When heading on to our next stop, we had trouble locating the former Anglo-Chinese School as the site was under construction, which obstructed the frontal view of the block. However we still managed locate the area.
Anglo-Chinese School was founded by Reverend William Fitzjames Oldham, a Methodist missionary in Singapore, on 1 March 1886. He began by teaching classes in English and Chinese in a rented shophouse to 13 boys whom were sons of Chinese businessmen. This meant that they were sons of wealthy individuals, which indicates that the school was morally and financially supported by them as well as the community. As result, a year after its founding, the school’s enrollment increased to 104.
When Singapore was still under the colonial rule, the provision of education were not as well-progressed as its growing economy. The opportunities for education were limited, as the authorities did not see the provision of education as the government’s responsibility and did not provide funding. While there were some funding provided to English private schools, the Chinese and Malays were left to educate their own community. This is evident in the founding of ACS, given that Oldham only managed to establish the school with funds provided by his Chinese friends and from Colonial Secretary McCabe to begin teaching the small group of boys.
On top of all that, it is interesting to know that ACS was the first school in Singapore to have a flower named after it!
No comments:
Post a Comment