Saint George's Institution (Malay: Institusi Saint George; abbreviated SGI) is a public all-boys[citation needed] (and girls for Sixth Form) and is one of the oldest schools in Taiping, Perak.[citation needed] The school is widely known as by its initial "SGI" and the students of St. George's Institution are called Georgians for boys and Georgianas for girls.
St. George's Institution
Institusi St. George
The historical 1915 academic block of St. George's Institution.
It was founded by a group of La Salle brothers from Penang as a Catholic boys' school. The school is surrounded by four roads, Station Road (front), Barrack Road (behind), Cross Street No. 9 and Cross Street No. 10. The school motto is, Honor Virtutis Praemium which means honour is the reward of virtue.
On 4 March 1914, Brother James Joseph Byrne visited the town Taiping, Perak. He suggested to the then British Resident of Perak, Sir Reginald George Watson (1913–1919), for the establishment of a Catholic school for boys. His request was approved by the Perak State Government, and a piece of land nearby the hospital was granted. The land was donated by the Kwa Family, one of the wealthy Chinese families of the town. In 1914, the foundation stone was laid by the then Acting Resident of Perak, Oliver Marks, and the opening ceremony was attended by prominent European families and Malay rulers where most of them comprised from the State Council Members and the social elites in Perak.
The school was completed in 1915, with 7 teachers, 49 students and 6 classes, housed together in the original three-storey building. The St. George's main building was designed by a colonial architect from Penang, in the mixture of Neo-Grec and Neo-Romanesque architecture, with two wings and a main porch in front (facing the Station Road). The charming building is still standing today and serves as the school's front facade.
The first Director of the school was Brother James Gilbert who served as the director and principal in the first year of its establishment (he later returned to serve another term in 1923). The school was run by La Sallian missionaries from all around the world, however it received partial financial assistance from the State Government. After Malaya gained independence from the British Government in 1957, the school continued on as a missionary school with limited funding from the government though it was staffed with teachers from the Education Department. As from 2006, the school is funded 95% by the Ministry of Education of Malaysia.
During World War II, along with other schools in the town, St. George's was closed down. It was converted into the headquarters for the Kempetai. The rumoured brutality and torture committed by the Japanese military police during the tenure of the school is a source of ghostly legends commonly circulated by the students even today. The Lassalian brothers were placed under house detention, old boys of the school during this period time risked their lives to assist the detained missionaries. The school reopened at the end of the war along with other schools, such as SMK King Edward VII, St. John's Institution, SMK Victoria Institution and St. Michael's Institution.
The Brothers' quartersEdit
The Brothers' quarters were occupied at the first and second floor of the main building right wing. In the immediate post-war and pre-war the second floor was divided into three sections. Near to the chapel stairs was the largest section when the Brothers, numbering about a dozen, had their desks, with the Director's desk in the far centre. This was the study room for the Brothers.
The second section was the fitted dining room for the Brothers. At the end was a narrow section were the table-boy (a Hainan) laid out the food, where the food brought up from the kitchen. The small kitchen was situated where the bicycle shed today. After the changes of Directorship, the large first section was sub-divided as the number of Brothers had decreased. The study room was split into a common recreation room.
During the Japanese Occupation in Malaya, the Japanese demolished the Brothers' dorms at the second floor. When the Japanese surrendered to the British in 1945, Brother Dennis and Brother Casimir rebuilt the cubicles, about 14 in numbers.
After the end of the last school Director, Rev. Bro. Charles Levin, the Brothers' Quarters were left vacant for years. In 2000, the school authorities renovated the Brothers' Quarters to expand the number of classrooms. In 2001, the renovations were completed and housed the Sixth Former students. The first floor was transformed into computer rooms.
List of former Georgian TeachersEdit
Brother James Macken who now resides at Downpatrick, Northern Ireland. Served at St. George's in November 1949 until August 1965. He also served as a teacher at St. Xavier's and Director of St. Paul's in Seremban.
Brother Cyrenius, formerly Bro Patrick, served St. George's in 1956 to 1959. He lives in La Salle Home in Belfast.
Brother Columba, served SGI in 1956 to 1957. He is posted as Home Supervisor in La Salle Home in Belfast.
Brother Cyprian, also Gerald Donovan served SGI from 1959 to 1967. He continued to teach in England and retired there.
Peter Reutens formerly Bro Matthew, served SGI 1958-1963 and 1968-1972. He lives in Perth, Australia.
Brother John D'Cruz, taught in SGI 1965-1967, 1970, 1973–1974 and 1978-1982 as Director. He is in Rome on a three-year contract.
Ang Kok Peng - Dean of Faculty of Science at the National University of Singapore. Elected member of the Singapore Legislative Assemblyman. He has been the Ambassador of Singapore to Japan for three years from February 1971 to 1974 and also the Minister of State for Communication of Singapore.
Gregory Yong - Roman Catholic Archbishop Emeritus of Singapore. On 2 April 1977, he was installed as the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore. He was the second Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Singapore, which was formed in 1972 when the Archdiocese of Malacca-Singapore split and held the office until his retirement on 14 October 2000.
Ismail Khan Ibrahim Khan — the First Chief Justice of the High Courts in Borneo States, he was the Chief Judge for Negri Sembilan and Malacca, and was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal. He was also the first Malay to study law overseas and received the prestigious Queen's Scholarship.
Manecksha Rustim — Parsi merchant and land proprietor, founder member MIC Taiping and President of the political party since 1967. Director of Election for Larut Selatan 1969 (Alliance), Member of Town Board, Justice of Peace (JP), Member Licensing Board. A road in Taiping was named after him: Jalan Manecksha (formerly Cross Street No.3).[1]
Ng Kam Poh — Member of the Parliament 1965, Dr. Ng also the Deputy Minister of Finance in July 1965 later Minister of Health. He was the Minister of Welfare Services just before general elections in May 1969 when he lost his Parliamentary seat.
Ong H. T. - recipient of a Queen Scholarship in 1931 to study Law in London, he was Federal Counsel in Kuala Lumpur, and later posted as the Chief Federal Judge of Malaya.[citation needed]
Toh Chin Chye - co-founder and the Chairman of the People's Action Party (PAP) and served as the Member of Parliament for Rochore since 1959, Deputy Prime Minister when Singapore attained independence in 1965, Minister for Science and Technology and Minister for Health, Singapore. He was also the Chairman of Singapore Polytechnic and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Singapore.[2]
^"NewspaperSG - Singapore Standard, 9 January 1956".
^Benson Ang (February 2012). "Dr Toh Chin Chye:1921-2012 VIP With Simple Taste". The New Paper. Singapore. pp. 4, 6.
External linksEdit
Wikimedia Commons has media related to St. George's Institution, Malaysia.
Official web page
Official web page of Old Georgians' Association
Old Georgians
E-Lasallian
August 28, 2023
george, institution, taiping, this, article, needs, additional, citations, verification, please, help, improve, this, article, adding, citations, reliable, sources, unsourced, material, challenged, removed, find, sources, news, newspapers, books, scholar, jsto. This article needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources St George s Institution Taiping news newspapers books scholar JSTOR July 2010 Learn how and when to remove this template message Saint George s Institution Malay Institusi Saint George abbreviated SGI is a public all boys citation needed and girls for Sixth Form and is one of the oldest schools in Taiping Perak citation needed The school is widely known as by its initial SGI and the students of St George s Institution are called Georgians for boys and Georgianas for girls St George s InstitutionInstitusi St GeorgeThe historical 1915 academic block of St George s Institution AddressStation Road 34000Taiping PerakMalaysiaInformationTypeAll boys citation needed primary and secondary schoolMottoLatin Honor virtutis praemium Honor is the reward for virtue Religious affiliation s ChristianDenominationRoman Catholic ChurchEstablished18 January 1915 citation needed School districtLarut Matang and SelamaPrincipalMr Tan Theong GheeGradesStandard 1 6Form 1 6GenderMaleCo educational Form 6 Enrolment1410 2008 Colour s Green and WhiteFeeder schoolsSK St George 1 TaipingSK St George 2 TaipingFounderDe La Salle BrothersChairmanMr Joseph Lau Tee SoonEmployees83 teachers and 15 general staffAbbreviationSGIWebsitesgi wbr edu wbr myIt was founded by a group of La Salle brothers from Penang as a Catholic boys school The school is surrounded by four roads Station Road front Barrack Road behind Cross Street No 9 and Cross Street No 10 The school motto is Honor Virtutis Praemium which means honour is the reward of virtue Contents 1 History 2 The Brothers quarters 3 List of former Georgian Teachers 4 Notable Old Georgians 5 Affiliations 6 References 7 External linksHistory EditThis section does not cite any sources Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed August 2012 Learn how and when to remove this template message On 4 March 1914 Brother James Joseph Byrne visited the town Taiping Perak He suggested to the then British Resident of Perak Sir Reginald George Watson 1913 1919 for the establishment of a Catholic school for boys His request was approved by the Perak State Government and a piece of land nearby the hospital was granted The land was donated by the Kwa Family one of the wealthy Chinese families of the town In 1914 the foundation stone was laid by the then Acting Resident of Perak Oliver Marks and the opening ceremony was attended by prominent European families and Malay rulers where most of them comprised from the State Council Members and the social elites in Perak The school was completed in 1915 with 7 teachers 49 students and 6 classes housed together in the original three storey building The St George s main building was designed by a colonial architect from Penang in the mixture of Neo Grec and Neo Romanesque architecture with two wings and a main porch in front facing the Station Road The charming building is still standing today and serves as the school s front facade The first Director of the school was Brother James Gilbert who served as the director and principal in the first year of its establishment he later returned to serve another term in 1923 The school was run by La Sallian missionaries from all around the world however it received partial financial assistance from the State Government After Malaya gained independence from the British Government in 1957 the school continued on as a missionary school with limited funding from the government though it was staffed with teachers from the Education Department As from 2006 the school is funded 95 by the Ministry of Education of Malaysia During World War II along with other schools in the town St George s was closed down It was converted into the headquarters for the Kempetai The rumoured brutality and torture committed by the Japanese military police during the tenure of the school is a source of ghostly legends commonly circulated by the students even today The Lassalian brothers were placed under house detention old boys of the school during this period time risked their lives to assist the detained missionaries The school reopened at the end of the war along with other schools such as SMK King Edward VII St John s Institution SMK Victoria Institution and St Michael s Institution The Brothers quarters EditThe Brothers quarters were occupied at the first and second floor of the main building right wing In the immediate post war and pre war the second floor was divided into three sections Near to the chapel stairs was the largest section when the Brothers numbering about a dozen had their desks with the Director s desk in the far centre This was the study room for the Brothers The second section was the fitted dining room for the Brothers At the end was a narrow section were the table boy a Hainan laid out the food where the food brought up from the kitchen The small kitchen was situated where the bicycle shed today After the changes of Directorship the large first section was sub divided as the number of Brothers had decreased The study room was split into a common recreation room During the Japanese Occupation in Malaya the Japanese demolished the Brothers dorms at the second floor When the Japanese surrendered to the British in 1945 Brother Dennis and Brother Casimir rebuilt the cubicles about 14 in numbers After the end of the last school Director Rev Bro Charles Levin the Brothers Quarters were left vacant for years In 2000 the school authorities renovated the Brothers Quarters to expand the number of classrooms In 2001 the renovations were completed and housed the Sixth Former students The first floor was transformed into computer rooms List of former Georgian Teachers EditBrother James Macken who now resides at Downpatrick Northern Ireland Served at St George s in November 1949 until August 1965 He also served as a teacher at St Xavier s and Director of St Paul s in Seremban Brother Cyrenius formerly Bro Patrick served St George s in 1956 to 1959 He lives in La Salle Home in Belfast Brother Columba served SGI in 1956 to 1957 He is posted as Home Supervisor in La Salle Home in Belfast Brother Cyprian also Gerald Donovan served SGI from 1959 to 1967 He continued to teach in England and retired there Peter Reutens formerly Bro Matthew served SGI 1958 1963 and 1968 1972 He lives in Perth Australia Brother John D Cruz taught in SGI 1965 1967 1970 1973 1974 and 1978 1982 as Director He is in Rome on a three year contract Brother Tiberius Lawrence Spitzig later posted as the Brother Director of St John s Institution 1955 1961 Brother Stephen Edward Buckley later posted as the Brother Director of St John s Institution from 1923 to 1924 Notable Old Georgians EditThis section does not cite any sources Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed October 2011 Learn how and when to remove this template message Ang Kok Peng Dean of Faculty of Science at the National University of Singapore Elected member of the Singapore Legislative Assemblyman He has been the Ambassador of Singapore to Japan for three years from February 1971 to 1974 and also the Minister of State for Communication of Singapore Gregory Yong Roman Catholic Archbishop Emeritus of Singapore On 2 April 1977 he was installed as the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore He was the second Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Singapore which was formed in 1972 when the Archdiocese of Malacca Singapore split and held the office until his retirement on 14 October 2000 Ismail Khan Ibrahim Khan the First Chief Justice of the High Courts in Borneo States he was the Chief Judge for Negri Sembilan and Malacca and was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal He was also the first Malay to study law overseas and received the prestigious Queen s Scholarship Manecksha Rustim Parsi merchant and land proprietor founder member MIC Taiping and President of the political party since 1967 Director of Election for Larut Selatan 1969 Alliance Member of Town Board Justice of Peace JP Member Licensing Board A road in Taiping was named after him Jalan Manecksha formerly Cross Street No 3 1 Ng Kam Poh Member of the Parliament 1965 Dr Ng also the Deputy Minister of Finance in July 1965 later Minister of Health He was the Minister of Welfare Services just before general elections in May 1969 when he lost his Parliamentary seat Ong H T recipient of a Queen Scholarship in 1931 to study Law in London he was Federal Counsel in Kuala Lumpur and later posted as the Chief Federal Judge of Malaya citation needed Toh Chin Chye co founder and the Chairman of the People s Action Party PAP and served as the Member of Parliament for Rochore since 1959 Deputy Prime Minister when Singapore attained independence in 1965 Minister for Science and Technology and Minister for Health Singapore He was also the Chairman of Singapore Polytechnic and Vice Chancellor of the University of Singapore 2 Affiliations EditSGI is affiliated to other La Sallian Educational Institutions References Edit NewspaperSG Singapore Standard 9 January 1956 Benson Ang February 2012 Dr Toh Chin Chye 1921 2012 VIP With Simple Taste The New Paper Singapore pp 4 6 External links Edit Wikimedia Commons has media related to St George s Institution Malaysia Official web page Official web page of Old Georgians Association Old Georgians E Lasallian Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title St George 27s Institution Taiping amp oldid 1161077735, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
