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| Some notes on ACS Teluk Anson written by Cikgu Samad |
Sunday, December 29, 2013
Friday, December 27, 2013
His New Beginning at ACS,Teluk Anson
After 4 years teaching at Anglo Chinese School, Ipoh, there was an important turn of event in his life. Still a bachelor at the age of 23, he was asked to be transferred to ACS, Teluk Anson.
To him it was a new beginning of his life. Particularly so because it was a place he had never been before and the school was a new setup.
As soon as he arrived, he wasted no time. His first extra-curricular activity was to teach gymnastics as he was an expert. He had his gymnastic training by a Sikh ex-army instructor while in ACS, Ipoh.
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| 1923 - Cikgu Samad Age: 23 yrs old |
To him it was a new beginning of his life. Particularly so because it was a place he had never been before and the school was a new setup.
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| Staff of ACS Teluk Anson, 1923. Cikgu Samad : Standing, 2nd from left |
As soon as he arrived, he wasted no time. His first extra-curricular activity was to teach gymnastics as he was an expert. He had his gymnastic training by a Sikh ex-army instructor while in ACS, Ipoh.
Thursday, December 26, 2013
From Schooling To Teaching
His strong desire to be educated in an English school made him take an arduous journey to Temoh where he met his only available relative, cousin Samsuddin. He knew that his cousin would be able to help him get to school as he was working as a Forest Ranger there. Temoh , was then a tiny village by the railroad located between Kampar and Tapah. It must have taken him a couple of days to arrive there from Kg Menora.
Unfortunately, there weren't any English schools in Temoh. The only school that teaches some English was a Tamil school. Although he felt despaired but was excited to go to school. Barefooted and with little belongings he was enrolled into Standard One in that Tamil School. All the subjects were taught in Tamil except English. Here was where he got his first English lesson.
Living with a cousin much older than him wasn't at all that smooth sailing. He practically had to do all the household chores before and after school as his cousin brother was then a bachelor. He did his best as he was totally dependent on his cousin for his daily survival. He lived there for a year or so and had always felt that there was a better school else where. He then found out that English schools were only available in Ipoh, Taiping and Kuala Kangsar. So the nearest to Temoh would be a school in Ipoh. Going to such school was just his dream.
By sheer luck in one morning in early 1913, his father who was in Temoh at that time had asked a Sikh boy by the name of Pakki Singh to bring him to a his school in Ipoh. He went along with Pakki Singh to school in Ipoh by train. To his surprise, he found out that it was Anglo Chinese School, Ipoh. His dream had become a reality. He then enrolled himself into Std III at the Anglo Chinese School, Ipoh which was about an hours train ride from Temoh. At this school all the subjects were taught in English. He was so delighted and had studied very hard. On that same year he got double promotion by passing in the same year 2 examinations. He was promoted from Std III to Std V.
In 1918, he passed the School Final Examination for Std VII (which is equivalent to the fomer LCE or today's PMR). During that time, due to the fact that both his parents had died he had great difficulty in paying the $2 monthly school fee.
Being such a determined and courageous schoolboy, he personally wrote a letter to the Principal, Rev W.E. Horley and handed the letter personally. The Principal was very impressed with his letter, particularly on his command of the English language and his sincere determination to excel in his studies. The Principal immediately granted him a free scholar. Much to his happiness he continued his studies in Std VI and Std VII and had vowed that one day he would return the kind guesture to ACS.
When he was in Std VII, a kind Chinese philanthropist had contributed $60 per year scholarship - to be given out $15 every quarter to the best pupil in Std VII. With sheer determination and hard work, he was awarded the scholarship every quarter, throughout the year.
At the year end of 1918, he sat for the Normal Class Examination to become a teacher as to continue schooling to Junior and Senior Cambridge would mean a greater financial burden to him. Normal Clas was conducted on weekends at the Anderson School, Ipoh. I remember he mentioning the name Rev S.S. Pakianathan, who was the Headmaster of ACS Teluk Anson at that time was his colleague in the Normal Class.
Soon after passing the Normal Class Examination, he served as a teacher in ACS Ipoh with a salary of $31.50 per month. Being enterprising, he made extra income by giving Malay language tuition to Europeans and American who were residing in Ipoh.
He had now fulfilled his solemn vow to serve the school in return of the kind gesture of the Principal and Founder of Anglo Chinese School, Rev W.E. Horley.
Unfortunately, there weren't any English schools in Temoh. The only school that teaches some English was a Tamil school. Although he felt despaired but was excited to go to school. Barefooted and with little belongings he was enrolled into Standard One in that Tamil School. All the subjects were taught in Tamil except English. Here was where he got his first English lesson.
Living with a cousin much older than him wasn't at all that smooth sailing. He practically had to do all the household chores before and after school as his cousin brother was then a bachelor. He did his best as he was totally dependent on his cousin for his daily survival. He lived there for a year or so and had always felt that there was a better school else where. He then found out that English schools were only available in Ipoh, Taiping and Kuala Kangsar. So the nearest to Temoh would be a school in Ipoh. Going to such school was just his dream.
By sheer luck in one morning in early 1913, his father who was in Temoh at that time had asked a Sikh boy by the name of Pakki Singh to bring him to a his school in Ipoh. He went along with Pakki Singh to school in Ipoh by train. To his surprise, he found out that it was Anglo Chinese School, Ipoh. His dream had become a reality. He then enrolled himself into Std III at the Anglo Chinese School, Ipoh which was about an hours train ride from Temoh. At this school all the subjects were taught in English. He was so delighted and had studied very hard. On that same year he got double promotion by passing in the same year 2 examinations. He was promoted from Std III to Std V.
In 1918, he passed the School Final Examination for Std VII (which is equivalent to the fomer LCE or today's PMR). During that time, due to the fact that both his parents had died he had great difficulty in paying the $2 monthly school fee.
Being such a determined and courageous schoolboy, he personally wrote a letter to the Principal, Rev W.E. Horley and handed the letter personally. The Principal was very impressed with his letter, particularly on his command of the English language and his sincere determination to excel in his studies. The Principal immediately granted him a free scholar. Much to his happiness he continued his studies in Std VI and Std VII and had vowed that one day he would return the kind guesture to ACS.
When he was in Std VII, a kind Chinese philanthropist had contributed $60 per year scholarship - to be given out $15 every quarter to the best pupil in Std VII. With sheer determination and hard work, he was awarded the scholarship every quarter, throughout the year.
At the year end of 1918, he sat for the Normal Class Examination to become a teacher as to continue schooling to Junior and Senior Cambridge would mean a greater financial burden to him. Normal Clas was conducted on weekends at the Anderson School, Ipoh. I remember he mentioning the name Rev S.S. Pakianathan, who was the Headmaster of ACS Teluk Anson at that time was his colleague in the Normal Class.
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| His Teaching Certificate |
Soon after passing the Normal Class Examination, he served as a teacher in ACS Ipoh with a salary of $31.50 per month. Being enterprising, he made extra income by giving Malay language tuition to Europeans and American who were residing in Ipoh.
He had now fulfilled his solemn vow to serve the school in return of the kind gesture of the Principal and Founder of Anglo Chinese School, Rev W.E. Horley.
Wednesday, December 25, 2013
His Early Days
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| An group of people traveling on elephants at the bank of Perak River in the early 1900s |
This was where on 15th Febuary 1899, my father, Abdul Samad was born, in an era of no electricity, piped water or organized medical care. Putih Rokiah, his mother must have been a strong and resilience woman. His father Ibrahim was a Forest Ranger working for the Forest Department and had always been away at work throughout the Lower Perak district. A year or two later, Abdul Majid was born and he had been the only uncle I ever had.
His early education was by his beloved mother who taught him how to read the Koran. Education was so informal then. Dad use to tell me that in some occasion, his mom would be busy cleaning the compound around the house but attentively listening to his loud recitations. She would correct his reading instantaneously when she hears a flaw in his recitations. To me, that was simply amazing!
At an early age of 12, like a little bird that need to fly out of it's nest, he had decided to leave his kampong home. It was quite a normal thing to do in those days, I suppose, where adolescent kids would leave home to seek knowledge or greener pastures. For him it was to seek English education or locally said "sekolah omputih". That has been his childhood dream.
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