The Opening Ceremony of Convent Green Lane New Block

Speech by Chief Minister Of Penang
The Opening Ceremony of Convent Green Lane New Block

18 Feb 2017

Ladies and gentlemen

A very good morning and thank you for inviting me to this opening ceremony of this new additional building costing RM2, 514, 628.39.

Mission schools have played an important role in the education system of Malaysia. When the Sisters first came to Malaya, they dedicated themselves to the education of young girls, to train them in the love of God and give them the knowledge necessary for young people of simple ranks.

The common feature of all Convent schools is that there is no distinction nor discrimination in terms of race, religion or social class.

Give us your lost, least and last and we will train them to be productive citizens with moral fibre and upstanding integrity as the rallying cry of these mission schools.

The British Government in the 19th century accepted the Convent schools as part of the education system and called them the grant-in-aid schools. This meant that all the teachers’ salaries were paid by the government and a certain grant per child was given each year. Missionaries were given a minimal allowance.

The Government Act of 1961, classified the missionary schools as fully assisted schools under the direct control of the Ministry of Education. The Act states that there would be a maximum consultation in the appointment of principals so that the special character of these schools were preserved. However, the appointment of the staff and admission of students come entirely under the control of the Education Department.

SMK Convent Green Lane is a well-known and popular school in Penang. Although small in size and only partially funded by the government, SMK Convent Green Lane has a strong track record of academic and co-curricular excellence. The school has always been the school of choice by many parents, even more so after attaining the status of Cluster School of Excellence in 2011.

As the years progressed, SMK Convent Green Lane was in need of a new building. It was one of the few schools left in the country still running two school sessions per day due to a lack of space. The new block was built to meet the challenges of the future and to provide a more conducive environment for the benefit of the students. This new building has allowed SMK Convent Green Lane to go single session in 2017 and this has indirectly helped ease the traffic congestion along Jalan Masjid Negeri in the evenings.

The Penang State Government appreciates the effort taken by the Building Committee and the IJ Sisters and acknowledges the role missionary schools play in the Education system in Penang. That’s why the State Government has always helped to sponsor needy development projects in all missionary schools. The State Government of Penang is proud to acknowledge SMK Convent Green Lane as a Cluster School of Excellence and has contributed a total of RM 526,000 towards the building of this new block.

My heartiest congratulations to the school on the opening of this new block and may SMK Convent Green Lane continue to excel and prosper.

Thank you.