SMJK Sam Tet
Encyclopedia
SMJK Sam Tet is a national-type boys' secondary school
located in Ipoh
, Perak
, Malaysia. It is located side-by-side with its primary school, SRJK (C) Sam Tet. The founder of the school is Father Fourgs from the local St. Michael Catholic Church. The school has survived hardships, including the Japanese Occupation
. The school's Form 6 classes are available to both boys and girls, with former girls from SMJK Ave Maria Convent, Ipoh being the biggest population of girls.
The school has been nominated for School of Excellence in 2007.
A committee was formed to collect donations. An administrative board was appointed to register the school with the government. Father Fourgs was elected as the first school supervisor under the leadership of Mr. Wong Chin Sun as the headmaster.
At the end of 1935, Mr. Wong Chin Sun retired as the headmaster and was replaced by Mr. Phoong Tet Ching in 1936. In the same year, the school had 160 students and 6 teachers sharing 4 classrooms. It was in this year, that Father Fourgs, the founder of the school, passed away. Father Francis took charge as the school’s new supervisor.
In 1940, SRJK Sam Tet decided to build an additional 6 classrooms but World War II forced the project to be put on-hold.
At the beginning of 1952, three Junior Middle I classes were started under the leadership of Brother Joseph Wong as the principal. An additional three classes started a year later and went into full operation. In 1954, Brother Joseph Wong was replaced by Brother Joche-Chanel Soon (孙光汉修士) (who later founded Maris Stella High School
, Singapore). It was also in this year that the first batch of Junior Middle III students graduated. A total of eight classes were in-service. In 1955, Brother Marcel was appointed principal of the school. Under his leadership, an additional four classrooms, a science lab and a canteen were built. The school was upgraded to a National Type School in 1958 and the students sat for the L.C.E. examination. It was in this year that Brother Marcel left the school on a transfer.
SMJK Sam Tet continued to progress rapidly under the leadership of Brother John Moh who succeeded Brother Marcel in 1959. He organized several donation drives to extend the premises and purchase sports equipment. His effort paid off with the construction of a new 3-storey building. The school hall was erected in 1970 with the cost of RM200,000. Other facilities such as the library, the staff room and the administration office were included above the hall. The hall was opened by the Yang Mulia Raja Di Hilir Perak Darul Ridzuan on 5 June 1971.
In 1971 Form 6 classes began, with an enrolment of 37 students. Further additions were made to the school in 1973. A 3-storey science block was constructed. The building was named after the late Mr Ng Song Teik, the brother of Dato’ Ng Song Choon. The ground floor of the building comprises the school canteen. The building was opened by the Yang Berhormat Haji Mohamed bin Yaacob, Minister of Education, on 11 May 1974.
In 1976, SMJK Sam celebrated its 25th anniversary. The occasion was officiated by Mr Chan Siang Sun J.P., J.S.M., Deputy Minister of Education.
To meet the demand for more buildings, Brother John Moh, with the aid of the Administrative Board, purchased more land to erect yet another phase of buildings. This new phase was completed in 1985. In the year 1992, Brother John Moh retired after 34 years of service as Principal of the school. In honour of his services, the school hall was named after him. Upon his retirement at the end of 1998, Mr Yu Cheng Sun was assigned to take his office. The school continued to expand rapidly with a total of 66 classes, enrolment of 2,423 students and a 137 strong staff.In the same year, 28 students scored 5As in STPM and SMJK Sam Tet entered the ‘Malaysian Book of Records’ for excellent academic achievement.
Mr Toh Ah Huat took office as the school principal in 1999 and served the school for 3 years after which he was succeeded by Mr Loh Ghee Juan as the new principal of the school. The school celebrated her Golden Jubilee in 2002. to mark this auspicious occasion, the official website was launched. SMJK Sam Tet continues to shine in the academic and co-curricular arena.
Lyrics:
伟哉三德 巍立锡城
堂堂校舍 朗朗书声
近打钟秀 恕我群英
唯信望爱 辅引前程
振兴教化 陶冶性情
阐扬学术 文质均衡
无荒无怠 精益求精
忠诚勤朴 校训是行
Secondary education
Secondary education is the stage of education following primary education. Secondary education includes the final stage of compulsory education and in many countries it is entirely compulsory. The next stage of education is usually college or university...
located in Ipoh
Ipoh
Ipoh is the capital city of Perak state, Malaysia. It is approximately 200 km north of Kuala Lumpur on the North-South Expressway....
, Perak
Perak
Perak , one of the 13 states of Malaysia, is the second largest state in the Peninsular Malaysia bordering Kedah and Yala Province of Thailand to the north, Penang to the northwest, Kelantan and Pahang to the east, Selangor the Strait of Malacca to the south and west.Perak means silver in Malay...
, Malaysia. It is located side-by-side with its primary school, SRJK (C) Sam Tet. The founder of the school is Father Fourgs from the local St. Michael Catholic Church. The school has survived hardships, including the Japanese Occupation
Japanese occupation of Malaya, North Borneo and Sarawak
Throughout much of World War II, British Malaya, North Borneo and Sarawak were under Japanese occupation.The Japanese Empire commenced the Pacific War with the invasion of Kota Bahru in Kelantan on 8 December 1941 at 00:25, about 90 minutes before the Attack on Pearl Harbor in Hawaii at 07:48 on 7...
. The school's Form 6 classes are available to both boys and girls, with former girls from SMJK Ave Maria Convent, Ipoh being the biggest population of girls.
The school has been nominated for School of Excellence in 2007.
School planning
The history of SMJK Sam Tet is closely related to the progress of its primary school, SRJK Sam Tet, built in 1934. SMJK Sam Tet owes its existence to Father Fourgs from the local Catholic Church (St. Michael Church, Ipoh). Being displeased with the high percentage of illiteracy amongst the local populace, he planned to construct a Chinese medium school for the predominantly Chinese community.A committee was formed to collect donations. An administrative board was appointed to register the school with the government. Father Fourgs was elected as the first school supervisor under the leadership of Mr. Wong Chin Sun as the headmaster.
Pre-WW2 period
The first class started on September 1 1934 with a total of 64 students in 2 classes. In the following year, with an increase in the number of students, the need for more educators increased. In view of this, the Board of Governors from the local Catholic Church decided to aid in the administration of the school by allocating funds annually.At the end of 1935, Mr. Wong Chin Sun retired as the headmaster and was replaced by Mr. Phoong Tet Ching in 1936. In the same year, the school had 160 students and 6 teachers sharing 4 classrooms. It was in this year, that Father Fourgs, the founder of the school, passed away. Father Francis took charge as the school’s new supervisor.
In 1940, SRJK Sam Tet decided to build an additional 6 classrooms but World War II forced the project to be put on-hold.
Post-WW2 period
After the war ended in 1945, lessons resumed and the building project was completed in 1947. The school underwent further expansion three years later with the help of a Catholic school in Singapore. Three Brothers were assigned to the school in 1950. A proper school building for SMJK Sam Tet was erected in 1951.At the beginning of 1952, three Junior Middle I classes were started under the leadership of Brother Joseph Wong as the principal. An additional three classes started a year later and went into full operation. In 1954, Brother Joseph Wong was replaced by Brother Joche-Chanel Soon (孙光汉修士) (who later founded Maris Stella High School
Maris Stella High School
Maris Stella High School is an autonomous, SAP, Government-aided, all-boys Catholic secondary and primary school run by the international Marist Brothers at Mount Vernon Road in Singapore. It was headed by Bro. Anthony Tan from 1984 to 2009. Mr Joseph Lim Choon Kiat, the former Vice Principal,...
, Singapore). It was also in this year that the first batch of Junior Middle III students graduated. A total of eight classes were in-service. In 1955, Brother Marcel was appointed principal of the school. Under his leadership, an additional four classrooms, a science lab and a canteen were built. The school was upgraded to a National Type School in 1958 and the students sat for the L.C.E. examination. It was in this year that Brother Marcel left the school on a transfer.
SMJK Sam Tet continued to progress rapidly under the leadership of Brother John Moh who succeeded Brother Marcel in 1959. He organized several donation drives to extend the premises and purchase sports equipment. His effort paid off with the construction of a new 3-storey building. The school hall was erected in 1970 with the cost of RM200,000. Other facilities such as the library, the staff room and the administration office were included above the hall. The hall was opened by the Yang Mulia Raja Di Hilir Perak Darul Ridzuan on 5 June 1971.
In 1971 Form 6 classes began, with an enrolment of 37 students. Further additions were made to the school in 1973. A 3-storey science block was constructed. The building was named after the late Mr Ng Song Teik, the brother of Dato’ Ng Song Choon. The ground floor of the building comprises the school canteen. The building was opened by the Yang Berhormat Haji Mohamed bin Yaacob, Minister of Education, on 11 May 1974.
In 1976, SMJK Sam celebrated its 25th anniversary. The occasion was officiated by Mr Chan Siang Sun J.P., J.S.M., Deputy Minister of Education.
Mr Toh Ah Huat took office as the school principal in 1999 and served the school for 3 years after which he was succeeded by Mr Loh Ghee Juan as the new principal of the school. The school celebrated her Golden Jubilee in 2002. to mark this auspicious occasion, the official website was launched. SMJK Sam Tet continues to shine in the academic and co-curricular arena.
Expansions
Brother John Moh Hall expanded with an air-conditioner installed and an LCD projector on the stage. The PA system has also been upgraded. Extensive upgrading works, including the installation of the air conditioner mentioned beforehand, as well as an overhead bridge and the expansion of the staff room and library was initiated through events e.g. Jogathon since 2007 and completed before the June holidays ended in 2009.School emblem
- The emblem is designed in 1961 by the fourth headmaster of SMJK Sam Tet, Rev. Bro. John Moh.
- The S and T on top of the logo represents Sam and Tet respectively.
- The stars all around the emblem represents improvement.
- 三德 represents Faith, Hope and Charity
Name explanation
The Chinese name of Sam Tet is 三德, which means "Three Virtues". The three moral values mentioned are:- 信 (xìn) - Faith
- 望 (wàng) - Hope
- 爱 (ài) - Charity
School flag
The colours of the school flag each represent a moral value as described in the name explanation section above.- Blue - Faith
- Yellow - Hope
- White - Charity
School song
The school song was composed by Mr. Wong Ming Fah, lyrics by Bro. Saw Fatt Lean, written in Chinese.Lyrics:
伟哉三德 巍立锡城
堂堂校舍 朗朗书声
近打钟秀 恕我群英
唯信望爱 辅引前程
振兴教化 陶冶性情
阐扬学术 文质均衡
无荒无怠 精益求精
忠诚勤朴 校训是行
Achievements
In 1987 the school achieved 100% passes in the STPM examinations. Out of the 13 students nation-wide who scored 5As, eight came from SMJK Sam Tet. The years 1991 and 1994, saw further success with 11 students scoring straight 5As in STPM. In 1996, 20 students achieved 5As and procured the school a national record. In the year 1998, 28 students scored 5As in STPM and SMJK Sam Tet entered the ‘Malaysian Book of Records’ for academic achievement. The school celebrated its Golden Jubilee in 2002.Notable alumni
- Kam Pooi Yuen (Professor, National University of SingaporeNational University of SingaporeThe National University of Singapore is Singapore's oldest university. It is the largest university in the country in terms of student enrollment and curriculum offered....
) - Lam Yee Cheong (Professor, Nanyang Technological UniversityNanyang Technological UniversityNanyang Technological University is one of the two largest public universities in Singapore with the biggest campus in Singapore and the world's largest engineering college. Its lush 200-hectare Yunnan Garden campus was the Youth Olympic Village of the world's first 2010 Summer Youth Olympics in...
) - Michael Wong (Singer)
- Loo Kum ZeeLoo Kum ZeeLoo Kum Zee is a Malaysian high jumper.He attended secondary school in SMJK Sam Tet, Ipoh, Perak.He won bronze medals at the Asian Championships in 1995, 1998, 2002 and 2003. He also competed at the 1996 Olympic Games, but did not reach the final.His personal best jump is 2.24 metres, achieved in...
(Athlete) - Chan Aun Kuang (Exe. Editor-In-Chief, Nanyang Siang PauNanyang Siang PauNanyang Siang Pau or Nanyang Business Daily was founded by philanthropist-entrepreneur Tan Kah Kee on 6 September 1923 in Singapore, currently published in Malaysia...
)
School administration
These details are correct as of 8 November 2009- Principal: Mr Lee Peng Chong
- Deputy Principal / Senior Assistant: Mr Pong Ah Kau
- Deputy Principal / Senior Assistant of Student Affairs: Mr. Kok Loy Sin
- Deputy Principal / Senior Assistant of Co-curricular Activities: Mr. Koit Sim Siang
- Afternoon Session Principal / Senior Assistant: Miss Wong Sook Kuin
Former headmasters
- Rev. Bro. Joseph Wong (1952-1954)
- Rev. Bro. Joche-Chanel Soon (1954-1955)
- Rev. Bro. Marcel Chong (1955-1959)
- Rev. Bro. John Moh (1959-1992)
- Mr. Yu Cheng Sun (1992-1998)
- Mr. Tor Siang Kang (1998-1999)
- Mr. Toh Ah Huat (1999-2001)
- Mr. Loh Ghee Juan (2001-2005)
- Mr. Phang Yoon Ming (2005-2010)
- Mr. Lee Peng Chong (2010-2011)