From GES to SAHC

There is no school we swear
That the College can compare
If you search the whole world
over you will know !
)0(

~SAHC-Present day~

FROM GES MAGAZINE - 1934
"I say man. That people should speak Malay when their whole intent and purpose is to learn English sound ridiculous; but Malay boys still persist in speaking their mother tongue giving the weak reason that they are Malay boys and ought to speak Malay.Because of this strange idea of theirs they appear on the field in the evening in "Sarungs" (rolled-up) and grand "Bajus", or sometime coats and shirts, despising those who come out in white shirts and black shorts (the school uniform) for going againts the religion. Such people would be happier in the kampung.

Mohamed bin Iskandar

Sheikul Islam, Haji Wan Sulaiman

A Brief History of the
Sultan Abdul Hamid College

I am sure that every student of SAHC would look back to the years that they spent there with some degree of pride in having studied in one of the premier schools in Malaysia.

As a student of the College in the 70s, I was very much intrigued by the sense of history that the school epitomized - the colonial architecture, the huge columns that grace the corridoors and the old tall and majestic Rain trees. At that time however, I did not manage to really delve into its history- from a humble origin of a wooden structure in the early years of the 20th century to what is now a sprawling complex. Ah ! If only walls can talk !

Tall Oaks from little acorns grow

At the turn of the 20th century, the Kedah government decided to have it's own English school, following the heels of Penang and Perak which had their own English schools in the mid and later part of the 19th century. In 1908, the first "Sekolah Orang Putih" or Government English School (GES) was established in Alor Setar in a wooden structure located between the High Court Building and the Balai Nobat. The person chosen to head this school was one Mr. Mohamed Iskandar, a senior teacher of the Penang Free School.

During this formative period, the challenge was to attract the Malays to send their children to the school. Many Malay parents feared that the school would indoctrinate their children into the Christian faith and it was only after much persuasion on the part of the Headmaster and the assurance of the Chief Qadi, the SheikulIslam, Haji Wan Sulaiman, that enrollment increased. By the beginning of 1910, there were 50 pupils attending the school. The number swelled to 97 the following year. This was during the tenure of the third Headmaster, Mr. Ismail Merican, another scion of the Penang Free School. Due to lack of space in the building, classes were extended to the open air shades of the Angsana trees.

By mid 1911 the school grew too large for the building and as a result was moved to a rented private house in Jalan Penjara Lama besides the Police Station and in front of present day Post Office. Conditions in the new place were not much better and because of shortage of sitting facilities, many were forced to sit down on the floor. Despite the shortcomings, numbers grew. Due to the shortage of accommodation and trained staff, the highest standard at this time was Standard IV. The majority of the students opted to work after Standard IV while a few proceeded to Penang Free or joined the Malay College.

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