St. George's Girls' School (Penang, Malaysia)

St. George's Girls' School is a secondary school for girls located at Jalan Macalister, Georgetown, Penang, Malaysia. Established in 1884, the school has 1300 students from Form 1 to Form 6 (ages 13 to 19). The abbreviated name for the school is SGGS with the pupils known as Georgians. In 2010 the school was awarded with the Sekolah Berprestasi Tinggi or High Performance School^[1] title, a title awarded to the 20 schools in Malaysia that have met stringent criteria including academic achievement, strength of alumni, international recognition, network and linkages.

History

The St. George's Girls' School (or SGGS), known as SMK (Perempuan) St. George in Malay (or SMKPSG), is a school for girls founded by Anglican missionaries. The school traces its history to informal classes conducted by Mrs. Biggs, wife of Reverend L.C. Biggs, the Anglican missionary in Penang, Malaysia. At that time, classes were held at their home called "The Manse", located at Farquhar Street.

Mrs. Biggs taught for a year before a formal school was established for girls. It was named after St. George, the patron saint of English, whose name is often used throughout the British Empire for schools and churches established by Anglican missionaries. The first classes were held on 7 January 1885, and the school headmistress was Miss R.A. Shackleford.

In the early days of St. George's Girls' School the pupils mostly came from well-to-do families. They often come to class on trishaws, shielded from public view by a curtain, ferried right up to the school entrance. During the 19th century in Malaya, it was considered indecent for unmarried ladies - especially those of well-to-do families - to be seen in public. While in exile, Sun Yat-Sen brought his family to Penang and so his daughters Sun Yan and Sun Wan attended the school in 1910-11.^[2]

In 1888, a bungalow was constructed next to the reverend's residence, and classes were relocated there. The building, now in a dilapidated state, is still standing, next to E&O Hotel. In 1909, the British government took over the running of the school, and renamed it Government Girls' School. In 1916, the government attempted to turn Government Girls' School into a co-educational school, but the idea was short-lived.

In 1920, the school was handed back to the Anglican church, at which time it reverted to its original name of St. George's Girls' School. With further expansion and student intake, the school relocated to new premises along Northam Road (Jalan Sultan Ahmad Shah). In 1954, it moved to its present location on Macalister Road. In 2010, the school is among 20 pioneer school of High Performance School.

Principals

Iris G.J. Parfitt, who was principal of St. George's Girls School from 1946 to 1949, had taught at the school before the Japanese Occupation. Interned at Changi Jail and Sime Road Camp, she was made chairman of the entertainment committee. Her collection of watercolours and pen-and-ink drawings produced while in prison were published in 1947 under the title Jail-Bird Jottings. The Straits Times acclaimed it 'far the best record of the internment that has yet been published'.

School emblem

• The emblem is a red crest of St. George on a horse slaying a dragon, as painted by Gustave Moreau.
• It is coloured in red and white, which are the two colours of the school. Red represents bravery while white is for purity.
• At the top of the emblem is the name of the school in Malay, Sek. Men. Keb. (P) St. George.
• At the bottom of the emblem is the motto of the school, Aut Viam Inveniam Aut Faciam (If There's a Will, There's Always a Way).
• Pulau Pinang is the state where the school is located in Malaysia.

School anthem

Notable alumnae

• Tuanku Bainun, Queen of the Malaysian state of Perak,
• Sharizat Abdul Jalil, Former Minister of Women, Family and Community Development in the Malaysian cabinet,
• Judy Cheng-Hopkins, Assistant Secretary-General of the United Nations for Peacebuilding Support,
• Yeohlee Teng, Fashion designer, New York, USA,
• Eva Lee Kwok, Businesswoman, Vancouver, Canada,
• Zaiton Othman, Heptathlon champion,
• Faridah Merican, First Lady of Malaysian Theatre, Kuala Lumpur Performing Arts Centre,
• Oon Beng Hong, Malaysia's first woman lawyer,
• Harbans K. Virik, Malaysia's first paediatrician,
• Poh-Sim Plowright, Founder of the Centre for the Study of Noh Drama, Royal Holloway, University of London,
• Vicki Cheng Har Ooi, Drama educator, Hong Kong University,
• Professor Dr. Asma Ismail, Vice-Chancellor of Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia; Former Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research and Innovations) at Universiti Sains Malaysia.
• Fatimah Abu Bakar, Veteran Malaysian actress, acting coach and journalist
• Ooi Chean See, Malaysia’s first female orchestra conductor

Sources

• Nasution, Salma Khoo, Hayes, Alison & Zimbulis, Sehra Yeap: Giving Our Best: The Story of St George's Girls' School, Penang, 1885-2010, Areca Books, 2010.
• Parfitt, Iris G. J., Jail-bird jottings : the impressions of a Singapore internee, monograph, 1947.
• Wai, Wong Chun, Missionary couple's contributions are well-recorded in Penang, The Star, 3 August 2013.

References

External links

• Official website
• Casa Georgian Services