two schools, one for boys, another for girls. Care was to be taken in providing secular education, and the sentiments of parents against any Christian teachings should be respected. Fees were collected only from those who could afford it. Children whose Malay and Indian parents do not wish for their children to be taught English could be taught in their own languages.
Penang Free School porch and rotunda
© Timothy Tye using this photo
Those were the plans but they were never carried out in their entirety. A school was set up, on 21 October 1816, to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the demise of Captain Francis Light. It was housed in Love Lane, and at other rented premises, while awaiting the completion of the building in Church Square. As expected, the name Penang Free School created a misunderstanding. Many parents thought "free" means free from fees, but actually, the "free" means the school is "open to all".
As initially planned, within Penang Free School are the Malay school and Tamil school to conduct classes in the pupils' own languages. These were started in 1821, but lasted only a few years, although there was a branch of the Malay school in Gelugor that remained until 1863.
Up until 1897, the Penang Free School comprised a few isolated buildings that took up all the land granted to it. At the same time, a permanent building was under construction. It was a symmetrical structure to be built in two phases. The first phase was completed in 1896, and was the wing closest to the St. George's Anglican Church. The remaining wing was completed in 1906.
Penang Free School football field
© Timothy Tye using this photo
With the completion of the permanent building, those isolated structures were demolished, allowing the school to have its own football field for the first time. With the passing of the Constitution of Free School, all instructions were given in English and no native languages were taught.
By 1919, even the permanent buildings were already overcrowded. It required space for science laboratories, workshops and a gymnasium. There was a suggestion to move the upper forms to a new premises on the outskirts of town, leaving the lower forms in the original building. At the request of the Board of Trustees, the Old Frees Association convened and decided to rename the original school as Hutchings School, after the school's original founder.
Penang Free School field and pavillion
© Timothy Tye using this photo
Meanwhile, a 30-acre site at Green Lane (Jalan Masjid Negeri) was identified for the new Penang Free School premises. It will have a school complex that includes quarters for the senior staff. Construction began in 1924, and was officially opened on 9 January 1925 by Ralph Scott, Resident Councillor of Penang.
Within the grounds of the Penang Free School is the two-storey Straits-style bungalow for the residence of the headmasters of the school. After being empty for some years, it was recently refurbished and turned into a hostel and homestay programme known as Puspahome Homestay and Event House.
When D.R. Swaine was principal, the House System was introduced for its extra-curricular activities, resulting in the creation of the following houses: Cheeseman, Hamilton, Hargreaves, Pinhorn and Wu Lien Teh House. Under this system, the student is attached to the house until he leaves school. With this system, and the rivalry generated, it is hoped that the student will take a keener interest in games.
The Second World War had a disruptive effect on the Penang Free School, although it remained intact throughout the war, even though its former premises, the Hutching School (now housing the Penang State Museum), lost a wing to Allied bombing. One of the most famous students of the school after the war ended was P. Ramlee, Malaysia's most famous entertainer, who studied there from 1945 to 1947. It was used as the headquarters of the Indian National Liberation Army. When it finally reopened after the war in 4 October 1945, the school had lost much of its furniture and prized documents.
Further improvements to the school included the building of new classrooms in 1991, which enabled single session school since 1991.
Headmasters of the Penang Free School
1816-1821: Mr. J. Cox
1821-1822: Mr. Churcher
1822-1826: Mr. Porter
1826-1828: Mr. Anchant
1828-1843: Mr. J. C. Smith
1843-1846: Mr. Bruton
1846-1853: Mr. Fitzgerald
1853-1871: Mr. J. Clark
1871-1891: Mr. G. Griffin
1891-1904: Mr. W. Hargreaves
1904-1925: Mr. R. H. Pinhorn
1925-1926: Mr. W. Hamilton
1927-1928: Mr. D. R. Swaine
1928-1929: Mr. L. W. Arnold
1929-1931: Mr. D. W. McLeod
1931-1933: Mr. M. R. Holgate
1934-1946: Mr. L. W. Arnold
1947-1949: Mr. D. Roper
1949-1950: Mr. M. F. Crocopile
1950-1951: Mr. P. F. Howitt
1951-1957: Mr. J. E. Todt
1957-1963: Mr. J. M. B. Hughes
1963-1969: Mr. Tan Boon Lin
1969-1971: Mr. Poon Poh Kong
1972-1974: Mr. K. G. Yogam
1974-1979: Dr. Goon Fatt Chee
1979-1983: Mr. R. Visvanathan, P.J.K.
1983-1988: Mr. G. Krishna Iyer
1988-1993: Mr. Goh Hooi Beng
1993-2000: Mr. Hj. Ismail bin Ibramsa
Jan 2000-Dec 2000: Mr. Abdul Rahman
2001-2006: Mr. Arabi Sulaiman, P.K.T.
2006-2006: Mr. Mohd Yusof bin Omar
2006-Present: Mr. Hj. Ramli bin Din
Getting there
Rapid Penang Bus U206 and 304 pass along Jalan Masjid Negeri (Green Lane) in front of the Trinity Methodist Church.
Nearby Sights
- Puspahome Homestay & Event House
- Green Lane McDonald's
- Trinity Methodist Church
- Penang State Mosque
Penang Free School main gate which was declared open on 29 September 1979.
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