GEORGE TOWN – History was made at Malaysia’s second-oldest school here when, for the first time in its 170 years, girls joined the secondary school session on the first day of Form 1 classes.
SMK St Xavier’s Institution (SXI), where Form 1 to 5 classes were previously offered only for boys, was transformed for the first time ever into a fully co-educational school.
As the school semester reopened today, around 70 girls, mostly those who finished their primary schooling at nearby SK Convent Light Street (CLS), which has been phased out of operations, were enrolled together with their male counterparts.
Plans are now underway to convert CLS to an international school.
SXI, which is affiliated with the international De La Salle Brothers education network, has had female students prior to this, but only for the two-year pre-university Form 6 classes.
Speaking at a brief orientation ceremony for the new students today, the school’s brother-director Jason Blaikie expressed delight at welcoming both boys and girls to the school. He stressed upon them that they belong to the La Salle family in Malaysia, consisting of 145 schools.
“I am sure as you came in this morning you saw at the entrance, on your right-hand side, a big sign that says La Salle Malaysia.
“We put that sign up to remind everybody that we are a Lasallian school, and that you are all part of the Lasallian Family."
“As the brother-director it is my duty to remind you that you are part of the Lasallian family, and we would like to welcome you to our family – along with 145 schools in Malaysia.
“So, you can imagine right now, in 140 schools in Malaysia more or less, there is someone like you sitting down listening to someone like me giving a speech welcoming you.”
He added that SXI is the first among the La Salle schools to be opened, both in Malaysia and Southeast Asia.
“We are the oldest Lasallian school, we were founded in 1852,” he said.
The intake of boys and girls is particularly special this year as the school celebrates its 170th anniversary, said Blaikie.
The acceptance of girls at the school has taken place while schools in George Town face dwindling enrolments since many local families have moved to neighbourhoods away from the inner city in suburban areas of Penang.
There is hope that the township, which is covered under the Unesco World Heritage Site guidelines, can be repopulated with younger families in the future, so historic schools such as SXI and CLS, as well as nearby SK Hutchings, can thrive in the offering of public education. – The Vibes, April 4, 2022.
