Foreword from Project Inspire - Christian Mission School Handbook

St. Xavier's Penang 1857

St. Xavier's Penang, 1940

St. Xavier's today.

The earliest christian mission schools in Malaysia were St.Thomas school in Kuching founded in 1848 and
st. Xavier’s Institution and Light street convent in Penang established in 1852. Since then more than four hundred christian mission schools have been established throughout the length and breadth of our country. Many have grown to be respected institutions of learning with deep and enviable traditions.
over the decades many generations of Malaysians can trace their crucial formative years to the classrooms, hallowed halls, and playing fields of these christian mission schools.
In an age when many thought it was unnecessary for girls to be educated, many girls’ schools were established by pioneering missionary educators to provide opportunities for girls to receive an education.

Princes and the scions of the rich and powerful as well as children of the very poor and marginalized of society - children of all creed and colour - have gone through the portals of our mission schools. They received an education that equipped them with knowledge and wisdom to face the challenges of ife and for leadership in a rapidly developing nation.

(Blogger comment : and a progressive development , we did experience as a nation in the early 60s and 70s)

The golden age of Christian Mission Schools in Malaysia was probably from the
1950s to the early 1970s.Since then, most of our mission schools have experienced a gradual process of degradation. Some schools of excellence which parents once strived to get their children into, have sadly become schools of last resort. What were the contributory factors which have cumulatively over the last 30 years brought about this tragic decline? Needless to say, this phenomenon coupled with the increasing loss of administrative control, has caused much anguish to the mission authorities who founded and still own these schools. Alumni members who treasure fond memories of their school days as well as the christian community at large lament the loss of character and excellence of their schools. Added to this loss is a pervasive sense of helplessness.

Against this backdrop, the Malayan christian schools’ council decided to embark
on Project Inspire. Project Inspire began with the question, “What is so unique or
special about christian mission schools? What do we mean when we speak fondly and proudly of the ethos and special character of mission schools?” Project Inspire represents an ambitious attempt to re-capture this ‘spirit’ of mission schools - the best practices in administration and management of relationships, the best practices in the implementation of the formal and informal curriculum and the contagious culture of discipline and grace, love and sacrifice that both strengthen the human spirit and set it free to learn and grow.

The primary purpose of Project Inspire is to bring together the
best practices of mission schools past and present in the form of user friendly reference materials and make them available to the relevant parties who are involved in mission schools. It is hoped that these materials will, with God’s help and the support of the community, help to breathe fresh life into our mission schools.

Project Inspire takes the form of three modular packages addressed to three of the key stakeholders, namely the Boards of Governors, principals or head teachers, the parents, and most important of all, the teachers who play a pivotal role with regard to the standard of excellence of a mission school. Each package consists of information, suggestions, examples of best practices in different situations, and other resource materials which will not only be helpful but inspirational to the various key stake- holders as they play their respective roles.

This major MCSC enterprise, envisaged to stretch over a period of three years, is driven by a small band of dedicated educators with input and help from many supportive contributors. MCSC wishes to thank everyone for the labour of love invested in the project. With God’s help, Project Inspire will succeed in fulfilling its purpose to help all involved in the education of children in our mission schools to serve with renewed vision and greater resolve.

YAP KOK KEONG
Chairman, Malayan Christian Schools’ Council
June 2011

http://methodisteducation.edu.my/resources/Inspire1_Handbook4thDraft.pdf