Education: the Catholic Church's legacy to the state

Aside from the seeds of the Catholic Faith sown by the Catholic Mill Hill Missionaries and the subsequent growth and development of the Catholic Church in North Borneo (now Sabah) in the late 19th and early 20th century, one of their most enduring legacies was the gift of education.

In coming to Borneo and in asking the permission of the North Borneo Company we have no other motive or intention except to labour for the good of its people by attempting to civilize and instruct them. This we purpose to do, after studying the language and habits of the people, principally by means of schools for the children. (Msgr Thomas Jackson to British Colonial Secretary WH Treacher of Labuan, 19 Nov 1881)

The Government of Labuan saw the mission's contribution very much in terms of the provision of schools and at first would not think of granting land to the mission without specific guarantees that it would establish schools.

Msgr Jackson, the second Prefect Apostolic, regarded education as an important task of the mission, but he did not wish to be rushed into making rash promises that the mission would establish schools all over the place.

He needed to know which places would be the most suitable and the missionaries needed time to learn the local languages. He was convinced that education must be conducted in the local languages with English thrown in as an extra optional subject.

Despite Jackson's early misgivings about being too quick to promise schools there was no doubt in his mind that schools would become an important part of the mission's contribution to the state and it was immediately obvious that schools must be opened in Sandakan. St Mary's Sandakan was opened on 24 July 1883.

There was not a great deal of uniformity in the early mission school curricula. The four Rs were taught: reading, writing, arithmetic and religion. Most schools provided instruction also in gardening and simple carpentry.

The earliest Borneo converts tended to be young men. There was a marked resistance to religious change among the women. While this situation continued the work could have little permanence and there was little hope of establishing Christian communities, only a fear that once they were married the young men would lapse back into paganism.

It was an awareness of this problem that prompted Jackson to seek the services of Sisters to dedicate themselves to the education of young girls who could become suitable wives for the young male converts.

This was the reason why the Sisters aimed primarily at training the girls in domestic arts. They were indeed taught to read and write but much of their time was spent in needlework, laundry, cooking and childcare. It was only after World War Two that it became more common to give the girls a full academic education.

In the 1920s and 1930s there was a shift in mission education from the practical to the academic and the standards system was implemented. Ordinary mission station schools provided primary instruction up to standard 4. Standard 5 education was provided at Jesselton and Sandakan and up to standard 7 in Sandakan only. Pupils who wished to go beyond standard 7 were directed to St Joseph's Institute Singapore.

Before 1940 many mission schools took great pride in the standard of their music instruction and a number had their own bands to play at public occasions. Both Sandakan and Limbahau had their bands.

After the Second World War in 1945, the construction of more permanent structures of the schools were completed towards the late 1940s. The mission schools flourished and achieved remarkable progress from then onwards.

In 1950 the North Borneo Government commissioned advisory studies on educational reform in the colony. The North Borneo Education Report 1950 (NBER1950) advised a reorganization which would parcel out to the voluntary bodies zones in which they would have virtual monopoly of secondary education. The policy was presented as a rationalization of educational services. But the mission bodies could not accept such restriction on their influence and activities through secondary schools and instigated a press campaign against the report.

When the NBER1950 was shelved, Governor RD Turnbull set up the North Borneo Education Board. The voluntary bodies were represented on this board, at first by their principals and later by their respective education secretaries. Its most significant achievement was the initiation of the Unified Teachers' Scheme (UTS) and the implementation of a policy of dollar-for-dollar aid towards mission education capital expenditure. The UTS required the missions to cede all school fees to the Government in return for guarantees of proper salaries and pensions to teachers and a capitation grant to cover day-to-day school administration expenses.

In the long run, the UTS opened the door to increasing Government interference in the schools and a reduction in control over education by the Church.

When the prefecture was raised to the Vicariate of Jesselton on 14 Feb 1952 with Msgr James Buis as the first Bishop of North Borneo, the vicariate had 38 primary schools and 19 secondary schools.

Coming of the La Salle Brothers

Partly because the priests wanted to be spared from school for missionary work, partly because the increasing school standard was demanding for a more professional care, the La Salle Brothers were invited to take over the Primary and the newly completed Sacred Heart Secondary School at Tanjung Aru (1953).

The first La Salle Brothers, Brothers Raphael Egan, Charles O'Leary and Thomas Carney, arrived in January 1958. The secondary school was renamed La Salle Secondary School on 15 May 1958. The Brothers took charge of St Mary Sandakan in 1963 and St Martin Tambunan in 1976.

With outstanding dedication and professionalism of the Brothers, those schools became premiere schools in the state. Many a prominent citizen of Sabah today is a proud alumnus of those schools formerly run by the Brothers.

The 1950s and 1960s were the golden age of mission school and boarding life. Over a whole generation was drilled in the Catholic faith during catechism and scripture classes in school run with stiff physical discipline and an improving syllabus. The priests and sisters were principals and members of the teaching staff in schools and spent much time in school and boarding affairs.

Through her schools the Catholic Mission earned the respect and admiration of Sabahan society at large, and many willingly embraced the Catholic faith.

North Borneo was renamed Sabah in 1963 when it received independence and became one of the states in the newly established Federation of Malaysia. At the time of independence, the mission schools were a major means of missionary work reaching out to Catholics and non-Catholics alike.

However, the political change that independence brought, the Mission's dire need for finance, and a number of factors, eventually resulted in the Church losing control and influence over Catholic mission schools.

An Act of Parliament classified mission schools as "fully assisted schools" which came under the direct control of the Ministry of Education and became part and parcel of the National Educational System.

Losing the schools as a main avenue of Christian formation and evangelization, the Church has since been challenged and is still finding an effective alternative to provide Christian education for her young and outreach to non-Catholics.

However, concerned Catholics can still be active on the educational scene as members of the Parents-Teachers Association, the Alumni Association, the Board of Management of the mission schools.

Kompleks Pendidikan St Simon - Private Educational Complex

The Vicariate of Jesselton became the Diocese of Kota Kinabalu on 25 June 1976 with Msgr Simon Fung as the first local bishop. During his tenure (1975-1985) he noted with deep concern that many Catholic parents were sending their children overseas for education at a very tender age and the idea of having a private secondary school was born in his mind in 1984. He mooted this idea to protect the family structure.

He hoped that by setting up Maktab Nasional parents would refrain from sending their children overseas so early in life when they still need parental guidance.

In January 1985 Maktab Nasional opened its doors to about sixty students with two Form 1 classes and one Form 2 class. The school was then located at Jalan Ramin. But the school grew so fast that it had to be relocated at Likas Expo Site.

In 1988 a primary school was added - Sekolah Rendah Swasta Datuk Simon Fung - and in 1990 the Tadika and Taska were established. Together they form the Kompleks Pendidikan St Simon located at Kingfisher Park, Kuala Inanam.

Kung Ming School Jesselton - Unique Lay-Inspired Primary School

This school was unique, for although morally supported by the Church authorities, it was a project entirely initiated and run by lay Catholics. It was founded by Thomas Lee Yen Chiang and some members of the Chinese Catholic Young Men Society (CCYMC) at Karamunsing in 1938.

Although using the existing mission's atap house initially, a new building was constructed and financed without direct involvement of the clergy or religious.

While totally dedicated to the Catholic cause and that all teaching staff had to be ardent Catholics, catechism classes were not taught during regular classes but outside them, and conducted only for Catholic students. The rationale behind was that non-Catholics should first be attracted purely by good Chinese education there without fear of being converted.

But once within an overwhelmingly Catholic environment, many of the non-Catholic students came forward and embraced the Catholic faith willingly. These converts, together with their spouses and children, still make up a large number of the Chinese Catholics in Kota Kinabalu today.

Kung Ming School soon became a respected Chinese institution in Jesselton and the Catholic Church was looked up to by everyone. The school-organised unicorn dances, which were displayed unfailingly each Chinese New Year, the regular Chinese operas and concerts staged, all these extracurricular activities also added to the school's prestige and much needed funds.

During the Japanese Occupation in 1942-1943, all educational services were halted. Kung Ming School was reopened for classes in the beginning of 1946 with supervision and support from Fr Arnold Verhoeven. Because of other urgent commitments Thomas Lee tried many times to resign from his post as principal but somehow had to serve on as acting principal until the arrival of Fr Joseph Wang in 1950. Wang was the first priest to take over as principal of the largely lay people-run school and from then onwards, the clergy and mission became more directly involved in the school.

In 1963 it was renamed Shan Tao Primary School - as it is known today.

List of some mission schools

• St Michael's School Penampang - 1888
• St Mary's Convent Primary School Sandakan - 1891
• Sacred Heart Primary School Jesselton - 1903
• St Joseph's Primary School Penampang - 1903
• St Theresa's Primary School Tambunan - 1918
• St Francis Convent Primary School Jesselton - 1922
• Holy Trinity Primary School Tawau - 1922
• St Peter's Primary School Bundu Kuala Penyu - 1935
• Kung Ming Primary School Jesselton - 1938
• Stella Maris Primary School Tanjung Aru - 1948
• Holy Trinity Secondary School Tawau - 1951
• Sacred Heart Secondary School Jesselton/Tanjung Aru - 1951/1952
• St Francis Xavier's Primary School Keningau - 1952
• St Dominic's Primary School Lahad Datu - 1952
• St Joseph's Secondary School Papar - 1953
• St Mary's Primary School (Town) Sandakan - 1953
• St James Primary School Apin-Apin - 1955
• St Francis Convent Secondary School Jesselton - 1959
• St Francis Xavier's Secondary School Keningau - 1960
• St John's Primary School Beaufort - 1961
• St Dominic's Secondary School Lahad Datu - 1963
• St Peter's Secondary School Bundu Kuala Penyu - 1965
• St Cecilia's Secondary School Sandakan - 1966
• Shan Tao High School Likas - 1966-67
• St Martin's Secondary School Tambunan - 1967
• St Ursula Secondary School Tawau - 1968.

Sources:

• Catholic Sabah, KK Archdiocese 2008
• Khabar Gembira, J Rooney, 1981
• 100 Years of Good News, Sacred Heart Cathedral KK, 2003