Sekolah Tuanku Abdul Rahman


Sekolah Tuanku Abdul Rahman is a premier, all-boys fully residential school in Malaysia funded by the Government of Malaysia. Named after the first Yang di-Pertuan Agong of the Federation of Malaya, Almarhum Seri Paduka Baginda Tuanku Abdul Rahman ibni Almarhum Tuanku Muhammad, it is located in Ipoh, Perak. The school started at an army camp in Baeza Avenue. Formerly known as Malay Secondary School, the school was built by the Malayan government in 1957. In 2011,the school was awarded with the Sekolah Berprestasi Tinggi or High Performance School title, a title awarded to schools in Malaysia that have met stringent criteria including academic achievement, strength of alumni, international recognition, network and linkages.

The beginning

In 1950s, a few hundred promising rural children who had completed their Malay primary level education, and their placement in a few selected schools in Ipoh, Pulau Pinang, Kuala Lipis, Kuala Lumpur and Johor Bharu were chosen to be the pioneer students of the first three Malay residential secondary schools for rural children. They were planned in Ipoh, Tg. Malim, and Melaka. These schools were later known as Sekolah Tuanku Abd Rahman, Ipoh; Sekolah Dato' Abdul Razak, Tg. Malim; and Sekolah Tun Fatimah, Melaka.
In 1957, 360 of these 13–15-year-old children were placed in five old wooden military barracks vacated by the Malay Regiments, at what was then known as Baeza Avenue, Ashby Road, Ipoh.
Initially, the military barracks; with twelve wooden classrooms, became the new students' school, known as the Malay Secondary School, Ipoh. Classrooms, sleeping quarters, dining hall etc. were all cramped in the barracks within barbed wire fences surrounding the 4-acre site. There was no space for the school to have a hall, or a playing computer.

History

The school started on 13 January 1957, with the admission of 200 of these children into Form One. In March, another 160 joined the school to join the Remove Class. A year in what was called “Remove Class” was deemed necessary for every intake of students at the start. The purpose was to equip the students with sufficient command of English language that would enable them to commence their secondary education with English as the medium of instruction. Hence around 60-70% of the time in Remove Class was devoted to the teaching and learning of English Language. The Remove Class ceased to exist when Bahasa Malaysia was made the sole medium of instruction in secondary schools in the country in the early 1970s.
Teaching was done by a group of 15 teachers led by En Hamdan b Sheikh Tahir as the first principal. Classes were conducted following the standard curriculum offered in the English medium secondary schools of the day. Associations such as the English and Malay Literary and Debating societies were set up A Boy Scout group, a Red Cross Society and a St. John Ambulance Association group were also formed. The lack of a school hall did not deter the boys from staging a school play for the town folks using another school hall at ACS Ipoh. The absence of a school field of their own did not prevent the boys from playing soccer, hockey and rugby two days a week on “borrowed” ground at the Anderson School new field. The tradition of having Annual School Sports Day was also started in the first year when on 12 July 1957, using the Anderson School field, the school held its first School Sports Day.

The official opening

On 14 May 1958, the name Malay Secondary School gave way to the name “STAR” after the school was officially opened and renamed “Sekolah Tuanku Abdul Rahman” Ipoh, by the first Prime Minister of Malaysia, Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra Al-Haj.
The hope and the aspiration the government placed on the school in helping the Malays were reflected by some of the words of the Yang Dipertuan Agong, the Prime Minister, and the Minister of Education in their messages commemorating the day:
Yang Dipertuan Agong, Istana Negara, Kuala Lumpur.
26 April 1958
Tunku Abdul Rahman, Prime Minister, Federation Of Malaya.
8 May 1958
Mohd Khir Johari, Minister of Education, Federation of Malaya.
10 May 1958
The opening and renaming of the school was symbolised by the Prime Minister unveiling a brass plaque with the inscription of the school name mounted on a granite boulder placed in the roundabout in front of the main school block. The ceremony was witnessed by the whole school in the presence of many dignitaries including the Deputy Prime Minister, YAB Dato Abd Razak Hussain, Federal Ministers and the Menteri Besar of Perak YAB En Ghazali Jawi. The occasion was celebrated with an exhibition of handiwork put up by the boys, a mass drill and a display by a military band, a soccer match between the young school team and the junior team of the Malay College Kuala Kangsar, and a variety concert.

1957-1960s

STAR was Perak state rugby champion for many years, culminating in winning the Mori Trophy in 1968. Many of the players went on to don state and national colours. The rugby's team battlecry of "Cobra tasha, Cobra tasha, shina shina STAR" is the embodiment of the school's spirit. In 2016, Cobratasha had become the Champion of Malaysia Super Six School Rugby. They are also one of the greatest rugby team among Malaysian schools.

Hockey

Anaconda is the STAR's hockey team. They had been one of the excellent and strongest hockey team among Sekolah Berasrama Penuh and Schools in Malaysia. They had been crowned as the champion in a lots of hockey tournaments between schools around Malaysia.

Debate

All- STAR Debating Union consists of two clubs which is Keluarga Debat Bahasa Melayu and English Debate Club And Society. They are one of the highly recognised Debating Team in Sekolah Berasrama Penuh. The English Debate Club And Society which is the English debating club of STAR Ipoh had joined and won a lot of national and international debate competitions. The Keluarga Debat Bahasa Melayu is the Malay debating club of STAR Ipoh had won in numerous competitions in Malaysia. The All-STAR Debating Union IS one of the most successful and excellent clubs in the school.

Events

STAR Old Boys Weekend
STAR Old Boys Weekend is an annual event organised by the school alumni which called as STAR Old Boys Association . During this event, all oldboys will come to this event to meet their batch mates and members during their study at the school. This event is held at the school.

Notable alumni

The alumni or old boys of the school are affiliated to STAROBA, the Sekolah Tuanku Abdul Rahman Old Boys’ Association. The society is involved in activities like Old Boys Weekend and other sporting events involving alumni of other schools. The current president of the association is Faizal Othman.
Notable alumni include: