Penang Free School
Fortis Atque Fidelis
our heart. There are many families here where generations have gone through
the gate of the school. This is the school attended by the 3rd and the
present King of Malaysia , the first Prime Minister of Malaysia and the
second Chief Minister of Penang. However, sad to say, the once grand
institution is deteriorating ..
1. From 2003 to 2004, there were two huge billboards
erected inside the school compound along the Jalan Masjid Negeri. One was an
advertisement for Penang Whtie Coffee and the other was an advertisement of
car tyres. The question is how much was collected and where did the money
go? Nobody from the school administration seems to care and I have not been
able to get any answer. The two billboards were taken down just before the
King of Malaysia visited the school last year. I guess it was done to save
many red faces.
2. According to the school website, a teacher raised the
question of reference books in the resource room during one of the
meetings. The books were either outdated or ridiculously expensive. However,
the headmaster was not present when the question was asked.
The books were supplied by the school book shop and the proprietor of the
book shop was seen together with the headmaster for breakfast almost every
day.
3. The present headmaster has attended not more than 5
assemblies since the beginning of this year. School assembly is held every
Monday morning and it is compulsory for all teachers and students to attend
the weekly assembly. He was not even present in the special assembly where
Dato-dato from Kuala Lumpur came to present the award to three boys for
their exemplary bravery and civic consciousness. However, he was present in
the 'jamuan teh' later. He was not present in the Teachers-Parents meeting
earlier in the evening but could attend the free meal at the Form Six
Orientation ball later at night. In fact, it is interesting statistically to
record how many times he is present in the school! The question is how can
he get away from all these and what do the boys and teachers learn from him?
Does he know that some teachers have canceled their ninth (last) period with
the boys since the beginning of the year? The staff photo session had to be
canceled because again he was not present on the day that he chose to take
the photo!
4. In 1999, the examination of Form Five had to be
postponed to a later date because the son of the headmaster had to attend
his sister's wedding in London!
5. In 2001, a teacher used the examination paper for Form
One the year before as the examination paper for Form Two the year
immediately after. In 2002, the teacher was PROMOTED to a higher post in the
Education Department. He comes back to the school representing the State
Chief Education Officer in the school annual Sports!
All these can be verified as they all happened within the last seven
years. I feel very sad and helpless as I write this message. I hope it
catches the attention of Old Frees who are in the position to do something
for the school. I also understand that the choice of headmaster has to
follow certain guide lines in the National Education Policy but integrity
and a genuine interest in educating the young Malaysians cannot be
compromised.