SMK BUKIT GOH : BRIEF HISTORY

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Location
SMK Bukit Goh is located in the village of Bukit Goh, a Federal Land Development Authority [ FELDA ] oil palm scheme. The village was officially opened on December 1, 1966; and welcomed its first settlers on March 1, 1970.

Bukit Goh is situated about 20km northwest of Kuantan, the largest town on the east coast of West Malaysia; and capital of the state of Pahang.

Click here to view a map of Malaysia

Click here to view a map of northeastern Pahang

Click here for a virtual tour of Bukit Goh

Early History
Sekolah Menengah [ Rendah ] Kebangsaan Bukit Goh first saw the light of day on Jan 7, 1974. Our school's pioneers were the late En Ibrahim b Osman [ Principal ], En Mohd. Azam b Abdullah [ teacher ]; and 36 form one* students.

*Click here to learn more about the Malaysian Schooling System

As we had, as yet, no school building to speak of; classes were held during the afternoon session in a classroom kindly loaned to us by Sekolah Rendah Kebangsaan Bukit Goh
[ Bukit Goh Primary School ].

Our Own Building
The site that had been earmarked for our school building lay just across the road from Sekolah Rendah Kebangsaan Bukit Goh. Earthworks commenced on May 15 1974.

With the earthworks complete, it was now time to start building.

Finally, four new buildings all to ourselves!

The school building was ready for occupation on October 13 1975. It was on this date that our 138 students [ 3 classes ] and five teachers moved into their spanking - new school.

1976 saw the number of classes increase to seven [ 234 students ], and teachers, eleven. This was also an historic year as our first batch of Form 3 students sat for the SRP exam, resulting in 65.1 % of them passing.

By 1977, the student population had grown to 338 [ 10 classes ] and the teaching staff to fifteen.

Official Opening
On Monday, July 18 1977, Sekolah Menengah Rendah Kebangsaan Bukit Goh was officially opened by the Deputy Education Minister of Malaysia, YB En Chan Siang Sun, JSM., JP., PJK.

The school's opening ceremony also served as a fitting climax to FELDA's 21st Anniversary celebrations, which had begun a day earlier; on July 17.

Preparations for the great day had started 3 months beforehand, with just about everyone pitching in to help.

It should be noted that the beautiful archway, which stood tall and proud until the mid - '80s,
was the handiwork of parents, teachers, students, and one man in particular : En Husin
[ a Kuantan Town Council worker ]. Gracias, En Husin.

Monday turned out to be a bright, sunny day; as everyone had hoped. YB Chan and his entourage entered the school compound to the beat of kompangs.

After inspecting the guard - of - honour, YB Chan was introduced to the members of the Organizing Committee; and SMRKBG teachers.

Then came the blessing and unveiling of the commemorative plaque, which concluded the opening ceremony. Click here to view a recent photo of the plaque.

What followed was our annual Speech Day ceremony, with 19 lucky students receiving their prizes from YB Chan himself. Click here to view a photo of YB Chan receiving a souvenir from the Principal, the late En Ibrahim b Osman.

As soon as the ceremony had ended, YB Chan graciously commemorated his visit to our humble school by planting a pine sapling beside the Living Skills block [ where the Landscape Project stands today ].

That pine sapling has grown into an adult, towering over the Living Skills block. It serves as a reminder of our past and a symbol of hope for the future. It also provides a shady resting place for students, and a good spot for teachers to park their cars.

YB Chan then visited the Art and Craft exhibition at the PESENI [ Art Society ] Room. The exhibition featured our students' best work, and YB Chan was quite impressed.

Next, he officially opened the Pestaria [ food and games stalls ] and enjoyed home - made cakes and tea in the Home Science Room.

For entertainment, SMRKBG students performed traditional Malay dances and held a Pencak Silat [ Malay art of self - defence ] demonstration.

YB Chan took his leave at 12:00pm, but it was by no means the end of the day's celebrations. Pestaria activities carried on merrily until 10:00pm that night, filling the air with the sound of joy and laughter.

Ah, the good old days .......

- Adapted from the article 'Pembukaan Rasmi Sekolah' in the 'Berilmu Bahagia' aMagazine [ First Edition, 1978 ] belonging to Pn Che Tom bt Omar

From SMRK to SMK
SMRK Bukit Goh ceased to be a lower [ Rendah ] secondary school in 1988, with the introduction of five form 4 classes [ 1 Science Stream class and 4 Arts Stream classes ] to cater to the needs of some 172 students who had passed the SRP examination.