My School

Posted by Victor under Reflections
(11) Comments • (5280) Reads • Permalink

Each time as I drive past the building that now houses part of the UNSW (University of New South Wales), I could not help remembering the days when my mother and I waded through the tall grasses around the twin-building (then it was Tanglin Boys’ School) to reach the school, most of the time, being late for class. That was in 1959 and my mother could not get me into Keppel or Cantonment School, which was about 5 minutes’ walk from our home at Turn-Tiam-Hung (Hokkien for Pawnshop Alley) which was Craig Rd. Not wanting me to miss an education, she brought me to Tanglin Boys’ School.

TANGLIN INTEGRATED PRIMARY SCHOOL
Image courtesy of National Archives of Singapore

I could still remember my Primary One teacher, Miss Kam. She showed us the school, the lavatories, the tuckshop (note the names are no longer used?) and of course, our classroom. We would sit in front of the blackboard with her sitting on the low chair, and each of us would take turn to stand up and talk. I remembered bing awed by the teachers talking to each other in such fluent English. I was only communicating in Hokkien then, and well, a little Cantonese as taught by my mother to greet our Cantonese neighbour Zhou San (Good Morning).

I could also remember on one assignment when we were given pictures from which we were to copy and draw from. Somehow, my classmate sitting next to me, Mohamed, had a picture of a pig. He asked to change with me, which I gladly did. Gosh and I could not remember what was my picture. My first lesson about why pigs are haram.

The primary school must be one of the happiest moments of my life, learning a new language that opened me to a new world of knowledge. And each teacher was special to me.

When I reached the end of Primary 5, we had to move to a new school because the school building was to be used as part of the Ministry of Education, which was at Kay Siang Road, just up the hill. And so, we had to bid the school goodbye as we went to our new school called the Tanglin Integrated Primary School which was just next to the Tanglin Halt Estate (that Primary School building is gone now). We missed our hamtam-bola (hitting each other with a soft ball) before school started and during recess time. At the new school, we were integrated with the Malay stream classes. It was interesting that as Prefects, we had to learn some Malay to get the students to walk faster or to be quiet. When the teachers had their meetings, we had to take care of the classes and I found myself helping the younger kids with Jawi writing!

Official Opening of TANGLIN INTEGRATED PRIMARY SCHOOL
Image courtesy of National Archives of Singapore

After a couple of years, the Tanglin Boys School building was vacated by the Ministry of Education and became Kay Siang Primary School, as I saw written on the walls of the school. I am not sure if there were further transformations, but when I next knew, it was part of the Republic Polytechnic. That was about the time when our favourite field where we had hamtam-bola became concrete ground. And now, it is part of the UNSW. What will it be next? (^^)

Won’t it be a fun topic to write a composition of the “life of a school building”. Ah, I remember my Primary 4 form teacher, Mr. David Chan, who taught us how to write a diary, something I have found useful until this day, be it a log or a journal.

May the building of the Tanglin Boys’ School live on, serving whatever purpose that it might. Many school children have gone through the classrooms of this school, from the British days through the Malaysian days and on through our Independence day.

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(11) Comments

Posted by: muse
Posted on: January 23rd, 2007

See more pictures of Tanglin Integrated Primary School, online at A2O. Log on to "http://www.a2o.com.sg/a2o/public/search/index.html" and enter "Tanglin Integrated Primary School". Can you spot yourself / your friends in those pictures?

Posted by: tao-victor
Posted on: January 23rd, 2007

Thanks for the links. Unfortunately, I could not see my face there. See, I was on duty somewhere as a prefect. (^^)

Posted by: Vincent
Posted on: May 28th, 2007

Great to see the photos of the school. Can't seem to find any other evidence of the school. Ex-student 1969 to 1973.

Posted by: Hasni
Posted on: July 19th, 2007

Kay Siang primary school was later merged with Tanglin Girls' Primary School which was located slight above us. it became Xianglin Primary School and I was in Primary 6.

Posted by: Koh Lai Kin
Posted on: April 6th, 2008

Hi, guys - ex Tanglin Intergrated Primary School (TIPS) heroine! Proud to tell all I the pioneer 'gremlins' to fill the classrooms of Tanglin Integrated Primary School. Yah lah, that was back in those Que-Sera-Sera days of the 60s. I was transferred from Jervois East Primary School (JEPS)where I completed my Primary 3 education. Hated that school because my class teacher (wish I could remember her name) was a real witch. I can't remember what I did wrong, but she shouted at me so loudly that I wetted my underwear. Then when the amah came, she gave another round of lecture reducing me to near nothing. I so wished I could have just disappeared into the walls. So leaving JEPS was not a sad thing for me. Overall TIPS was filled with more wonderful experience than the bad ones. I can't remember the name of my school principal but I do remember my first teacher Miss Lilian Tan (1964), then followed by Mr. Heng and in Year 6 I had Mr. B P Singh. Miss L Tan, Mr. Heng and the Chinese langugage Sir, Mr. Chia were all my favourite teachers. I remember my best friend Yeong Chui Khuen. Other good friends whom I shared many wonderful childhood moments were with a bunch of colourful kids - Wong Wee Tee, Cheong Kum Ying, Leong Juat Chin, Goh Boon Yah, Tan Siew Lian, Daisy Wong and Rahimah binte Abdullah. The boys were Wong Choo Leong, Chin Khoon Fun and Peter Pang whom we tease Peter Pan. I used to live on the 5th floor of Block 32, Tanglin Halt. I remember mum used to chuck my fresh hot lunch around over the wire fencing and I would try to catch it. Tan Boon Yah, 1966 (Yr 6) was the school Idol. She mesmerised me when she sung "Chi-Sih-Huay-Luoh-Siang" - a Mandarin evergreen. My final year at TIPS left a little bit of a bad taste in the mouth. I remember it was during Maths class and I had a Maths question. I raised my hands and asked Mr. Singh to explain part of the maths theory taught that day. He was angry, blamed me for not paying attention and he flung the blackboard's duster at me! It missed me narrowly, and from then on I hated maths. Prior to that Mr. Heng taught me maths and I was always on the top 5 with marks over the 90%. I scored 5/100 in my final term Yr 6 exams before I sat for my PSLE. Since that sad day, I never passed any maths exams. I continued to fail maths till I sat for my GCE 'O' level. I doubt Mr. Singh would still be alive today for me to tell him what he had done to me! But Mr. Heng, Ms Tan and Mr. Chia made my days at TIPS an overall wonderful experience. I hope to catch up with those friends whom I named here. Teachers too if you visit this site. I hope to find some school photos and post them on this web. Victor's post here - I think Victor is a few years my junior so it is unlikely you would know kids of my grade.

Posted by: tao-victor
Posted on: April 6th, 2008

Hi Kai Lin, Sad to read about Mr. B.P.Singh's action causing you to fail in your maths. I had a similar problem with my English when I was in Sec.4. I guess that changed my life and job. (^^) Mr. B.P.Singh was my form teacher when I was in Pri. 6. He was the Prefect Master, I think, and a no-nonsense teacher. When I kena punished once (I could not remember) and had to write lines - the famous punishment of those years - I negotiated with him that I copy half of the Science Textbook rather than the stupid repetitive lines. He agreed. And guess what, he later came to my Secondary School - Kim Seng Technical (RIP). (^^; Haha, I am older than you la! I was in Pri.6 in TIPS in 1964, that year when Tanglin Boys School moved to TIPS. No girls in my class. But I was a Prefect and had to learn some Jawi to help with the Malay stream classes when I had to take care during teachers' meetings. (^^)

Posted by: sky
Posted on: September 9th, 2008

I was an ex-TGS girl. Kay Siang Primary School merged with Tanglin Girls' School (TGS) - and became Xianglin Primary School. And we moved to occupy this building. I was in Primary 6 too! Later, Xianglin Primary merged with Belvedere Primary and became Belvedere Primary which occupied the Xianglin building. This didn't last for too long before they closed the entire school down :(

Posted by: Blogitstupid
Posted on: August 18th, 2010

Hello... I am from TGS, which became Xianglin Pri School!

Posted by: raj
Posted on: October 8th, 2010

hi guys.....i was in kay siang pri sch, 1971-1972 only for fri 6 , repeated as i came from india to settle in singapore.....the sch building is still there, fond memories.

Posted by: Oon Boon San
Posted on: December 9th, 2010

I was at Kay Siang Primary School from 1974 - 1929, and is looking for my good old friends, contact me if you guys ever read this message. I miss those good old days... childhood life was simple and good.