The Malay College Kuala Kangsar (Malay College, MCKK, MC or Koleq, Kolek and sometimes dubbed "the Eton of the East") is a residential school in Malaysia. It is an all-boys and all-Malay school located in the royal town of Kuala Kangsar, Perak. In the Malay language, it is called Kolej Melayu Kuala Kangsar or formerly Maktab Melayu Kuala Kangsar.

Coat of Arms

The shield is quartered, coloured white (argent) in the first quarter, red (gules) in the second, black (sable) in the third and yellow (or) in the fourth.

The colors represent the four Houses into which the students are grouped; Idris (white), Sulaiman (red), Mohd Shah (yellow) and Ahmad (black). The Houses are named in honor of the four Sultans who founded the College.

In the middle of the shield is a red kris, a traditional Malay dagger. On top of the crest is a head of a tiger which is the symbol of the Federation of Malaya. Surrounding the left and right side of the shield are laurel wreaths symbolizing excellence. The school motto is Fiat Sapientia Virtus, which is Latin for Manliness Through Wisdom.

History

Malay College Kuala Kangsar (MCKK) is the first fully-residential school in Malaysia. Established on 2nd January, 1905, it was originally known as the Malay Residential School of Kuala Kangsar.

The school was the brainchild of Mr R J Wilkinson, then Inspector of Schools for the Federated Malay States. In a letter to the Resident-General dated 24 February 1904 he wrote about "establishing at a suitable locality in the F.M.S., a special residential school for the education of Malays of good family and for the training of Malay boys for admission to certain branches of Government service".

Its formation was supported by the then Rulers of the Federated Malay States namely Sultan Idris Murshidul ‘Adzam Shah I of Perak, Sultan Alaiddin Sulaiman Shah of Selangor, Yam Tuan Tuanku Muhammad Shah of Negeri Sembilan and Sultan Ahmad Mu’adzam Shah of Pahang.

Mr W Hargreaves, then Headmaster of Penang Free School was appointed as the first headmaster to lead the establishment of the school. Since 1965, the Malay College has been led by Malay headmasters.

As it was founded to educate the Malay elite, comprising of royal children and the sons of Malay nobility, few of its early students were from amongst commoner families. This changed dramatically after 1947, as a result of rising Malay nationalism. Today, selected Malay boys aged from 12 to 17 from around Malaysia are being educated there.

The Straits Echo on 15 April 1905 reported that a few boys were placed in cosy dormitories in Mr Hargreaves’ rented house, while the others were stabled in small houses formerly occupied by the Malayan Railway clerks. The second half of the school, conducted by Mr Vanrenen was held in a fowl house. There were 40 boys in the first intake of the school.

The sanction for the building of a permanent school became official on 23 December 1905, and by 1 May 1909, the Big School was first brought into use. On Saturday, 11 December 1909, the Big School was officially opened by the Sultan of Perak, and the auspicious date also marked the change in the name of the school from the Malay Residential School of Kuala Kangsar to the Malay College of Kuala Kangsar.

The change also seems to have seen greater emphasis on the original aim of MCKK. A report from 1910 said: "From this school the Government have great hopes that the sons of Malays of the Raja and higher class will be educated and trained on the lines of an English Public School and be fitted to take a share in the Government of their Country".

Since its inception, more than 5,000 boys (and 2 girls) have entered the gates of MCKK.

The college celebrated its centenary on 26 March 2005, attended by dignitaries, old boys, and townspeople. The Yang di-Pertuan Agong of Malaysia attended the event, along with the royal rulers of the states of Perak, Selangor and Negeri Sembilan as well as the governor of Malacca.

On June 10 2006, Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko of Japan visited the school. The monarchs had promised to visit the school back in 1990s.

Since 30 May 2007, the Malaysian Ministry of Education has recognized MCKK as a cluster school.

MCKK has been the school for many prominent Malaysians such as kings, sultans, prime ministers, ministers as well as senior officials in the Government and leading figures in the private sector.

Buildings

The most recognizable feature of the school is the Big School (built in 1909), a building with pseudo Greco-Roman architecture fronted by a rugby field. The Prep School, built later in 1912, is smaller but with equally prominent features. In 1955, the West and East Wing, as well as the Administration Block and Clocktower were added. The Administrative Block was opened by High Commissioner for the Federation of Malaya Sir Donald MacGillivray in 1955. The West and the East Wing, together with the Overfloor make up what is now called the Big School. Two more hostel blocks, the Pavilion and New Hostel were built in 1963 and 1972 respectively; the latter houses second formers. Another prominent feature of the school is the Big Tree, a raintree (Samanea saman) in front of the East Wing that is said to be as old as the school itself.

Sports

The school has three fields. One is located in front of the Big School, reserved for rugby, soccer and cricket. The second field is located south eastern of the Big School and it hosts field hockey game. The third open space is in the Administration Block and it is used for various purposes.

The College ground is also the only place in Malaysia where one could find an Eton Fives court. The students neither use the court nor do they play the game, however.

The school also excels in sports and debate. It became a powerhouse in rugby during the sixties and still has one of the best rugby school teams in the nation . Nicknamed "All-Blacks" after the New Zealand national team for its all black strip, they perform the haka before matches. It has held a match series against the Vajiravudh College of Thailand since 1960. In odd-numbered years, the match is held in Kuala Kangsar. In even-numbered years, it is held in Bangkok, Thailand. In addition to this, MCKK competes with rival Royal Military College every year in a multi-games carnival.

Within the school, each student belongs to one of four "Rumah" (sport houses), named after the founders of the school. They are Sulaiman (represented by the color red), Ahmad (black), Mohd Shah (yellow) and Idris (white). The four houses compete with each other in sport. The competition between the four reaches its peak in the school's Sports Day.

Alumni

The alumni association of MCKK is known as the Malay College Old Boys' Association (MCOBA) and it was established in 1929.

Amongst the more notable alumni of the Malay College are: Dato' Onn Jaafar, the father of Malay nationalism and former Prime Minister Tun Abdul Razak Hussein, the former Deputy Prime Minister Dato' Seri Anwar Ibrahim, Malaysian ministers Hishammuddin Hussein, Effendi Norwawi, Fauzi Abdul Rahman and Nazri Aziz, politician and former chairman of the Barisan Nasional Backbenchers Club Shahrir Samad, the Sultans of Pahang and Perak, late Omar Ali Saifuddin III of Brunei from 1932 to 1936 and the Yang di-Pertuan Besar of Negeri Sembilan. Pak Sako or Ishak Haji Muhammad, Tan Sri Yahya Ahmad and Dr. Azahari Husin were also alumni.

The novelist and composer Anthony Burgess (1917-93), author of The Long Day Wanes: A Malayan Trilogy, was a master at MCKK. He taught English and history, and was housemaster at King's Pavilion, between 1956 and 1957 during the headmastership of J.D.R. "Jimmy" Howell. Burgess composed Sinfoni Melayu (1956) and later Sinfoni Malaya for orchestra and brass band (1957), which included cries of "Merdeka!" from the audience. He also wrote two pieces for MCKK. These were the 'Ode: Celebration for a Malay college', for boys' voices and piano (1954), and 'Cantata for a Malay college' (1954).

The alumni association is based in the Penthouse of the MCOBA building in Kuala Lumpur, which is also home of UEM.

Traditions

A few school traditions survive:

• the wearing of one of two forms of the school tie every Wednesday by the old boys.
• the annual gathering lasting around three days at the school itself - referred to as Old Boys Weekend. During the weekend, sports matches are held between the Old Boys and the students, culminating with a rugby match on Sunday morning.
• an annual formal dinner for old boys, usually held in a ballroom in Kuala Lumpur.
• the school cheering where almost every student is required to sing in unison various fight songs during official sport matches while wearing a specially designed polo-shirt.

Headmasters

• 1905—1918: William Hargreaves
• 1918—1919: J.O. May
• 1919—1923: L.A.S. Jermyn
• 1923—1938: C. Bazell
• 1938—1949: H.R. Carey
• 1949—1953: K.D. Luke
• 1953—1958: J.D.R. Howell
• 1958—1959: P.G. Haig
• 1959—1965: N.J. Ryan
• 1965—1969: Dato' Abdul Aziz Ismail
• 1970—1971: Syed Abu Bakar Barakbah
• 1971—1972: Dato' Mohd. Ghazali Hj. Hanafiah
• 1973—1975: Nordin Nasir
• 1975—1977: Abdul Rahman Mohd. Ali
• 1977—1982: Wan Abdul Aziz Wan Hamzah
• 1982—1983: Syed Alwi Syed Aljunid
• 1983—1987: Zainal Abidin Hj. Ahmad
• 1988—1992: Dato' Rashdi Ramlan
• 1992—1995: Dato' Hj. Hassan Hashim
• 1995—1999: Datuk Hj. Baharom Kamari
• 1999—2003: Dato' Hj. Alimuddin Hj. Mohd. Dom
• 2004—present: Mohd Rauhi Mohd Isa(babi gle)a.k.a shahriman zahari

References

• Johan, Khasnor. Educating The Malay Elite: The Malay College Kuala Kangsar, 1905-1941. Pustaka Antara. Malay College Old Boys Association. The Malaysian Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society. ISBN 967-937-356-8
• Johan, Khasnor. Leadership But What's Next? ISBN 983-3318-52-5

Further reading

• Neil J Ryan. The Last Expatriate: Reminiscenses of an educationalist in Malaysia. Utusan Publications & Distributors Sdn. Bhd. ISBN 967-61-1730-7
• Nik Ismail Nik Daud. Arbain Kadri. Prosiding Simposium MCOBA 1. December 3, 1989.

External links

• Official website
• Malay College Old Boys Association The Old Boys Association website.
• [62584] Malay College Teacher's Association website.