Introduction
I wonder how many who live in Kirkby remember or realise that there was a teachers'
training college which existed from 1951 to 1962 specially for Malaysian students.
In 1951 the Government of the Federation of Malaya (now Malaysia) established the Malayan
Teachers' Training College at Kirkby, Lancashire for the training of Malayan teachers. In
the words of the pioneer Principal of the College, Mr Robert Williams,
"By
any standard, it was unique in the history of Education. For the
first time, the Government of a country had established in a far-off land
a teachers' college for its own students. Never before had any Government
in the world set up its own College in Britain…. The Board of Governors
was appointed in autumn 1951 with the Vice-Chancellor of the University
of Liverpool as the Chairman…. The University of Liverpool Institute of
Education undertook the examination of Kirkby students thus ensuring that
the professional standards of the College should be equivalent to those
of its member colleges. At the same time the Institute allowed freedom
for the Malayan College to develop in the way best suited for training
for teaching in Malaya."
In November of the same year, Mr G J Gurney, an experienced British Education Officer who had
served in Malaya for many years was appointed Vice-Principal. He later became Principal,
affectionately known as 'Papa Gurney'.
An extract from the Annual Report of Education in the Federation of Malaya 1951 described
the establishment of Kirkby College with the following exciting words
"This unique educational
experiment aroused world-wide interest and revealed the existence in the United
Kingdom of an enormous fund of goodwill towards the teachers and pupils of this
country. One can think of few things more beneficial for Malayan primary schools
than the regular periodic blood transfusion of a group of teachers whose spirit
and minds have been expanded by travel and whose professional skill has been
developed and disciplined in the first class Training College."
Below, views of the Malayan Teachers' Training College Campus, Kirkby.
The Young Malayans (now Malaysians)
I was one of the fortunate, amongst the thousands, who was trained at the Malayan Teachers'
Training College at Kirkby. I was there from 1954 to 1956. Each year 150 young Malaysians
were selected and sent there for a two-year training course.
We were young and inexperienced. But the two years at Kirkby changed us. We became
knowledgeable young men and women with a broad outlook raring to return home to share the wealth of
knowledge we gained with the children of Malaysia. We did our teaching practice in schools
around Kirkby. Blackbull, Fazakerley, Bootle, Wigan, St Helens, Knowsley, Southdene,
Ormskirk and Aintree are names still familiar to many of us. I wonder how many of the
children we taught remember the teachers from Malaya. Many Kirkby students used to
frequent Anfield at weekends to watch Liverpool play. Many are still strong supporters
of Liverpool FC.
After Kirkby
When we returned to Malaysia we were sent to various parts of the country to teach.
A few of us were even sent to Brunei on loan. The name Kirkby-trained teachers became
known to most parents. And we did well and contributed to the development of education
in the young independent Malaysia.
Quite a number of the teachers, however, left the profession after several years,
to further their education and to pursue careers in other professions. There were
those who became Judges, lawyers, doctors, engineers, businessmen and government
civil servants. Many remained in the teaching service and became very successful
teachers, headmasters and headmistresses, lecturers, university professors and
officials in the Education Ministry. One of the Kirkby-trained teachers, a close
friend of mine, Dato' (a Malaysian honorific title) Yunus Raiss left Malaysian
shores in 1962 to pursue degree courses in England. He subsequently started his
own English Language School in London. Yunus is now the principal of Sels English
Language School located in Covent Garden, London. When we had an alumni reunion
in September 2001 he wrote the following:
"The first group of 148 students were sent in the winter of 1951 to train at an
emergency teacher-training college in a tiny hamlet about six miles from the city
of Liverpool, called Kirkby Fields. The place was literally farm followed by farm.
It had been a munitions factory in the Second World War. They sailed on S.S. Chusan
on a 21-day journey.
The selection for the two-year training course at Kirkby looked for able candidates,
with the potential for a degree course, who would on their return serve as teachers
in the Education Department for at least five years.
Among those chosen were young men and women from rural areas and poor families, who
could not have gone on to Higher Education unassisted. The good mix of candidates
from well-off and educated families and the children of labourers and farmers produced
a magical quality that benefited Malaysia in no small way.
Kirkbians (Kirkbyites) can be expected to say that even God smiled on this pioneering
educational programme that had a Malayan curriculum taught in England by well-qualified staff,
most of whom were graduates from such universities as London, Oxford, Cambridge and Aberdeen.
The place was redolent with friendliness and open-minded discussions, high thinking and
good manners. The content of the courses and the pedagogy were eye-openers for most of
the trainees, who took home innovative approaches and a liberal attitude to learning.
Education as a whole was elevated to a higher plane".
Below, Tunku Abdul Rahman, chief minister of Malaya (now Malaysia) is
seen surrounded by excited students at the Kirkby Malayan Teachers' Training College
after he announced the date of the then Malaya independence. The photo on the right
shows the education minister. Abdul Razak, signing autographs for the students.
The cutting is from the Daily Post, Wed Feb 08 1956. (Larger resolution copy is
here)
Reminiscing the past
The young men and women from Malaya had two wonderful years in Kirkby. Never a weekend went by without an invitation from the friendly and warm people of the area. Groups of students would be invited to English homes to have tea or to join them for picnics. In turn the college invited many local residents to witness cultural presentations and even stage plays performed by the students. Many Kirkby residents had the opportunity to sample some of the Malaysian cuisine prepared by the students. In later years a number of them visited Malaysia and were warmly received by their foster "children". My greatest delight was to be chosen together with other students to appear in the film "A Town Like Alice" which starred Virginia McKenna and Peter Finch. We enjoyed two weeks in London filming at Pinewood studios. I also had the good fortune to teach in the same school as Mr John Wilson, the world famous British author whose pen name was Anthony Burgess. He was then serving in Brunei.
From 1977 to 1986 I served in London as the representative of the Government of Malaysia Tourism Office. I visited Liverpool on business several times and never failed to make a detour to visit Kirkby. So many changes had taken place. The college was demolished. Even the Kirkby railway station had a new site. But Kirkby Store and the local pub at the entrance of the college were still there. How nostalgic. I was surrounded by many locals who asked whether I remembered them. They had worked in the college as maids, cooks, cleaners, gardeners and electricians. An elderly gentleman told me students used to frequent a fish and chips shop near the college. He told me his wife was running it. . I remembered it well. I was saddened to learn she had passed on.
Below, views of old Kirkby as remembered by Malaysian students and older residents of Kirkby.
Kirkby gave us a unique and exciting experience. The name Kirkby is still very well-known in
Malaysia. In fact the former students still meet from time to time although many of us have
passed on. As one Kirkbyite wrote,
"Kirkby is an emotional landmark that will not fade.
It will remain forever in our memory and our heart. It will be remembered fondly for
as long as we live".
I would love to hear from anyone who has any memory of or connection with the college.
Zainal Arshad
Kirkby 1954-56
Email Zainal by
clicking here
43 Years, and still the name of Kirkby is held in high esteem in Malaysia.
This is a great addition to Memories of Kirkby, and it's a heart warming tribute to our town,
still remembered in such high esteem after all these years by Mr Zainal Arshad and his fellow
Malaysian 'Kirkbyites'. Please e-mail him if you remember the Malayan student
teachers, or were in any way involved. Some of those who educated themselves here
have sadly passed on, and I'm sure readers who remember back to the early days of
Kirkby would send there condolences.
Times have changed, but the memories of the Malaysians point to a decent kind
working class community that welcomed these students to what must have seemed
a strange land. The Malaysians have long had a mixture of various cultures in
there own Country and are in a way similar to us Scousers. That some still call
themselves Kirkbyites is a tribute to the older generation here which greeted these
good people. The good manners, kindness and willingness of Kirkby people to help
the students become familiar with our culture are acts of kindness which are still
remembered 43 years later.
'For Truth and Knowledge'
In tribute of and in anticipation of what might be
'better days' Kirkby Times will be
adopting the old emblem of the Malayan Teachers Training College. We might make some addition
to it, but the motto of 'For Truth and Knowledge' is as good a motto as any to live by and has
long been the standard under which Kirkby Times chooses to campaign under. It certainly did
not do the Malayan classes from 1951 to 1962 any harm. Nor the thousands of Malaysians who
have had the benefit of being educated by the Kirkbyites.
We thank Zainal Arshad and all the former Kirkbyites in Malaysia and wish them,
there families and the young people of Malaysia all the very best of luck. We
also wish all the teachers in Kirkby past and present all the best, especially the
older retired teachers who will remember the pioneering spirit which Kirkby once
took in educating people.
BBC Malaysia facts - some useful starting points for finding out more on
Malaysia
here
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