Prof. Khoo Kay KimAbdullah Zakaria GhazaliMohamad Abu BakarAdnan Hj NawangMohd. Kassim Haji AliNik Abdul Aziz Nik HassanJazamuddin Baharuddin

KDN0241 /84

ChiefEditorEditors

Co-ordinator

ISSN 0377 - 7529 Volume 27

Cover photo: Dutch Fort, Teluk Gedong, Pangkor Island, Perak.Constructed in 1680, Evacuated 1748.

Photo by H.S. A1lmatSuanti. Courtesy by Muzium Negara.

Contentsv Editorial

Pamela Sodhy The End of Brooke Rule in Sarawak.

Peter Wicks 5 The Malayan Novels of Sir HughClifford.

Kobkua Suwannathat-Pian 16 The Bombardment of Trengganu1862: The Power Struggle In A SmallCorner of the World.

How Mun Meng 25 The Federal Council of the F.M S.As A Colonial Legislative.

Ranjit Singh Malchi 32 Some Historical Notes on The SikhCommunity in Malaya.

Diana Tan 38 Some Activities of The StraitsChinese British Association Penang1920 - 1939.

K. Baghavan

Wong Suk Siong

M.G. Dickson C.M G.

47 Tamil Nesan: Its Origin andDevelopment.

57 The Order of the Sisters of The HolyInfant Jesus in Selangor (1899 ­1967).

83 United States aid to Malaya: TheGriffin Mission of 1950.

Published by Malaysian Historical Society 958;"Jalan Hose, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia 08-03.Printed by Seasons Press Sdn. Bhd., 13, Jalan Overseas Union, Off Jalan Klang, Kuala Lumpur.

KPJB 1783

O"l-8 ~ - 2- -%'(, 0

WONG SDK SIaNG·

The Order of the Sisters of The HolyInfant Jesus in Selangor

(1899-1967)

(i) A Short History of the Order

THE Congregation of the Sisters of the Holy Infant Jesus is an order of religiousteachers devoted to the education of girls all over the world. Their Convent schoolsare now found in Asia, Europe and America. The work of this Order is particularly

important in Malaya because it is one of the chief missionary orders responsible forbringing Western education to Malaysiangirls.

The Order of the H.I.J. was founded in France in 1662 by a Minim Friar, FatherBarre,.1 The Religious Wars in France during the sixteenth century had destroyed mostof the parish schools in the towns and villages, depriving the children of the poor of propereducation and useful training. Even when stable conditions returned, the educationsystem was not revived by the State. In the absence of State education, two Catholicmen, Father Nicholas Barre' and his friend John Baptiste de la Salle initiated a movementto open schools for the education of the poor. 2 While Father Barre' and a few charitableladies started a mission to educate the girls, de la Salle devoted his energies to the educa­tion of the boys and founded the Order of the Christian Brothers.

Religious factors also majored considerably in the foundation of the Two Orders.Through the means of education the founders hoped to consolidate Catholicism and tocheck the further growth of Protestantism in France.

The Counter Reformation within the Catholic Church inspired new ideals amongthe Catholics. Charitable services and works of mercy towards others became the newpattern of life for many devout Catholics.3 Thus Father Barre's call to educate girls metwith healthy response from some charitable well-educated ladies. A small number lefttheir homes to live together in a community devoted to one ideal - the education of thepoor. For their work they wanted no rewards except heavenly blessings. In order to ensurethe continuance of their work Father Barre' thought it necessary to form his teachersinto a religious body. The members of the body took the vows of poverty, obedience,and chastity and placed themselves under the supervision of a Mother Superior.

The extent of the Sisters' activities knew no bounds. "They will sacrificethe privelege

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The arthur is a graduate of the Department o f History, University of Malaya. This paper waswritten as an Academic Exercise in 1968. It has been revised for publication.Mission of the Sisters of the Holy Infant Jesus in Malaya (Centenary Souvenir) 1852-1952,p. 7 Father Barre' (1621-1686) was Professor of Philosophy and Theology at Rouen and Paris.Ibid., p . 8.V.H .H. Green, Renaissance and Reformation, Edward Arnold, London, 1962 , p . 201.

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of the cloister," said Father Barre', "to scatter in all directions wherever there are childrenin need of them"." Parents and children co-operated with the Sisters so that Conventschools spread widely all over France.

A .great step in the expansion of their activities came in 1851 when the Sisterswere requested to go to teach in Malaya. Subsequent missions abroad followed ; 1860to Spain , 1862 to Monaco and in 1872 to Japan.P

(ii) British Education Policy in MalayaThe Sisters of the H.I.J. started their work first in the Straits Settlementts in Malaya

in 1851. The other Catholic mission , the Christian Brothers, came to Malaya at thesame time. However the earliest pioneers in English education were the Protestantmissionaries who arrived in the Straits Settlements at the beginning of the nineteenthcentury. The role played by the Christian Missions in English education can be traced tothe education policy of the British.

The British Government during the 19th century hardly made any provision for theeducation of Malayan children especially those of the immigrant groups, namely theChinese and the Indians. Various reasons accounted for the indifferent attitude, butperhaps the most important reason lay in the attitude of the colonial government towardsthe multi-racial groups in Malaya.

The British throughout the 19th century and even into the 20th century regardedthe Chinese and the Indians as temporary sojourners in Malaya, ready to leave when theyhad accumulated a 'fortune'. While such a practice was not uncommon in the 19thcentury, the British ignored the fact that as decades passed, increasing numbers of Chineseand Indians remained in the country permanently, and regarded Malaya as their home.Since the British treated the non-Malay groups as fortune-hunters, they did not considerit necessary that the Government should provide education for people who professedloyalty outside Malaya. Later, British officials also argued that education in the Indianand Chinese vernaculars perpetuated their racial identities'' and prevented the cultivationof a common Malayan identity. Moreover the various dialects of the Chinese and theIndians would make vernacular education a difficult job for the Educational Author­ities to handle.

The only type of education the British supported was Malay vernacular education."The British felt that they bore a moral responsibility to the Malay rulers and it was theirduty to protect the interest of the Malays against the immigrant residents.f Education,they realized, was the only means to prevent the indigenous people from being over­whelmed by the non-Malays. Malay education was free and an Ordinance was passed in1902 making it compulsory for Malay boys to attend school."

English education was deliberately restricted by the Government to prepare onlya few bright boys for the clerical servtces.l? The British, having learnt their lesson fromIndia, were afraid that Western education would disrupt the harmony of native life andcreate social and political rnalcontents.!' The greater share of English education wasin fact borne by the Christian missionaries. It would not be an exaggeration to say thatthe majority of the English-educated in Malaya owed a debt of gratitude to the spiritedmen and women of the Missions. It was characteristic of British colonial policy to payattention to the establishment of administration and the development of resources.

4 (Centenary Souvenir), op cit, p . 11.5 Ibid, p. 20.6 Ho Seng Ong, Education for Unity in Malaya, Malayan Teachers' Union, Penang, 1952 . p. 41.7 Federated Malay States (F.M.S.), Report on Education, 1902, p . 4.8 Ho Seng Ong, Ope cit, p, 87 .9 D.O. Chelliah , A History of Educational policy of the Straits Settlements with Recommendation

for a new system based on Vernaculars, G.H . Kiat , Singapore, 1960, p, 75 .10 J . Neilson, "Policy and Methods with reference to Bilingual problems in British Malaya," Year

Book ofEducation 1934, p. 472 .11 Ho Seng Ong, op cit., p . 42.

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The work of education and social welfare was left to charitable institutions. It mustalso be remembered that colonization by imperialist powers was largely prompted byeconomic gains. It is not surprising therefore that all energies and funds were divertedto profitable projects while the non -profitable social and educational services were largelyneglected. However there was no deliberate measure on the part of the British Governmentto put education out of reach of the immigrant people . Missionaries were encouragedto engage in educational activities and their schools were subsidized to a small extent bythe Government .

There was no constructive educational policy during the colonial days.12 So long asthe missionaries did not interfere with local religious practices they were allowed tocarryon their educational work. There was no uniform curriculum or syllabus in theschools and textbooks were imported from abroad. Malayan children there fore receiveda foreign rather than a locally orientated education.

(iii) The Spread of Convent Education in MalayaThe extension of British rule from the Straits Settlements along the West Coast into

the interior, brought the Christian Missionaries into the Malay states . The Sisters of theH:I.J. who began their work first in the Straits Settlements ventured into the FederatedMalay States when British control had been firmly established .

The Sisters came to Malaya at the request of a Catholic priest , Rev. Father Beurelof Singapore.P Educational facilities for girls during the 19th century were largelyundeveloped. Father Beurel saw the need to give not only religious and secular educationto Catholic children but also to non-Catholics as well. There was also a lack of welfarehomes for poor widows, orphans and girls rescued from brothels. Father Beurel thereforeturned to the Sisters in France for help. "For this work" , he said, "we need of the ex­perience , the entire devotedness and continuity of policy which are associated withreligious teachers. Wewant nuns .,,14

The first Convent school was built not at Singapore but at Penang in 1851. In 1854,Singapore had her first Convent school followed by Melaka in 1875. The earliest Conventschool in the interior was established at Kuala Lumpur in 1899 . More Convent schoolswere later built at Taiping, Seremban and Ipoh . From these centres , other Conventsgradually spread throughout the states of Selangor, Perak and Negeri Sembilan. Pahangis an exception in that it has only one Convent schoop up to the present. This Conventschool is situated at Tanah Rata and it was built in 1935, more than th ree decades laterthan the pioneer Convent schools in the rest of the F.M.S. The reasons for the relativelyunimportant role of the Sisters of the H.I.J. in the educational development of Pahangcan be traced to the social and economic conditions of the state before the SecondWorld War. Economic development was slow and Pahang did not attract large numbersof immigrants . Moreover, there were no significant urban centres and the popul ationin the state was sparse. The predominantly Malay population did not encourage missionaryactivities. The presence of Christian missions in a predominantly Malay area would arousesuspicions of attempts to convert the Malays to Christianity. It would further causeembarrassment to the British Government. Against such unfavourable condit ions,missionary activities in Pahang were limited.

Convent schools were not built in the Unfederated Malay States until the seconddecade of this century when English education was introduced into these states in theprocess of development and modernization.

It can be inferred that rapid economic development which was almost synonymouswith the presence of the Chinese and Indians determined to a great extent the develop-

12 Ibid. , p . 85 .13 C.B . Buckley , A n Anecdotal History of Old Times in Singapore, University o f Mala ya Pre ss,

Kuala Lumpur, 1965, p. 266 .14 (Centenary Souvenir) , op, cit. , p. 37.

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ment of missionary education. Missionary education thus was most active in the StraitsSettlements and the F.M.S . while the Government undertook greater resp onsibilities ineducation in the Unfederated Malay States where the larger proportion of the residentsprofessed the Muslim faith . It is hardly surp rising that the missionary schoo ls gravita teon the West Coast while there are only a few of them in the far North and the EastCoast in Peninsular Malaysia.

The Convent schools were opened to all races regard less of religion and they weredesigned to give children a secular education. Howeve r, the tenets of Christianity wereinculcated into the pupils with a view perhaps to probable future conversion. 15

During the pioneer stages of their educational and welfare acti vities , the Sisters ,like the other missionaries , did not receive much help from th e British Government.British Colonial polic y , unlike that of Spain or Portugal. had no interest in religiousactivities. Moreover, England was Protestant and help from that quarter was unlikely .The problems of finance and accomodation were usually solved with th e help of thepublic especially the Chinese . Well known for their traditional veneration for education,the Chinese contributed generously to schools built by the Christian Missions eventhough they were not Christians. The Chinese and Indians const ituted almost the ent ireenrolment in the mission schools. The Malays in general stayed away from the missionschools. H.R. Cheeseman pointed out that the poverty of t he Malays prevented themfrom attending the English schools in the urban areas.l" Most of the English schoolswere mission schools and the Malays had to pay the same amount for school fees as thenon-Malays. As few Malays in the rural areas were wealthy, they found it exceedinglydifficult to pay the necessary fees and transport to school.

The Convent schools of the H.I.J . were situated mainly in the urban centres andthere was no Conven t schoo l in the rural areas . The enrolment in the Convent schools,like other Christian Mission schools , was predominantly non -Malay before the SecondWorld War. Thus we can see that the locat ion of the Convent schools in the urban areas ,the poverty and religion of the Malays kept Convent education away from Malay girlsfor a few decades until after the Japanese Occupation.

THE GROWTH OF CONVENT EDUCATION IN SELANGORThis article will deal wit h only the development of Convent educat ion in Selangor.

However, Convent education in Selangor is significant for various reasons . Con venteducation in the Malay States began first in Selangor. More important is the cont ributionof Convent schools :0 the educational development in the stat e. A study of the enrolmentfigures of English girls' schools in Selangor before 1957 show that approximate ly hall'the girls who received an English education attended Convent schools. (See Appendix I)Moreover , the total enrolment of th e Convent schools in Sclangor is' highestwhen compared to the enrolment of Convent schoo ls in the other States. (Sec Append ixII) Finally it is in Selango r that we find Convent education enco mpassing such wideaspects in the field of edu cati on. ranging from acad em ic to vocational tra ining .

In t racing the growth of Con vent educa tion in Selangor, 1shall att empt to show howthe Sisters of the H.I.J . cont ributed to educational development in the state and thecountry as a whole . Econ om ic and social change s in Malaya will be discussed for the yindirectly influenced the growth of education, especially the edu cat ion of girls in modernMalaya .

(i) IntroductionDur ing the late 19th century Selangor enjo yed efficient administrat ion as well as

rapid economic progress. Unfortunately the social sectors, except health , lagged behind.

15 " Blu nd ell 's Report" cit ed in n .D . C he ll iah , o p . c it. p , 84 .16 H.R . C hees eman , " Ed uca t io n in Mala ya , 1900·1 941. " Til e M alayan Hist orical J ournal, V ol 2.

Ju ly . 1955 , p . 37 .

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Education was in a backward state. In 1890, there were six schools in the state andGovernment expenditure on education was $84.27 out of a total revenue of $1,888,928.17

For a few decades progress in this field was slow.In retrospect , Malay vernacular education in Selangor made more progress during

the early 20th century than education in other mediums. In 1901, there were 37 Malayschools out of a total of 42 schools in the state.P The Malay schools were distributedin the rural areas and the small towns . Kuala Lumpur , the only large urban centre inSelangor, owed its educational facilities to Christian missionaries and civic-minded indivi­duals.

The Sisters of the H.I.J. played an important role in the growth of female education.In fact the Methodist Missions and the Sisters of the H.I.J. were mainly responsible forfemale education in English not only in Selangor but throughout Malaya. The activitiesof the missionaries in the Federated Malay States (FMS) were of great significance forthey were responsible entirely for the English education of girls in these states.'? Therewere no government English girls' schools in the F.M.S. until after the war in 1948.

From 1899 to 1967, a span of almost seventy years, the Sisters of the H.I.J. achievedremarkable success in their educational work. In 1968 the Order had four Comprehensiveschools-(primary and secondary departments), four primary schools, a Vocational Centre,a Welfare Home and a Teachers' Training College. This, however, was closed in 1969because of the retrenchment of teachers owing to financial difficulties in the country.The Sisters, together with the other missionaries, were instrumental in bringing about aquiet and gradual revolution in the local society within the last sixty years. The progressmade in female education cannot be overlooked. It is through education, and especiallyEnglish education which gained momentum in the twentieth century, that Malaysianwomen have been able to serve as nurses, teachers and enter the various professions onequal terms with their male counterparts. They form the bulk of manpower in the socialservices today and contribute invaluable help to the process of building a progressivenation.

The growth of Convent education may be divided into two parts: (a) the periodbefore 1941, and (b) the post-war period. The first part shows the acceptance of Conventeducation by the local people ; the majority of these were non-Malays. The problemsthe Sisters faced at this period were mainly fmancial for they needed funds to buildschools whenever the need arose.

The post-war period is considered separately because the political and social changesafter the war demanded a new system of education which emphasized the importanceof schools in the achievement of progress and national unity in the country. In thissecond phase of Convent education, we observe how the Sisters met the challenges ofthe new era by venturing into other aspects of education.

(ii) The Development of Convent Education (1899-1941)The first Convent school in Selangor began in Kuala Lumpur in January 1899 at the

request of Monseigneur Gasnier, the Bishop of Melaka and Father Latessier, the parishpriest of Kuala Lumpur.20 At the turn of the century, Kuala Lumpur was the capital ofthe F.M.S. and was rapidly growing into a modern town. There was a constant influx ofChinese and Indian immigrants into the town so that by 1900 the population numbered30,000.21 The Chinese constituted the majority in Kuala Lumpur and a great number of

17 Selangor Annual Report,1890, Appendix A p. 39.18 Federated Malay States, Report on Education, 1901, p. 6.19 Report of the Grant-in-aid Committee, 1922, cited in Jasbir Kaur, 'E nglish Ed uca t io n in th e

Straits Settlements and F.M.S. 1896-1941'. (Academic exercise Department of History , Universit yof Malaya, Singapore, 1961), p . 31-32.

20 (Centenary Souvenir), op. cit ., p . 48.21 Centenary 1859-1959, Kuala Lumpur - 100 Years Kuala Lumpur Municipal Council , 1959,

p.21.

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them were closely linked to the tin mining industry. Various needs arose in a growingtown , among them were educational facilities for children and homes for the poor andunwanted. The aim of the Sisters in opening their first school in Kuala Lumpur was tohelp the poor and to educate the girls. Proselytization was not their main aim althoughChristian ideals were frequently inculcated into their pupils.

The Convent school in Kuala Lumpur had its beginnings in the home of a Chineselady Ah Yok at Ampang Road.* In the first year it had an enrolment of twelve childrenand classes were held in a shed in Ah Yok's garden.22 In 1901, a proper building atBrickfields was acquired with the help of a Chinese, Towkay Goh Ah Ngee. Anothernew site for the school was sought when the government required the land at Brickfieldsfor futher development. The school was fmally moved to new premises at Bukit Nanasin 1912 . Funds for the new school came largely from contributions by the public thoughthe Government also helped. The subsequent growth and expansion of Convent schoolsowed a great deal to the generosity of the public who showed their acceptance andappreciation of the educational work of the missionaries.

The gradual increase in the enrolment at the Convent school from 1899 until 1912indicated that the local urban population did not object strongly to English educationfor girls. In fact, by 1914, there were more than 300 children enrolled at the Convent.23

The other two English girls' Schools in Kuala Lumpur, the Methodist Girls' School andthe Chinese Girls' School, had 245 and 64 pupils respectively.f" Probably the lack ofvernacular girls' schools prompted parents to send their daughters to the English schools.However, the total enrolment of 648 girls at school in Kuala Lumpur was small whencompared to the po~lation of over 46 ,000 people . (The population of Kuala Lumpurin 1911 was 46,718).

At the beginning of the 20th century, parents were reluctant to send their daughtersto school. Female education was still new in Asia as a whole Superstitions, fears ofdisobedience and Immoralbehaviour among girls were some of the reasons for keeping thegirls at home. Literacy was regarded casually as another item to be added to a girl'slist of accomplishments.

The steady progress in female education in the urban areas by 1914 was significantfor at the beginning of the century, the response to education was discouraging. TheDirector of Education in 1906 lamented over the situation. He said:

Female education among both Malays and Chinese is in a very backward state. The prejudicesof centuries cannot be easily overcome and it will probably be many years before the necessityof educating their girls be recognised by the Chinese and Malays.2b

In the rural areas, female education gained acceptance at a much slower pace thanin the towns. In 1914, there were eight Malay girls' schools in Selangor (all outsideKuala Lumpur) which had a total enrolment of 209 pupils.27 The small enrolment showedthat despite free education in the Malay schools, most rural girls in Selangor hardly wentto school at all during the first two decades of the 20th century. Besides the persistentcontinuance of prejudices against female education, the scattered pattern of rural settle­ments created difficulties for the girls too. School was usually fairly far away from theisolated houses and the lack of suitable transport dissuaded parents from sending theirdaughters to school.

The urban areas, exposed to various modernizing influences , accepted educat ion foropposite the site of the present Bukit Nanas Convent.

22 (Centenary Souvenir) , op. cit., p. 48 .23 F.M.S., Report on Education, 1914, p. 3.24 Ibid. , p. 3.25 Hamzah Sendut: The Structure of Kuala Lumpur, Reprint from The Town Planning Review ,

Vol 36, July 1965, p. 128.26 F.M.S ., Report on Education, 1906, p. 5.27 F.M.S . Report on Education, 1914, p. 3. See also Appendix III.

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girls more rapidly. After the First World War, female education in the urban areasprogressed quickly, Consequently, more places in schools had to be found for the increas­ing enrolment.

The further growth of Convent schools took place rapidly after 1920. A combinationof various events and circumstances stimulated this spurt of expansion. Schools werebuilt not only in Kuala Lumpur but also in Klang and Kajang. The reasons for this growthcan be traced to the social and economic changes throughout the country.

By the 1920's the immigrant groups had established themselves permanently in theurban areas in Malaya and their population increased rapidly. The Chinese who formedthe majority group in each of the major towns had become interested in education forboth boys and girls. This development in the Chinese community did not pass unnoticedfor the Director of Education observed in 1936 that the enthusiasm for education amongthe Overseas Chinese was an echo of changes in post-revolutionary China.28 The CulturalRevolution in China during the 1920's undoubtedly reorientated the traditional attitudetowards women's rights and status in society. This change brought abou t the rapidgrowth of female vernacular and English schools in the urban areas.

The English schools gained popularity once they had been established. The shrewdurban dwellers realized the importance of English which was the official language inMalaya then. Job opportunities were evidently better for the English-educated than thevernacular-educated. Moreover, increasing contact with the West through various meansof communication and the educational work of the missionaries eroded away suspicionsagainst English education. Once convinced of the importance of English in Malaya, manyparents-did not hesitate to send their daughters to English schools.

The economic progress in Selangor also contributed to the growth of missionaryschools. The growth of the tin and rubber industries led to rapid urbanization; smallvillages like Kajang and Klang developed into important collection and distribution centreswith a predominantly Chinese population. A non-Malay population in these townsobviously provided wide-scope for the development of missionary education.

The final incentive to establish more Convent schools came with the implementationof the new system of grants-in-aid in 1919 . This new system marked a new phase in thehistory of aided schools. The financial difficulties which had formerly hindered theimprovement and expansion of mission schools were overcome to a great extent. Untilthe new deal in 1919 , government grants were in the form of small sums paid accordingto the average number of pupils in attendance and on the standard of organization andefficiency in the school. The new system provided that the differences between therevenue collected by the school and the items of approved expenditure would be paidmonthly by the Government. The latter would also pay for half the cost of new build­ings and equipment approved by the Education Department. Although the system incurredheavier Government expenditure on education, it contributed immensely to educationaldevelopment. It came at an opportune moment when there was a marked increase indemand for education especially in the urban areas. With more funds, the missionarieswere able to expand their educational activities. The Government was thus assured of ahealthy educational system at a small cost to the budget.

The various changes mentioned above created favourable conditions for the furtherdevelopment of Convent schools. The Sisters established their second school at Klang in1924 . The local priest, Father Souhait, was responsible for bringing the Sisters to Klang.29

Throughout the history of the growth of Convent education, we find that the localCatholic priests played a great role in the establishment of Convent schools. They werealways in close contact with the public, knew their needs and were able to offer soundadvice to the nuns. The Sisters who led sheltered lives in the Convents probably dependeda great deal on the help and advice of the local clergy.28 F .M.S ., Report on Education, 1936, p. 16.29 (Centenary Souvenir) , op. cit ., p , 50.

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The Klang Convent

,,;r

;,:'.';L~~

The Subsequent Extension

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The Kajang Convent

The Sentul Convent

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