Anglo Chinese School, Klang

The Anglo-Chinese School (or ACS) is a semi-government aided primary (Sekolah Kebangsaan Methodist ACS) and secondary school (Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Methodist ACS) in Jalan Melawis and Jalan Raya Barat respectively within the district of Klang. It is the oldest school in the state of Selangor and one of the oldest in Malaysia. ACS was founded and established on 10 March 1893, and officially opened by Sir William Hood Treacher.

The primary and secondary schools initially functioned together. They were separated when enrolment in both schools increased. The primary and secondary schools are now housed in different buildings, separated by a canteen that is located within the primary school and is adjacent to the secondary school. As of 2009, a new canteen has been constructed for the secondary school.

Students who have studied or are studying in ACS Klang are commonly known as ACS'ians.

History

In 1892, the Klang District Officer, Walter W Skeat and Loke Yew encountered obstacles when raising money for a school building. They were finally successful in renting the premises of Penghulu Mohid's house in Jalan Rembau to start the new school. ACS initial enrolment was 14 students, with one teacher. The school was officially opened by Sir William Hood Treacher in 1893.

In 1896, the school became a British public school. The school was later sent by the Episcopal Methodist Mission and it was named Anglo Chinese School in 1915. In 1920, the original building, which was made of wood, was almost completely destroyed by fire.

The following year, a new building was erected at Jalan Raya Barat, its present-day location. It was opened by Oliver Marks, a resident of Selangor. Sultan Alaeddin Sulaiman was also present at the opening of the school. That year, when Reverend Abel Eklund and his wife Ruth Eklund arrived in Klang, there were 15 female pupils in ACS. On 24 May 1924, Ruth Eklund founded the Methodist Girls' School (MGS), an all-girls school located in the proximity of ACS.^[1] In 1922, the first batch of students took the Senior Cambridge Exams. Two years later, the new school magazine, called The School Review, was published. In 1925, The First Klang Scouts Troop was founded.

In 1941, a new building was built to accommodate the increasing enrolment. From 1942 to 1945, during the World War II period, the school became the head office of the Japanese army. In 1951, a new science laboratory was opened by Sultan Hisamuddin Alam Shah Alhaj. The whole school was renovated six years later. During the same year, the first Klang Boys' Brigade was founded with the assistance of Capten Peter Dawson and Reverend Ronald Buttler-White. In 1958, Additional Mathematics, and Pure Sciences, which encompasses Physics, Chemistry, and Biology, were introduced to Form 4 (16-year-old) students.

In 1961, the ACS Old Boys' Association was registered, with Koh Liang Sih as president. In 1963, a new three-storey building was completed. It had 11 classrooms, one office, one teachers' lounge, and one Geography room. It was declared open by Capten Abdul Hamid, the Malaysian Minister of Education. In 1973, the Parent-Teacher Association (Malay: Persatuan Ibu Bapa dan Guru; PIBG) was founded in the school hall. The first chairman was Adam bin Haji Yunus.

A three-storey block with 11 classrooms, and another block of four storeys which houses a teachers' room, an office, and an air-conditioned library were completed in 1978. It was officially opened by Y.B. Dato' Musa Hitam, the Minister of Education of Malaysia at that time. By 1979, new Form Six classes were created.

In 1980, the Report Card Day was introduced, and in 1981, the Mini Canteen day was held for the first time. In 1983, the PIBG raised funds to build a bicycle court, a tennis court, a sepak takraw court, a basketball court and a foyer. Ten years later, a celebration was held to commemorate ACS's 100th anniversary in both the primary and secondary schools. In 1997, the name of the primary school was changed to Sekolah Kebangsaan (SK) Methodist ACS Klang, while the name of the secondary school remained the same.

In 2006, the nature society club and the school itself have face a major problem, which was the trailer which it is used by the club to store the collected recycle things caught fire. The school call the fire department to put off the fire but unfortunately the gates to enter the school compound was locked with heavy duty chains and lock pad.

In 2007, ACS Secondary underwent a major refurbishment, including the exterior of the school, along with the classrooms and the corridors being repainted, and the toilet renovated. The fund which have been raised for the renovation are mostly deposited to the person's personal bank account.

See also

• Anglo-Chinese School

References

External links

• Official site (ACS Secondary) (in Malay)
• The Nature Society (of ACS Secondary) (in Malay)