Celebrating 175th anniversary of Sarawak’s oldest school

ON Aug 5, 1848, Bishop Francis Thomas McDougall, an Anglican priest-doctor from England, was tasked by Rajah James Brooke with establishing Sarawak’s very first school for boys in an empty house in Kuching, after he and his wife Harriette had just landed there on June 29 that same year.

Thus began the establishment of Sarawak’s very first school – and also the fourth oldest in Malaysia – with a history spanning 175 years.

The school was further developed into two – St Thomas’ for boys, and St Mary’s for girls.

It was not until 1968 that the Form 6 classes had become co-ed when the girls from St Mary’s had joined the Thomians in both Arts and Science classes.

St Thomas’ School is among the premier educational institutions in Malaysia, with an enviable record in academic achievements as well as excellence in sports, games and extracurricular activities.

It was the first school in the state to present candidates for the Cambridge Higher School Certificate Examination – the gateway to a university education – and to teach Science and Mathematics at that level.

In the early days St Thomas’, as an Anglican mission school, was fully independent and fully run by the Anglican Diocese. In 1955, the management of the mission schools in Sarawak had formally applied for ‘Grant-in-Aid’ and thus, became aided schools from Jan 1, 1956.

Since the formation of Malaysia, they had become fully aided and been integrated into the National System of Education reporting to the Ministry of Education.

Currently, the Anglican Diocese has 48 primary and five secondary schools in Sarawak; in Brunei, there are three primary and three secondary schools.

In Kuching, the main building of the school is a landmark right in the centre of the city on top of McDougall Hill on Jalan McDougall – it was officially declared open by Rajah James Brooke on Aug 13, 1886. The iconic ‘twin towers’ still look out to the nearby St Thomas’ Cathedral on its north east, and the Merdeka Padang towards its north.

The school buildings suffered intensive damage during and after the Japanese Occupation of 1941-1945.

On the last day of the school term, on Dec 19, 1941, Kuching was bombed by the invading Japanese Air Force – the Japanese army landed in Kuching on Christmas Eve and occupied the school compound the next day.

During 1941, around 300 to 400 ‘forced labourers’ were lodged and housed in the school quarters and classrooms. During that time, a swimming pool was built by the Japanese, but was never completed; today, remnants of its concreted foundation can be found next to the old staff quarters towards the old Anglican Cemetery, adjacent to the original Sarawak Museum grounds.

Upon the Japanese’s surrender after the dropping of the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the Australians had landed on Sept 11, 1945 – the defeated soldiers had, by then, left and vacated the school buildings.

The remaining labourers took the opportunity to ransack and dismantle the Principal’s House and the offices, and sold off the timber for furniture.

Within three weeks after the end of the Japanese war, both St Thomas’ and St Mary’s had reopened, firstly as a co-ed school, but later separated on Jan 9, 1946.

The newly-restored main building was formally reopened on May 1, 1947 by the then-Governor of Sarawak, Sir Charles Arden Clarke.

In 1949, the very first issue of the annual school magazine ‘The Thomian’ was published and distributed freely to all students and staff. The school bulletin and paper ‘The Square’ first appeared in May 1955, and began producing regular quarterly editions.

The alumni body Old Thomian Association was formed in 1951, and EW Howell was its first president – the current president is James Brodie.

From 1982 onwards, Bahasa Malaysia became the school’s medium of instruction; thus, fully integrating with the national school system.

The school celebrated its 160th anniversary in July 2008; and on Dec 16 that same year, it was among four schools featured in commemorative stamps and first-day cover on ‘Premier Schools of Malaysia Series’.

In 1956, the year that I first entered St Thomas’ Primary, the principal Reverend Norman Keen had presented his annual message, and I quote the vital points, as follows: “Why does our church throughout the world maintain her schools, hang on to those threatened with extinction and persist on building new ones?

“The answer is that she believes there are two supreme things in the Christian religion which no secular state can provide for. The first the formation of the character of Christ in her boys and girls.

“All our efforts are directed to that end; it is a long process requiring unlimited patience, and a resilience, which can recover from disappointments and setbacks.

“…And the second of the two greatest things in the Christian religion is God’s promise of the Beatific Vision: that is ultimate total union with him.

“…The Anglican Church in Borneo played a major role in bringing education even to the inaccessible parts of the State and thus, contributed to the present high standards in this part of the world.”

The present president of the board of management of St Thomas’ School, the Right Reverend Bishop Datuk Danald Jute had, in his 2022 message, written: “We are proud of our school with its distinctive character and ethos.

“…We will continue to build on our long and strong tradition of excellence.

“Yes, here our students receive a solid foundation for life that will equip them to face the many challenges of life, both now and in the future.

“Indeed education is the most powerful weapon to change one’s world and the world at large for the better, because education is not simply the learning of facts, but the training of the mind to think intensively and critically, intelligence plus character is the goal of true education.

“A mind that is inspired and motivated with proper guidance will be able to conquer any challenge.”

As current chairman of the board, my message had included these words: “Since our founding in 1848, we have always been Sarawak’s first and foremost premier school. We set a high example for all schools to follow, in their standard of education and in giving all those who passed through its hallowed classrooms, corridors and auditoriums – by giving everyone a balanced and total education, not just about learning from books but from the camaraderie and fellowship among its students – as shown over and over again by the many loyal and united former students’ reunions and gatherings that have been organised, and been well attended over the years.”

Today, we count among our ‘Old Thomians’ and former students of the school, our present Premier of Sarawak, a few of his ministers and many senior civil servants, leading captains of industry and academia and professionals from all walks of life.

The list is a long and distinguished one. They had all accomplished the school’s motto – AIM HIGHER!