PENANG Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow has called on the alumni and old boys of various schools to offer mentorship and instil discipline in their respective old schools to check the indiscipline and social ills in public schools.
"The world our students are growing up in is far more complex than it once was. I understand that some old boys had organised a series of leadership workshops for students. It is a fantastic initiative that can help shape character and confidence."
Chow said that perhaps it is time to revive such an initiative and make it widespread among all public schools - a role for the old boys and alumni to play in helping schools produce students of strong character and calibre.
While funding creates opportunities, mentorship builds people up, especially the young, Chow said at the 102th anniversary dinner of the Old Frees ' Association at the St Giles Wembley Hotel.
Old Frees who is the official alumni of the oldest English vernacular school in Southeast Asia - the Penang Free School, is also the oldest student body alumni in the country.
Chow credited the Old Frees for their role in moulding generations of exemplary students, who have gone on to be part of Malaysian history.
Among them were the nation's founding father Almarhum Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra Al Haj and Penang's second chief minister the late Tun Dr Lim Chong Eu.
"It pains me to see the young losing empathy and respect for one another. As someone who deeply believes in the importance of education and its values, I worry that schools alone can no longer shoulder this burden of character building."
Chow implored on their alumni and old boys to undertake the additional role of fostering good examples for the present generation.
He singled out the Old Frees for having the attributes to do such a thing.
From its founding in 1923, the alumni old boys association has weathered challenges, and yet it has stayed true to its mission to foster education, camaraderie and the spirit of service.
Among those present were Datuk Dr P.P. Shah, the trustee of the association and a former partner of former premier Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamed in his Maha medical clinic in Alor Setar, the present principal Syed Sultan Shaik Othuman, association president Alex Tan Hee Aik and organising chairperson Raman Athappan. - October 23, 2025.
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