It’s now St Paul’s Institution after ministry nod
Education Ministry approves request by SMK St Paul, in Seremban, to revert to original name.
The move was endorsed by the school’s board of governors and teachers, and supported by the Parent-Teachers Association (PTA), as well as the Old Paulian’s Association (OPA), The Star reported today.
Malaysian Federation of La Sallian Associations president Michael Simon said they were encouraging all 44 schools under the La Salle Brothers banner to do likewise.
The federation is an umbrella organisation of 19 La Salle Alumni Associations of the La Salle Christian Brothers Schools in Malaysia.
In April this year, SMK St John, founded in 1904 in Kuala Lumpur, also received the nod to revert its name to St John’s Institution, after making a special request to the Education Ministry.
“We believe SPI is the second school (after St John’s) and we fully support this,” Simon said, adding that all schools under the La Sallian banner should follow suit to bring back the ethos of these institutions.
According to ministry guidelines, schools can apply to revert to their old names, provided they have the consent of the school administration, the board of governors and the PTA.
St Paul’s PTA head A Devasagayam said parents were unanimous in their support for the name change.
The school’s principal Lucy Ratnam also said that two-thirds of the school staff have given the nod for the move.
She added that an application would be made for SK St Paul, which is the primary school, to undergo a name change.
The secondary school counts some prominent people among its alumni, including the late Malay scholar Dr Zainal Abidin Ahmad (better known as Za’aba), Singapore’s first Foreign Minister the late S Raja Ratnam, and Kuala Lumpur Archbishop Julian Leow Beng Kim, as well as sports legends Peter Van Huizen, Stephen Van Huizen and Gary Vernon Fidelis (hockey players and Olympians), and former national football coach Chow Kwai Lam, said the report.
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