SJKC Sin Kang pupils may soon have an Olympic-size swimming pool right next to their school in Air Itam, Penang, if plans by the school’s Union to build a two-storey clubhouse and swimming pool materialise.
To raise funds for the ambitious project, the Sin Kang School Union will organise an “Alumni Homecoming Day — Reunited as Schoolmates, Reconnected Through Sin Kang” at the school hall on Oct 31 at 7.30pm. The celebration will also mark the 120th anniversary of the school and the 107th anniversary of the school Union.
Speaking at a press conference at SJKC Sin Kang today, Sin Kang alumnus and Sim Leisure Group founder and executive chairman Datuk Sim Choo Kheng called on the estimated 5,000 Sin Kang alumni to reconnect with their alma mater and pool their collective strengths and resources to help transform Sin Kang into a model primary school for Malaysia.
“The swimming pool and other facilities will cost an estimated RM2 million. When it is ready, we want to host competitions for schools in Air Itam,” said Sim, who is the organising chairman of the Alumni Homecoming Day.
Sim, the creator of Escape Theme Park in Teluk Bahang, envisions Sin Kang becoming the first school in the country to have 100 per cent of its pupils able to swim and cycle.
“We want to be a model school for other schools to follow. Did you know that 70% of Malaysians cannot swim?”
In April this year, he donated 400 bicycles to the school, allowing pupils to learn how to cycle on campus. Before the donation, only 20 per cent of the pupils knew how to ride a bicycle. Within a month, the figure had risen to 80 per cent.
Now, all 310 pupils will be encouraged to take up swimming, using outside facilities until the proposed pool is completed. The first cohort of 136 pupils underwent swimming lessons at the Setia SPICE Aquatic Centre last week.
“Primary education represents one of the most important stages in a child’s development. Children are like sponges, absorbing everything you give them. Whether they develop good or bad habits, it all comes from this period. That’s why it is very important.
“One of the most important parts of life is learning habits. This is where children must be inquisitive. We must cultivate their learning habits so that they continue learning throughout their lives.”
Besides cycling and swimming, Sim plans to organise various other camps, including road safety, integrity and cooking camps.
His Bulgarian wife, Datin Silviya Georgieva, is also a strong supporter of Sin Kang, after being touched by a graduation ceremony she attended at the school.
“The most important thing for the pupils is that they must look forward to coming to school, and everybody should be appreciated for their own skills. After leaving school, they must be happy with their future jobs,” she said.
The land on which the school currently stands belongs to Leong San Tong Khoo Kongsi and will be partitioned to make way for the proposed clubhouse and swimming pool.
Khoo Kongsi president Khoo Boo Yeang announced at the press conference that the organisation will match, dollar for dollar, whatever amount the school Union raises through its donation drive.
“Just like what Tan Sri Loh Boon Siew did for Lam Wah Ee Hospital, Khoo Kongsi will match dollar for dollar whatever amount is collected for the Sin Kang clubhouse and swimming pool,” said Khoo, who is also the chairman of the Sin Kang Board of Governors.
He added that Sunshine Central has graciously allowed Sin Kang pupils to use the hotel’s swimming pool free of charge.
Sin Kang Union chairman Khoo Lay Har expressed her gratitude to Boo Yeang for the dollar-for-dollar matching contribution.
“The school’s 120th anniversary is both a time for reflection and a new beginning. Sin Kang has produced many successful people in various fields. Its achievements were built by generations of educators, alumni and members of the community, and today’s alumni should also consider what they can leave behind for the next generation of Sin Kang students,” said Lay Har, whose father, Eng San, was Sin Kang’s first post-war headmaster and led the school for nearly three decades, from 1954 to 1983.
Sin Kang School Union honorary secretary Angel Ooi Bee Khee said what made the initiatives even more encouraging was that pupils were able to learn cycling and swimming and participate in various educational experiences through sponsored programmes, without adding to the financial burden on their parents.
She said this demonstrated what could be achieved when the school, alumni and community resources came together, creating more opportunities for children to learn beyond the classroom and develop practical skills that would stay with them for life.
“We are inviting our alumni home not only to revisit the school and reconnect with old friends, but more importantly, to come together and explore how we can contribute to the school’s future and create more opportunities for the next generation of Sin Kang students,” she said.
Alumni and members of the public interested in the Alumni Homecoming Day can contact Ooi at 012-492 1707.
Story by K.H. Ong
Pix by K.H. Ong and courtesy of Sin Kang School Union