GOING TO ENGLISH SCHOOL

Father's most important decision

I spent 2 years in Poi Chai Pri School. I topped the class and with the good results, my father went to Sembawang Primary School to appeal for acceptance into this English school. Looking at my report card, I remembered this fat, stern and arrogant principal offered me to repeat primary 2 again. My father was so delighted that he readily accepted it without hesitation. My father couldn't communicate in English, so he asked a friend’s daughter to translate. This girl also took care of me in my first few weeks in school. I did not see her again after she left this school.

Sembawang Primary School

The school was about 2 km away from my house. It was a 20 minute walk to the bus stop followed by 5 cents bus rides which normally takes up to 10 minutes. There school had two blocks of single storey classrooms. The school functioned with 2 sessions. Pri 1, 3 & 5 in the afternoon, and the rest in the morning. It had a tuck shop and a big football field. Beyond the football field was Sembawang Air Base operated by RAF. Primarily it was a helicopters base. School uniform was white shirt and blue trousers. Strangely no school badge was required.

Pri 2 (1962) 4th from Left, Middle Row

Performed well in school

Transiting from Chinese to English school wasn’t too much of a problem for me. As I had to repeat pri 2, it was rather easy going. In the first semester, I was 3rd in class. By the end of year, I came up 1st in class. Thereafter, year after year, I was top in class, top in standard and at the end of the year I remembered going up the rostrum during school assembly to receive my book prizes. However, during my primary six final examinations, I was eventually toppled by my persistent and determined challenger. His name is Tamilselvam Muthu. Definitely hard work and determination paid off for him. This reminded me of the fable, "Tortoise and the Hare".

Primary school was really a breeze. There were hardly any homework and revision. I was able to absorb everything in the classroom. I spent most of my time playing, be it in school or at home. I was also appointed a prefect in P6 with much reluctance because I didn’t want to be a ‘policeman’ as I didn’t want to be unpopular. It was not cool as many will avoid you. I hardly exercised my prefect’s power.



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