Coat of Arms
The shield is quartered, coloured white (Argent) in the first quarter, red (Gules) in the second, black (Sable) in the third and yellow (Or) in the fourth.
The colors represent the four Houses of which the students in the College are grouped into; Idris (white), Sulaiman (red), Mohd Shah (yellow) and Ahmad (black). The Houses are named in honor of the four Sultans who founded the College.
In the middle of the shield is a red kris, a traditional Malay dagger. On top of the crest is a head of a tiger which is the symbol of the Federation of Malaya. Surrounding the left and right side of the shield are laurel wreaths symbolizing excellence. The school motto is
Fiat Sapientia Virtus, which is the Latin for Manliness Through Wisdom.
School's anthem
Oh Kolej MelayuHarapan BangsakuDengan Sejarah yang CemerlangHarumlah Namamu Kolej Istimewa
Didikan untuk semua
Keluar membimbing negara
Maju terus mara
Banggaku rasakan
Khidmatku berikan
Takku lupakan jasa-jasamu
Oh Kolej Melayu
During the MCOBA Annual Dinner 2007, the new lyrics for School's anthem was introduced. Just a slight change on the wording Kolej Melayu to Malay College as the school name had officially changed to 'The Malay College'.
History
Malay College Kuala Kangsar (MCKK) is a premier and first fully-residential school in Malaysia. Established on 2nd January, 1905, it was originally known as the Malay Residential School of Kuala Kangsar.
The school was the brainchild of Mr R J Wilkinson, then Inspector of Schools for the Federated Malay States. In a letter to the Resident-General dated 24th February 1904 he wrote about
"establishing at a suitable locality in the F.M.S., a special residential school for the education of Malays of good family and for the training of Malay boys for admission to certain branches of Government service".
Its formation was enthusiastically supported by the then Rulers of the Federated Malay States namely Sultan Idris Murshidul ‘Adzam Shah I of Perak, Sultan Alaiddin Sulaiman Shah of Selangor, Yam Tuan Tuanku Muhammad Shah of Negeri Sembilan and Sultan Ahmad Mu’adzam Shah of Pahang.
Mr W Hargreaves, then Headmaster of Penang Free School was appointed as the first headmaster to lead the establishment of the school. Since 1965, the Malay College has been led by Malay headmasters.
As it was founded to educate the Malay elite, comprising of royal children and the sons of Malay nobility, few of its early students were from amongst commoner families. This changed dramatically after 1947, as a result of rising Malay nationalism. Currently, selected Malay boys aged from 12 to 17 from all around Malaysia are being educated there.
The Straits Echo on 15th April 1905 reported that a few boys were placed in cosy dormitories in Mr Hargreaves’ rented house, while the others were stabled in small houses formerly occupied by the Malayan Railway clerks. The second half of the school, conducted by Mr Vanrenen was held in a fowl house. Altogether, there were 40 boys in the first intake of the school.
The sanction for the building of a permanent school became official on 23rd December 1905, and by 1st May 1909, the Big School was first brought into use. On Saturday, 11th December 1909, the Big School was officially opened by the Sultan of Perak, and the auspicious date also marked the change in the name of the school from the Malay Residential School of Kuala Kangsar to the Malay College of Kuala Kangsar.
The change also seems to have seen greater emphasis on the original aim of MCKK, for in a report for 1910 we read:
"From this school the Government have great hopes that the sons of Malays of the Raja and higher class will be educated and trained on the lines of an English Public School and be fitted to take a share in the Government of their Country".
Since its inception, more than 5,000 boys (and 2 girls) have had the privilege to enter the gates of MCKK. Though it was initially founded to educate the Malay elites, it changed dramatically as a result of rising Malay nationalism since 1947. Today, selected Malay boys from all walks of life and aged from 12 to 17 from all over Malaysia are educated in MCKK.
The college celebrated its centennial celebration on 26th March 2005, attended by dignitaries, old boys, and townspeople. The Yang di-Pertuan Agong of Malaysia attended the event, along with the royal rulers of the states of Perak, Selangor and Negeri Sembilan as well as the governor of Malacca.
MCKK has been the school for many prominent Malaysians such as kings, sultans, prime ministers, ministers as well as senior officials in the Government and leading figures in the private sector. MCKK boys undoubtedly fill many of the pages of "Who's Who" in Malaysia.
Buildings
The most recognizable feature of the school is the
Big School (built in 1909), a building with pseudo Greco-Roman architecture in front of a rugby field, and houses the fourth and fifth formers (and previously, sixth formers). The
Prep School, built later in 1912, is smaller but with equally prominent features and houses the first formers. In 1955, the
West and East Wing, as well as the
Administration Block and
Clocktower were added. The Administrative Block was opened by High Commissioner for the Federation of Malaya Sir Donald MacGillivray in 1955. The West and the East Wing, together with the Overfloor make up what is now called the
Big School. Two more hostel blocks, the
Pavilion and
New Hostel were built in 1963 and 1972 respectively; the latter houses second formers. Another prominent feature of the school is the
Big Tree, a raintree (
Samanea saman) in front of the East Wing that is said to be as old as the school itself, if not older.
Sports
The school itself has three fields. One is located in front of the Big School, traditionally reserved for rugby, soccer and cricket. The second field is located south eastern of the Big School and it usually hosts field hockey game. The third open space is in the Administration Block and it is used for various purposes.
The College ground is also the only place in Malaysia where one could find an Eton Fives court. The students neither use the court nor do they play the game, however.
The school also excels in sports and debate. It became a powerhouse in rugby during the sixties and still has one of the best rugby school teams in the nation . Nicknamed "All-Blacks" after the New Zealand national team for its all black strip and its might and passion like their New Zealand counterparts, they even perform the haka before matches. It has consistently held a traditional match series against the Vajiravudh College of Thailand since 1960. In odd-numbered years, the match is held in Kuala Kangsar. In even-numbered years, it is held in Bangkok, Thailand. In addition to this, MCKK competes with rival Royal Military College every year in a multi-games carnival. Both colleges take turns to organise the annual event.
Within the school, each student belongs to one of four "Rumah" (sport houses). They are Sulaiman (represented by the color red), Ahmad (black), Mohd Shah (yellow) and Idris (white). The four houses compete with each other every year in almost every kind of sports. The competition between the four reaches its peak in the school's Sports Day.
JOM TENGOK LAGI!!!
