KUALA LUMPUR: One of the oldest and most prestigious primary schools in Ipoh, Sekolah Kebangsaan St Michael proudly announced its first batch of Year One female students since 1912.
A photograph was shared on the school's official Facebook page and website, as they opened their doors to female students for Year One for the very first time.
In the photograph, school principal Tan Kok Leong stood behind the pioneer group of five girls seated on chairs clad in green cloth, in line with the school’s colours of green and white.
The school, also referred to as St. Michael's Institution (SMI) was founded more than a hundred years ago back in 1912 and is situated along Jalan SP Seenivasagam (formerly Clayton Road). It had been an all-boys school for more than a century prior to the move this year to accept female students for its Year One enrollment.
On the school’s Facebook page post, a former Michaelian by the username of Coleman Chin expressed his pleasure at seeing such a move, and the majority of positive responses by fellow Michaelians.
“Very passionate comments from fellow Michaelians. Everyone is right in their own way because in every action there is a good intention. So proud of this brave decision by SMI (St Michael’s Institution) Primary 1.
“Reminds one of the quotes -- 'Be the change that you wish to see in the world' by Mahatma Gandhi, and 'Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world' by Nelson Mandela. I believe that our beloved SMI is truly a beacon of change for a better world,” Chin wrote.
The school is not only one of the top primary school’s in the silver state, but it is also steeped in history and boasts an enviable heritage, so much so that the school’s original building was declared as a historical landmark in Ipoh by the local city council.