KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 23 — Set against the picturesque backdrop of rain trees, the iconic Methodist Girls’ School (MGS) Melaka — one of the oldest all-girls schools in Malaysia — is turning 120 this year.
The rain trees, some older than the school, are an integral part of the school’s heritage, MGS Melaka Board of Governors chairman and former teacher Lim Ai Ling said.
“The school field used to be a popular spot for wedding photoshoots, so much so that we had to lock the gates to the field!” she said.
That sight still amuses former principal Koh Tuat Guek, who never really left her alma mater since she began her primary education there in 1961.
Koh, 70, has devoted over 50 years of life to the school — as a student, teacher, two-time principal of the Methodist Girls’ Secondary School (MGSS) and now as a Board of Governors member.
“My teachers were always kind. They provided me with whatever I needed even without me asking. So, when I returned there to teach in 1979, I continued the chain of kindness,” she explained.
The school was founded in 1904 by Emma Ferris Shellabear with only nine students at the home of Baba Tan Keong Keng — whose daughter Tan Siok Kim was the school’s first pupil and later became the school’s first local teacher.
In 1910, the school relocated to Kubu Road and was called the Methodist English School and in 1920, the school moved to a new building at Bickley Park in Tranquerah — where the MGS Primary School 1 currently stands.
Shellabear also established a girls’ hostel — the Shellabear Hall — for female students coming from other towns to study at the school. The hostel now serves as a learning centre for autistic children and children with learning disabilities.
During the Japanese occupation period, the school served as a teachers’ training centre for Japanese education.
In 1953, the school opened the Shellabear Block which housed a science laboratory, a library and eight classrooms.
The block was restored in 2004 when the school celebrated its 100th anniversary and the restoration efforts bagged a National Heritage Award of Excellence from Badan Warisan Malaysia.
For Koh, one of her fondest memories teaching there was when an Indian girl walked up to her and asked her to be her foster mother.
Parents and ex-teacher, she said, never hesitated to shore up support for the school.
“One of the school blocks was badly infested with termites and when we were scrambling for funds, one girl’s father turned up at my office and said he will renovate it for free in just two weeks.
“Then, during a fund-raising drive to build a multi-purpose open hall, an ex-teacher withdrew a large portion of his savings and handed it to me. He was truly a God-sent!” she said.
Just as she remains in touch with her ex-students, Koh also cherishes her bond with her ex-teachers, especially with her Physics teacher and hockey coach Kong Teng Kok.
Kong taught at the Methodist Girls’ Secondary School for 23 years and was part of the hockey team that he coached for state-level competitions.
At 88 now, Kong still beams with pride that he “trained MGSS athletes who won enough trophies that stretched the whole width of the school hall.”
“We always taught our students to do whatever they are entrusted to the best of their ability. Excel in them and live your life worthily,” he said.
MGSS Melaka will hold its 120th anniversary celebration on September 14, which will include a heritage walk, thanksgiving service and a hi-tea buffet at the Kings Green Hotel City Centre Melaka.
For more information, please contact Lim Ai Ling at 017-8773522.
