E-mail from Dato' Alias Shamsuddin-15 August 2006
I was at Kirkby from 1952 to 1954.
Last weekend I
attended a get-together of ex Kirkbians organised by the 3rd batch ( 1953-55
). About 40 Kirkbians including those from the 1st to
the 5th attended. At an informal session, those who attended,
expressed concern that Kirkby will completely
be forgotten by year 2025 as the last batch of Kirkby
students would be around 85 years old the -surely too old to attend let
alone organise a get-together. We all appreciate the
move to remember Kirkby
by naming a hall at Teachers College in Bukit Mertajam
Kirkby Hall.
I put foreward a suggestion that it is time a book on
The Malayan Teachers College be written incorporating aspects among
others the establishment of the College, programmes
and curriculum, co-curricula activities of the students, teacher training programmes in Malaya just before and after the establishment
of Kirkby, Kirkby graduates’
contributions to educational and social developments in Malaya etc.
Hundreds of
articles which appeared in Panduan and souvenier programmes produced in
conjunction with various Reunions have been written on Kirkby
by Kirkby lecturers and Kirkby
students These writings are of interest mainly
to those who have been in Kirkby. What I have in mind
is a book, a product of comprehensive research, which will be of interest
not only to Kirkbians but also to the general
readers, educationists both in
I am of the
opinion that such work be undertaken by someone who is not an ex- Kirkbian.
I am aware that
this would be an expensive project and off hand I would say we would need
funds at least RM100,000/- At that
get-together I suggested that if we could get 50 Kirkbians
out of some 1300 who would be willing to donate RM1000/ each, we would be on
our way to realizing something that all Kirkbians
will be proud of. I reckon the book
should be sold at not less than RM100/- per copy.
I am writing to
you for your comments.
With best wishes,
Yours sincerely,
Dato' Alias Shamsuddin