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Government English School (Clifford School) - A Brief History
This picture shows the early building of the Government English School (known locally as Hogan School) which then became the Clifford School, named after Sir Hugh Clifford, Governor of the Straits Settlements and High Commissioner of the Federated Malay States.
Sultan Yusof I of Perak must be credited for the introduction of English Education in Kuala Kangsar. His Highness, who foresaw the importance of the English language, requested the State Council that English instruction should be given. As a result an English class was started in the existing Malay School in 1887. In 1897 a wooden structure with bertam walls (thorny leaves woven into attap) were erected. This was called the “Government English School”. The school taught boys up to Standard IV (age 10). Girls were admitted in 1907 and thus this school became the first co-educational Government Institution in Perak, if not the Federation.
The Perak Rulers showed their patronage to the school by sending their sons to the Institution.
In 1910 an additional building was erected and was joined to the old building by a narrow passage way. Classes were increased up to Standard VII. Mr H B Collinge, Inspector of Schools, Perak and later Mr H L Summer used to come down from Taiping to examine the children in Standard IV for promotion to Standard V. Boys and girls in Standard VII had to go to Taiping for the Government Examination.
The only game played in the School was football. The Education Department supplied one football per year.
The students came from all parts of Perak and strangely some from even Binjei, Sumatra. The school progressed steadily and eventually by 1920, when numbers had increased so rapidly, two new attap sheds had to be built to accommodate all the students. Special Malay classes were started and boys were prepared for the Junior Cambridge Examination. The Scout Troop was formed at this time.
In 1921 an English School was opened at Lenggong and two Senior Masters from the Government English School were transferred to serve the new school. However in 1925 that school was closed down and many boys came to the Government English School to continue their studies.
Athletics were started and the First School Athletics meet was held on the Town Padang in 1925. In 1926 work on a new building was begun and Clifford School came into being in 1927. The old buildings were handed over to the Malay School. The School which had been affectionately known to all Kuala Kangsar residents and kampong people for three decades as “Sekolah Hogan” now had a new name.
The School now prepared the students for Senior Cambridge Examinations. The House system was introduced. In 1936, Che Mohd Safian became the first Malay Queen's Scholar and this was followed by an addition of a school Playing Field and carpentry, pottery and a school garden.
A Hostel for Japanese Officers was the School’s role during the Japanese occupation with the attap huts housing Japanese ponies. After the war the School was restarted and has gone from strength to strength.
To read more about Sir Hugh Clifford, click here.
To read more about Kuala Kangsar, click here.