Methodist Chinese Kindergarten, 1928–2024

Our church has always been committed to the ministry of education. In 1928, before the war, church leaders Rev. 邱清浩, Mr 骆文萃, Mr 洪清江 and Mr 李溪泉, together with several leaders from other churches, proposed establishing a kindergarten. Classes officially began on 1 August 1928, with premises temporarily rented from our church. Committed believers from three churches—our church, 圣工会 and 福音堂—jointly supported its expenses. There were just over 40 pupils on the first day, rising to more than 70 by the end of the month. Pupil numbers grew significantly in 1929, and two first-year primary classes were added alongside the kindergarten. With further growth, a bungalow on Jalan Acheh was rented as school premises in 1935. The pre-war 协和 Kindergarten was the first kindergarten on Penang Island. It developed into a primary school and eventually a secondary school. The 协和 schools were later handed over to members of the wider community to manage. In 1959, our church established Methodist Kindergarten, with Rev. 洪瑞云 as its first principal and Ms 邱淑楣 as its teacher. There were 33 pupils. The first graduation ceremony and parents' gathering were held in 1960. In 1961, Ms 邱淑楣 entered a government teacher-training college and was succeeded by Ms 张金清. The account then records that Ms 陈 taught until her marriage in 1967. Rev. 洪瑞云 retired in 1966 but continued to serve voluntarily as principal for two years. In 1968, Ms 柯玉松 became principal after completing her studies in Taiwan, with Ms 洪秀河 as teacher. When Ms 柯玉松 entered the University of Malaya's Diploma in Education programme in 1972, the writer of this account also assumed the principal's responsibilities. Ms 黄淑真, who had completed specialist kindergarten training in Taiwan, was appointed as an additional teacher. Ms 洪秀河 left for further studies in the United States in 1972, and Ms 李美容 served temporarily in her place until 1974. Ms 黄雅棉 was appointed as a teacher in 1975. Following improvements to facilities and teaching methods in 1972, the kindergarten made considerable progress and enrolment increased. There were 42 pupils in 1974 and 48 in 1975. The kindergarten offered Chinese- and English-medium classes. Teaching emphasised children's creativity, allowing them to develop their skills and receive instruction suited to their abilities. Character formation was equally important: children were taught honesty, courtesy, care for public property, respect for the national flag, attentiveness during the national anthem, obedience to parents, respect for teachers, friendship towards classmates and reverence for God. In the years covered by this account, graduates performed well in their subsequent schools, and many were placed in accelerated classes. Pupils, teachers and board members at the kindergarten's founding, 1959 The first graduating class, 1960 The 11th graduating class with teachers and guests, 11 November 1971 All pupils singing at the graduation and parents' gathering, 1974 The 14th graduating class with teachers, 1974 All teachers and pupils, 1975 In 1986, the kindergarten expanded to Bayan Baru, with Ms 黄蕾心 taking full responsibility for planning and supervision. Kindergarten teachers and pupils, 1995 Penang Methodist Kindergarten is registered with the Penang State Education Department. We provide a well-rounded education for children aged three to six. Our teachers work with local Chinese, Malay and Indian children, as well as children from China, Japan, Thailand, Bangladesh, Hong Kong, Vietnam and Laos. This learning environment helps our pupils develop mutual respect and live harmoniously with classmates of different ethnicities, cultures and nationalities. Alongside Malay, Chinese, English, mathematics, moral education and science, our pupils also learn computing, music, art, drama and physical education. We also take pupils on educational visits to the Butterfly Farm, Youth Park, Chew Thean Yeang Aquarium, the Toy Museum and 幻游世界. Children learn beyond the classroom through occasions such as Chinese New Year, Easter, Mother's Day, Father's Day, the Mid-Autumn Festival, National Day, sports day, birthday celebrations, cultural evenings and graduation ceremonies. The holiday camp held during the second part of the year-end school holidays is eagerly anticipated by the children. Activities include cooking, crafts, science experiments and food art.