‘PENANG FREE SCHOOL‘ 200TH ANNIVERSARY
8-PAGE SPECIAL IN THE NST TODAY
THE Penang Free School (PFS), the first English medium school in South East Asia if not in Asia and the oldest school in the country, dates its history back to 1815.
According to the Commemorative Book of The Old Frees‘ Association, Fidelis, it began with a proposal for the establishment of a ‘free’ school in the Prince of Wales Island ( as Penang was known then).
The main person behind the drawing up of this proposal was Reverend Robert Sparke Hutchings.
In the original scheme, there were supposed to be two schools, for boys and girls, and there would be boarders and scholars in both proposed schools.
The plan did not commence. However, a day school for boys was opened at a house in Love Lane on October 21, 1816.
It was called the Prince of Wales’ Island Free School.
The term ‘free’ does not mean that the lessons in the school was free, rather it refered to the school being free for enrolment for all.
In 1821, buildings were opened for students of the school on a parcel of land given by the East India Company in Church Square.
On the same year, two schools for Tamil and Malay languages were opened within the school premises.
The Tamil School was operated until 1823 and the Malay School until 1826.
The Constitution of the PFS was regulated by an ordinance passed by the Government of the Straits Settlements in 1905.
The ordinance stated that the school affairs should be managed by a committee consisting of 10 to 16 people including local officials, the Resident Councillor and Presidents. Other members will be nominated by the Governors.
The school provided education for children who were six or seven years old that have not been to any school up to the boys aged 18 and 19.
The medium of learning was in English and native languages were not taught.
New buildings were constructed beginning 1924 on a 12-heacter piece of land in Green Lane chosen by the government.
With the request of the Board of Trustees, the members of The Old Frees’ Association has convened and came to a decision to rename the old buildings of the school in Farquhar Street as Hutchings’ School, that will serve as a feeder school.
The new PFS buildings in Green Lane, now known as Jalan Masjid Negeri, were officially opened by the Resident Councillor of Penang, Ralph Scott on Jan 9, 1928.
In 1932, as due to the re-organisation of Government English School in Penang, PFS started four classes of Standard Six.
The school’s operation was disrupted by the Second World War and the Japanese Occupation between 1941 and 1945.
During the occupation period, the school was used as the Headquarters for the Indian National Liberation Army.
The school lost books, science apparatus, leaving certificates, school records,sports equipment, and school trophies during the war.
It was reopened on October 4, 1945. After Malaysia gained her Independence on August 31, 1957, the Penang Free School followed the new Education Ordinance of 1957 and the requirements of the National Education Policy.
The school then became a nationaltype, fully assisted secondary school that was no longer run by the government, but by a newly constituted Board of Governers.
The PFS Board of Governers was established on June 9, 1960 under the Education Ordinance 1957.
In 1991/1992, PFS adopted the single session school system.
The school motto is Fortis Atque Fidelis which is a Latin phrase for Strong and Faithful.