Keat Hwa Secondary School
Encyclopedia
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- -Celebrated 100 years anniversary on .-
Keat Hwa Secondary School (or 吉华国民型华文中学 in Chinese) is a cluster high school in Alor Setar, Kedah DA, Malaysia. It was founded in 1911, making it one of the oldest schools in Malaysia. Keat Hwa Secondary School is widely known as Keat Hwa. It is said to be one of the best Chinese Secondary Schools in Malaysia.
In 2011, Keat Hwa Secondary School was awarded cluster school status （卓越学校） by Ministry of Education Malaysia (MOE
Moe
-People:First name* Moe Berg, American major league baseball catcher, and spy* Moe Drabowsky, American major league baseball pitcher* Moe Howard, one of the Three Stooges* Moe Jaffe, songwriter and bandleader* Moe Oshikiri , Japanese model...
) or the Kementerian Pelajaran Malaysia. Keat Hwa Secondary School is also said to be the best secondary school in town. And in 2011 itself, Keat Hwa celebrated its 100th anniversary with three-day celebration seeing more than 35,000 Kedah Chinese and exstudents/alumni around the world participating in the events. The Keat Hwa 100 celebration is also being recorded in the Malaysian Book of Records
Malaysian Book of Records
The Malaysian Book of Records is a Malaysian project to publish records set or broken by Malaysians. The project complements former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Bin Mohamad's 'Malaysia Boleh!' campaign...
.
As a Chinese Secondary School, the teaching Of Science and Mathematics are in English. Following the Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister's announcement on November 04, 2011, the Keat Hwa Secondary School would have the option to teach Science and Mathematics fully in English, Bahasa Malaysia, or bilingually. However, majority of the parents want their children to be taught Science and Mathematics in English.
Students 学生
Students of Keat Hwa High School come from all walks of life, be it rich or poor, dark or fair skinned, English educated or Chinese educated. Unlike the nickname "Johannian" for St. John's Institution students and "Victorian" for Victoria Institution students, there has been no officially recognized nickname for Keat Hwa students, although recently the loosely used term "Keat Hwaian" has surfaced.Because over 95% of the students are Chinese, a Chinese nickname exists for Keat Hwa students. It is the '吉华人', meaning 'People of Keat Hwa'. It also means 'Chinese staying in Kedah' as it can be representing '吉打华人'.
School Anthem 校歌
Because over 95% of the students are Chinese MalaysiansMalaysian Chinese
Malaysian Chinese is a Malaysian of Chinese origin. Most are descendants of Chinese who arrived between the fifteenth and the mid-twentieth centuries. Within Malaysia, they are usually simply referred to as "Chinese" in all languages. The term Chinese Malaysian is also sometimes used to refer to...
, the school anthem is in Mandarin Chinese. The school anthem is also used in the other 5 Keat Hwa schools namely Keat Hwa II Secondary School, Keat Hwa Chinese Independent High School, Keat Hwa (H) Primary School, Keat Hwa (K) Primary School and Keat Hwa (S) Primary School.
遠矚高瞻僑賢創校難
普及教育男女一例看
校舍傍水灣 融合氣一團
椰蔭下 任盤桓
習与教都不倦學优行端
三校併 斐然成大觀
齊努力 國強民生安
School History 校史
Keat Hwa Secondary School was first established in the year 1911 after a name change from Chung Hwa School.Its establishment came about due to problems in the Chinese
Chinese people
The term Chinese people may refer to any of the following:*People with Han Chinese ethnicity ....
community caused by the prevailing low educational and cultural standards, not forgetting the local businessmen's involvement in unfavourable forms of entertainment and the presence of many gambling dens.
The school premises were first located at the Hokkien
Hoklo people
The Hoklo people are Han Chinese people whose traditional Ancestral homes are in southern Fujian of South China...
Association and the school catered for about 100 students.
In 1924, the President of the School Building Committee succeeded in obtaining an International Chinese film for screening in the quest for donations towards the construction of the school building.
Around the year 1935, three schools, namely the Chung Hwa (Boys) School, the Chung Hwa (Girls) School and the Nam Keow School, were combined into one...the Hwa Keow School. This led to an increase in the enrollment to about 600 pupils.
In 1939, the first Form One class was started and the name of the school was changed to Hwa Keow Primary and Secondary School. Owing to the large number of pupils, the school premises at Kampung Perak could not accommodate all of them and as such, the pupils had to be broken up into three different locations. This resulted in poor administration of the school.
In 1940, a block of buildings was built on the left side of the school and there was an increase to more than 10 classes of pupils. A basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
and a badminton
Badminton
Badminton is a racquet sport played by either two opposing players or two opposing pairs , who take positions on opposite halves of a rectangular court that is divided by a net. Players score points by striking a shuttlecock with their racquet so that it passes over the net and lands in their...
court formed part of the new facilities available to the students. More importantly, all the students could study within the same school compound.
During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
in 1941, the school was suspended when Kedah was occupied by the Japanese
Empire of Japan
The Empire of Japan is the name of the state of Japan that existed from the Meiji Restoration on 3 January 1868 to the enactment of the post-World War II Constitution of...
armies.
The Japanese army occupied the school premises from 1941 to 1945. When World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
ended and the Japanese army surrendered in 1945, Keat Hwa School was restarted with an increase in its enrollment.
In September 1949, a plan to build new premises at Kampung Perak was hatched. All the pupils contributed One Dollar a month towards the building fund.
In 1950, the Kampung Baru site was bought for $28,000 in cash.
On 30 July 1950, HRH the Sultan of Kedah laid the foundation stone of the new premises.
On September 1951, a school hall and twenty-two classrooms were planned for at a cost of $230,000.
The new school premises at Kampung Baru were completed in 1953. It was the biggest Chinese school in Kedah with 2000 students at both primary and secondary levels.
In 1954, the School Board decided to allow the secondary session to be conducted at the Kampung Baru premises while the Kampung Perak premises were used for the primary classes. Kampung Perak premises was renovated to cater for this arrangement.
In 1954, the school hall and eight classrooms were ready. In 1956, ten more classrooms were in place and in 1958, eight more classrooms were added. Ten more classrooms completed with a row of toilet facilities were added in 1959,.
In 1958, the administration of the primary and secondary sections of the school were separated. The primary section was split into three parts namely Keat Hwa (H), Keat Hwa (K) and Keat Hwa (S) i.e. as they exist today.
In 1963the secondary school name was changed from Hwa Keow Secondary School to Keat Hwa Secondary School.
In 1964, the premises at Kampung Baru was found to have aged especially so for the toilets. Consequently, the School Board applied for a grant sufficient to renovate the premises but only $6,000 was approved in spite of numerous letters of appeal. Finally, the School Board successfully invited Mr Khir Johari, the Minister of Education at that time, to make a visit to the school whereupon a renovation grant of $100,000 was subsequently obtained.
In 1965, the secondary entrance exam in primary schools was abolished and all the pupils of the three Keat Hwa primary schools could continue their education in SMKH. As a result, SMKH faced a serious shortage of classrooms as it shares the same premise with Keat Hwa (S) Primary School at Kampung Baru.
Luckily for the school, help came from the Chief Education Officer and a State Assemblyman. Approval was obtained for the construction of new premises for SMKH at Jalan Kuala Kedah from the then Minister of Education. A sum of $1,100,000 was paid for the construction of the new premises.
In 1968, the Minister of Education graced the Annual Prize-giving Day of SMKH. HRH the Sultanah of Kedah gave away the prizes to the students and a royal pledge was made to present a SULTAN's GOLD Award every year.
In 1970 the new buildings at Jalan Kuala Kedah were ready for occupation. There were 24 classrooms and a school hall. The first class at the new premises commence on 23 August 1970.
In 2007, Keat Hwa(K) which shared the same school facilities with Keat Hwa (H), moved to its own new premise while Keat Hwa (H) remains in the same location.
In 2011, Keat Hwa Secondary School being honoured the Cluster School award.
And in 2011 itself too, Keat Hwa Secondary School celebrated its 100th anniversary. The preparation of the celebration was featured in Astro
Astro
- Entertainment and media :* Astro , a member of the British reggae band UB40* Astro , a Japanese noise music project* Astro , a contestant on the first season of the U.S...
's Ben Di Quan and MalaysiaKini
Malaysiakini
Malaysiakini is a political news website published in English, Malay, Chinese and Tamil. Since its launch on November 20, 1999, it has been widely considered to be one of the leading non-government owned paid-news agencies in Malaysia. Compete.com estimates that Malaysiakini now attracts over...
The preparation includes a number of events being held from the beginning of the year till the three-day celebration.
One of the events is the making of a dedicated album which covers 10 songs written and composed by Keat Hwa alumni and students. One of the song being covered in the album is by St. John of Keat Hwa - 'Only Us'. The making of the 'Only Us' was again featured in MalaysiaKini
On 28 July 2011, the Prime Minister of Malaysia, Najib Razak visited the school as the celebration of Keat Hwa 100 Years. Najib Razak, during his speech, urged vernacular schools not to be ungrateful as their existence was due to the support given to them by the ruling parties - Barisan Nasional
Barisan Nasional
Barisan Nasional is a major political coalition in Malaysia, formed in 1973 as the successor to the Alliance . Along with its predecessor, it has been Malaysia's federal ruling political force since independence...
.
The three-day celebration of 100 years establishment saw more than 35,000 exstudents/alumni and parents participating in the event.
Today, Keat Hwa Secondary School has more than 1800+ students, making it one of the best Chinese Secondary Schools in Malaysia with high passing rates and high number of students who scored excellent results in general examinations.
School Administration 学校行政
As of year 2009Principal : Mr. Chow Lai Hing
Vice Principal for Administration : Mr. Yeoh Chui Seang
Vice Principal for Student Affairs : Mr. Lor San Shu
Vice Principal for Co-Curriculum : Mr. Ng Kok Khim
Vice Principal for Afternoon Session : Mdm. Goh Kim Bung
Senior Teacher in Language : Mdm. Chan Guat Sim
Senior Teacher in Science and Mathematics : Mdm. Khor Sook Mooi
Senior Teacher in Vocational and Techniques : Mr. Wong Ghee Hong
Senior Teacher in Humanities : Mdm. Leow Siet Peng
Outstanding Teacher in Mathematics : Mr. Tan Chai Ang
Outstanding Teacher in Mathematics : Mdm. Ooi Lay Guat
Outstanding Teacher in General Studies : Ms. Peh Peak Heong
Outstanding Teacher in Physical Education : Mr. Lim Kian Aun
Administration Coordinator of Afternoon Session : Mr. Tan Ching Sin
Counseling Teacher : Ms. Tang Beng Nyi (Morning Session)
Counseling Teacher : Ms. Lee Kim Kheng (Morning Session)
Counseling Teacher : Ms. Keoy Soo Huey (Afternoon Session)
Coordinator for General Studies : Ms. Peh Peak Heong
Coordinator for Malay Language : En. Zulkefle b. Hussain
Coordinator for English Language : Mdm. Loh Lee Chin
Coordinator for English for Science and Technology : Mdm. Ho Lai Chan
Coordinator for Chinese Language : Mr. Lim Ching Kim
Coordinator for Mathematics : Mr. Tan Chai Ang
Coordinator for Science : Mr. Tan Ka Chye
Coordinator for Physics : Mr. Lee Choon Fut
Coordinator for Chemistry : En. Rosli b. Azizan
Coordinator for Biology : En. Mohd. Sahimi b. Mahat
Coordinator for Principles of Account : Mdm. Chua Seok Been
Coordinator for Basic Economics : Mr. Wong Ghee Hong
Coordinator for Integrated Living Skills : Pn. Muzammilah bt. Abdullah
Coordinator for Geography : Mr. Cheah Hock Chin
Coordinator for History : Mr. Ramachandran a/l Govindasamy
Coordinator for Moral Education : En. Ramli b. Sharif
Coordinator for Civics and Nationality Education : Mdm. Chong Lee Pei
Coordinator for Islamic Education : Pn. Siti Zauyah bt. Shaari
Coordinator for Visual Arts Education : Pn. Badariah bt. Dato' Ismail
Coordinator for Physical Education : Mr. Lim Kian Aun
Secretary of STPM Examination : Mdm. Ho Sook Chee
Secretary of SPM Examination : Mdm. Khor Kim Lang
Secretary of PMR Examination : Pn. Noraini bt. Saad
Supervisor for Form 6 : Mr. Teoh Peng Kee
Supervisor for Form 5 : Ms. Teh Wah Ping
Supervisor for Form 4 : Mr. Lim Huan Tak
Supervisor for Form 3 : Mdm. Tai Siew Luan
Supervisor for Form 2 : Pn. Zauyah bt. Ramli
Supervisor for Form 1 : Pn. Roshida bt. Ismail
Notable alumni 校友
Many of the alumnus are now professionals, including doctorPhysician
A physician is a health care provider who practices the profession of medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring human health through the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, injury and other physical and mental impairments...
s, lawyer
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
s, engineer
Engineer
An engineer is a professional practitioner of engineering, concerned with applying scientific knowledge, mathematics and ingenuity to develop solutions for technical problems. Engineers design materials, structures, machines and systems while considering the limitations imposed by practicality,...
s, film editors, architects, accountants, dentists, pharmacists, scientists and many more.
Below are some notable amlumnus:-
- Angelica LeeAngelica LeeAngelica Lee Sin-Jie is a Malaysian Chinese film actress and pop singer. She started her career in singing and later moved on to acting in Taiwan and Hong Kong. Lee starred in The Eye, the hit Asian horror film by the Pang Brothers, winning her the Golden Horse Award for Best Actress, Best Actress...
Sin-Jie (Chinese: 李心潔) - Danell Lee Chieh Hun (Simplified Chinese: 李桀汉, Traditional Chinese: 李桀漢)
- Jesseca LiuJesseca LiuJesseca Liu Zhi Xuan is a Malaysian actress and model working in Singapore.-Early life:Jesseca Liu was born in Langkawi, Malaysia. She began modeling after graduating from Saito Academy in 2001. Languages often spoken by Liu are Cantonese, Mandarin, English and Bahasa Melayu. First known as Lao...
(Chinese: 刘子绚) - Jojo Goh (Chinese: 吴俐璇)