The (fondly known as the Malay College, MCKK, MC or ''Koleq'' and sometimes dubbed "the
Eton of the
East ") is the premier
Residential School in
Malaysia . It is an all-boys and all-
Malay school located in the royal town of
Kuala Kangsar ,
Perak . In the
Malay Language , it is called '''Kolej Melayu Kuala Kangsar''' or formerly ''Maktab Melayu Kuala Kangsar''.
The shield is quartered into sides of white, red, yellow and black. These are colours of the
Federated Malay States . These colours also represent the four "Rumah" (houses); white (Idris), red (Sulaiman), yellow (Mohd Shah) and black (Ahmad), commemarating the four sultans who were the founders of the college. In the middle of the shield is a red
Kris which symbolizes the Malay race. On top of the shield is a head of a
Tiger which is symbol of the
Federation Of Malaya . Surrounding the left and right side of the shield are laurel wreaths symbolizing excellence. The school motto is ''Fiat Sapienta Virtus'', or Manliness Lies Through Wisdom.
Oh Kolej Melayu
Harapan Bangsaku
Dengan Sejarah yang Cemerlang
Harumlah Namamu
Kolej Istimewa
Didikan untuk semua
Keluar membimbing negara
Maju terus mara
Banggaku rasakan
Khidmatku berikan
Takku lupakan jasa-jasamu
Oh Kolej Melayu
The Malay College Kuala Kangsar (MCKK) is a premier and first fully-residential school in Malaysia. Established on
2nd January ,
1905 , it was originally known as the Malay Residential School of Kuala Kangsar. It was an all Malay boys’ school located in the Royal Town of Kuala Kangsar, Perak.
The school was the brainchild of Mr R J Wilkinson, then Inspector of Schools for the Federated Malay States. In a letter to the Resident-General dated 24th February 1904 he wrote about ''"establishing at a suitable locality in the F.M.S., a special residential school for the education of Malays of good family and for the training of Malay boys for admission to certain branches of Government service"''.
Its formation was enthusiastically supported by the then Rulers of the Federated Malay States namely Sultan Idris Murshidul ‘Adzam Shah I of Perak, Sultan Alaiddin Sulaiman Shah of Selangor, Yam Tuan Tuanku Muhammad Shah of Negeri Sembilan and Sultan Ahmad Mu’adzam Shah of Pahang.
Mr W Hargreaves, then Headmaster of
Penang Free School was appointed as the first headmaster to lead the establishment of the school. Since
1965 , the Malay College has been led by Malay headmasters.
As it was founded to educate the Malay elite, comprising of royal children and the sons of Malay nobility, few of its early students were from amongst commoner families. This changed dramatically after 1947, as a result of rising Malay nationalism. Currently, selected Malay boys aged from 12 to 17 from all around Malaysia are being educated there.
The Straits Echo on 15th April 1905 reported that a few boys were placed in cosy dormitories in Mr Hargreaves’ rented house, while the others were stabled in small houses formerly occupied by the Malayan Railway clerks. The second half of the school, conducted by Mr Vanrenen was held in a fowl house. Altogether, there were 40 boys in the first intake of the school.
The sanction for the building of a permanent school became official on 23rd December 1905, and by 1st May 1909, the Big School was first brought into use. On Saturday, 11th December 1909, the Big School was officially opened by the Sultan of Perak, and the auspicious date also marked the change in the name of the school from the Malay Residential School of Kuala Kangsar to The Malay College of Kuala Kangsar.
The change also seems to have seen greater emphasis on the original aim of The MCKK, for in a report for 1910 we read: ''"From this school the Government have great hopes that the sons of Malays of the Raja and higher class will be educated and trained on the lines of an English Public School and be fitted to take a share in the Government of their Country"''.
Since its inception, more than 5,000 boys (and 2 girls) have had the privilege to enter the gates of The MCKK. Though it was initially founded to educate the Malay elites, it changed dramatically as a result of rising Malay nationalism since 1947. Today, selected Malay boys from all walks of life and aged from 12 to 17 from all over Malaysia are educated in The MCKK.
The college celebrated its centennial celebration on 26th March 2005, attended by dignitaries, old boys, and townspeople. The Yang di-Pertuan Agong of Malaysia attended the event, along with the Royal Rulers of the states of
Perak ,
Selangor ,
Melaka , and
Negri Sembilan .
The MCKK has been the school for many prominent Malaysians such as Kings, sultans, prime ministers, ministers as well as senior officials in the Government and leading figures in the private sector. The MCKK boys would undoubtedly fill many of the pages of who Is who in Malaysia.
The most recognizable feature of the school is the ''Big School'' (built in
1909 ), a building with pseudo Greco-Roman architecture in front of a
Rugby field, and houses the fourth and fifth formers (and previously, sixth formers). The ''Prep School'', built later in 1912, is smaller but with equally prominent features and houses the first formers. In
1955 , the ''West and East Wing'', as well as the ''Administration Block'' and ''Clocktower'' were added. The West and the East Wing, together with the Overfloor make up what is now called the ''Big School''. Two more hostel blocks, the ''Pavilion'' and ''New Hostel'' were built in
1963 and
1972 respectively; the latter houses second formers. Another prominent feature of the school is the ''Big Tree'', a raintree in front of the East Wing that is said to be as old as the school itself, if not older.
The school itself has three fields. One is located in front of the Big School, traditionally reserved for
Rugby ,
Soccer and
Cricket . The second field is located south eastern of the Big School and it usually hosts
Field Hockey game. The third open space is in the Administration Block and it is used for various purposes.
The College ground is also the only place in Malaysia where one could find an
Eton Fives court. The students neither use the court nor do they play the game, however.
The school also excels in sports and debate. It became a powerhouse in
Rugby during the sixties and still has one of the best rugby school teams in the nation . Nicknamed "All-Blacks" after the
New Zealand National Team for its all black strip and its might and passion like their
New Zealand counterparts, they even perform the
Haka before matches. It has consistently held a traditional match series against the
Vajiravudh College of
Thailand since
1960 . In odd-numbered years, the match is held in Kuala Kangsar. In even-numbered years, it is held in
Bangkok , Thailand. In addition to this, MCKK competes with rival
Royal Military College every year in a multi-games carnival. Both colleges take turns to organise the annual event.
Within the school, each student belongs to one of four "Rumah" (sport houses). They are Sulaiman (represented by the color red), Ahmad (black), Mohd Shah (yellow) and Idris (white). The four houses compete with each other every year in almost every kind of sports. The competition between the four reaches its peak in the school's Sports Day.
The
Alumni Association of MCKK is known as the
Malay College Old Boys' Association (MCOBA) and it was established in
1929 .
Amongst the more notable alumni of the Malay College are: Dato'
Onn Jaafar , the father of
Malay Nationalism and former Prime Minister Tun
Abdul Razak Hussein , the former Deputy Prime Minister Dato' Seri
Anwar Ibrahim , the Sultans of
Pahang and
Perak , and the Yang di-Pertuan Besar of
Negeri Sembilan . Dr
Azahari Husin is also an alum.
The novelist and composer '' (1956) and later ''Sinfoni Malaya'' for orchestra and brass band (1957), which famously included cries of "
Merdeka !" from the audience. He also wrote two pieces specifically for MCKK. These were the 'Ode: Celebration for a Malay college', for boys' voices and piano (1954), and 'Cantata for a Malay college' (1954).
The alumni association is based in the Penthouse of the MCOBA building, which is also home of
Renong .
A few school traditions, of relatively recent invention, survives.
One is the wearing of one of two forms of the school tie every Wednesday by the old boys.
Second is the an annual gathering lasting around three days at the school itself - referred to as ''Old Boys Weekend.'' During the weekend, matches are held for any number of sports between the Old Boys and present students, culminating with a rugby match on Sunday morning.
Third is an annual formal dinner for old boys, usually held in a ballroom in Kuala Lumpur.
Fourth is the school cheering where almost every student is required to sing in unison various fight songs during official sport matches while wearing a specially designed polo-shirt.
- 1905—1918: William Hargreaves
- 1918—1919: J.O. May
- 1919—1923: L.A.S. Jermyn
- 1923—1938: C. Bazell
- 1938—1949: H.R. Carey
- 1949—1953: K.D. Luke
- 1953—1958: J.D.R. Howell
- 1958—1959: P.G. Haig
- 1959—1965: N.J. Ryan
- 1965—1969: Abdul Aziz Ismail
- 1970—1971: Syed Abu Bakar Barakbah
- 1971—1972: Mohd. Ghazali Hj. Hanafiah
- 1973—1975: Nordin Nasir
- 1975—1977: Abdul Rahman Mohd. Ali
- 1977—1982: Wan Abdul Aziz Wan Hamzah
- 1982—1983: Syed Alwi Syed Aljunid
- 1983—1987: Zainal Abidin Hj. Ahmad
- 1988—1992: Rashdi Ramlan
- 1992—1995: Hj. Hassan Hashim
- 1995—1999: Hj. Baharom Kamari
- 1999—2003: Hj. Alimuddin Hj. Mohd. Dom
- 2004—present: Mohd. Rauhi Mohd. Isa
- ODP - Kuala Kangsar Alumni category listing many MCKK batches that have specific websites.
- Malay College Old Boys Forum An online community of old boys and friends in lively discussions on every topic under the sun.
- MCOBA Institute for Leadership Enhancement MCOBA Institute for Leadership Enhancement (MILES) is a brainchild and a vision of MCKK old boys to contribute to the development of current and future leaders. This project was initiated to mark the new century of MCKK's existence--a new platform to make an impact for the benefit of the society and the country.
