Kluang High School

School name

Founded as Government English School (colloquially known as GES), Kluang, it was renamed Secondary English School (colloquially known as SES) in 1958. In 1980 - circa February/March, shortly before the commencement of the inaugural Form Six (two Lower Sixth Arts classes) - the school name was changed to assume its current name.

The beginning

The then-Johore state government published a request for tender for the construction of GES in December 1937. Construction of the two-storeyed concrete building with multiple classrooms, an assembly hall and tuck shop started in 1938. Reports on the construction cost ranged from $83,000 (Straits dollar) to $170,000.

Early History, 1939 to 1963

The school commenced on 15 January 1939 with two classes in the Volunteer Drill Hall – construction of the new building was still in progress - at Jalan Hospital. Headed by Mr Koe Ewe Teik and assisted by Inche Daud bin Mohamed Amin, GES pioneered a system of admitting 10-year-old boys, whom have already studied a few years in vernacular schools, to be promoted to Standard III or IV - according to the boys' ability - after two years.

Subsequently, the main building was officially opened by Tunku Temenggong Ahmad on 15 May 1939.

The number of classes doubled to four by the year 1941.

The students and staff were housed in three attap sheds at Jalan Ibrahim for a period of nine months - until June 1946 - for the British Military Authorities requisitioned the GES building after the British re-occupation of Malaya. Upon relocating back to the school building, extra-curricular activities in the form of games were organised for students - in parallel with the resurgence in sports participation in Kluang - and a Wolf Cub Pack was established in 1947.

Eighty boys and girls who were likely to pass at least Standard III in Malay primary schools were prepared for admission to the new Special Malay Class (SMC) for 1949. Entrance to SMC was by way of a competitive examination. Following the accomplishment of this two-year programme (SMC 1 & SMC 2) of mainstream English education, they joined the other students for the final year of primary school: Standard VI. The last SMC intake was in January 1962.

GES expanded its student cohort by creating a secondary section in 1949.

The Malay language was incorporated into the Standards III, IV and V curricula in 1950.

A block of six new classrooms - costing approximately $28,000 (Malayan dollar) - was added to the primary section in 1952.

New science laboratories were officially opened by the State Secretary, Che’ Abdul Rahman bin Musa.

To broaden the extra-curricular activities, a Red Cross Link was started with 24 members, and in 1955 the Cadet Corps with a platoon of 30 was begun. Cadet training was conducted by a duly qualified officer in the staff, with advice from officers of the British Garrison and later from the 6th Royal Malay Regiment. The British Garrison men, with their bulldozer, also helped to level the new sports field.

The Kluang Primary Boys' School (later renamed Tunku Mahmud School) and Kluang Primary English School were formed in August 1957. The latter school, hitherto the primary section of GES, continued to use the GES building until 1962 when a part of it moved to the Tunku Mahmud School building.

With the advent of the Education Ordinance, coupled with the change in school type to secondary-only, the GES name was changed to Secondary English School (Malay: Sekolah Menengah Inggeris) in 1958.

The remaining part of the Primary English School shifted to the Tunku Mahmud School building in 1963.

SES had a Board of Governors, Parent-Teacher Association and an Ex-Pupils' Association.

A new admission policy saw the introduction of Remove Classes (one-year English immersion classes prior to starting Form I) at SES for students from vernacular primary schools.

School Type

Heraldry

The Swiss-shaped escutcheon (shield) is party per pale (halved vertically); azure (blue) on the left, or (gold/yellow) on the right. The school motto, Onward in argent (white) is on the gules (red) fess i.e. the band that runs horizontally across the shield.

A flying fox, wings displayed and inverted, is behind the shield; sable (black) & argent (white) head affronte - the crest; bleu celeste (sky blue) wings - the supporters. The flying fox has local significance, in that the name of the town, Kluang is derived from the Malay word keluang, which is a type of fruit bat that used to swarm the town in the evenings.

The school name, in argent (white), is on the gules (red) scroll.

School Uniform

The uniform continues to comply with the public schools uniform.

In the late 1970s, the public secondary school uniform for boys was transitioned from an all-white attire to white shirt & olive green trousers. In conjunction with this and on the instigation of the prefect committee, SES exercised its authority to set uniforms for prefects: an all-blue attire (sky blue & navy blue) with black leather shoes - that complement the school colours - plus the prevailing navy blue tie, and navy blue blazer for senior (second year) prefects in early 1979.

In 2013, school shoes for all other students were changed from white to black. Malay students were required to wear the traditional Malay outfit on Fridays (the final day of the school week), which was switched to Thursdays in 2014, following an amendment to the school week.

School Song

Previously sung by all students at Sunday morning assemblies, by 1980 the school anthem (lyrics by Mr C. D. Westwood, a former headmaster) was sung by the prefects at special occasions only.

The GES, Kluang - SES, Kluang then High School, Kluang - anthem has been replaced by a Malay version.

Yearbook

The school magazine Onward was first published in 1947, inspired by Mr. K. M. Mathai the guiding force behind the GES literary and debating society.

SES and the Kluang Primary English School shared the same school magazine until 1962. The cover page of the 1961 (issue no. 15) Onward magazine featured illustrations of both school badges belonging to that era.

Sport Houses

The result of the 19th annual Sports Day was reported in the Malay daily, Berita Harian. The sport houses (likely to have been named after former Sultans of Johor) are: