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GEORGE TOWN: Convent Light Street (CLS), the oldest convent school in the country, will become an international private school serving the British study program.
The order of the Sisters of the Holy Child Jesus (SIJ), which runs the convent, said that while the new school will maintain its identity, it will function as a coeducational school.
In a statement today, SIJ said the new operators will implement the plan immediately in part of the school’s facilities as soon as government approvals are obtained.
The last group of CLS students will graduate from the national education system in 2024.
In 2017, SIJ had sought to take back the convent, which teaches both primary and secondary levels, from the ministry of education. This led to speculation that the school could be permanently closed amid opposition from the state government and a strong body of alumni.
The Sisters later said that they had no plans to close the school, but wanted to exclude themselves from the national system due to low enrollment and rising costs in maintaining a heritage building. The government granted SIJ’s request in 2018.
SIJ said it has appointed ACE Edventure, which was founded by former school students Anne Tham and Melinda Lim, to lead the new school in collaboration with the Sisters.
“Our mission is to provide a well-rounded education for children, regardless of race or creed.
“The Sisters had been actively meeting with several renowned school operators over the past year to identify one with similar aspirations and affinities.
“They found ACE Edventure a good fit. They can provide affordable learning that is dynamic, progressive, and relevant. Most importantly, they are willing to uphold the spirit of SIJ convent schools, which emphasizes character building, ”the statement added.
SIJ said the international school will offer classes from Year 1 to Year 10 leading to the International General Certificate of Secondary Education with an entrepreneurial component.
The IJ Sisters from Paris came to Malaysia in 1852 and founded Convent Light Street 167 years ago. It is one of the oldest girls’ schools in Southeast Asia.
SIJ also opened the Saint Maur Convent in Pulau Tikus, later renamed Convent Pulau Tikus (CPT), in 1922.
News of the closure of CLS and CPT was first known in 2017. At the time, the Sisters said they had no plans to rebuild or sell the land, but would continue to use it for educational purposes.
CLS was nationalized in 1971 and CPT in 2005, with its operations controlled by the Ministry of Education. Both schools stopped accepting students in 2018, with the last group of students graduating in 2024.
CLS started on Church Street, next to the original Church of the Assumption. As the number of students grew, the school bought the home of the first British settler in Penang, Francis Light, on Light Street.
Government House and its surrounding 2.8ha across North Beach have been the home of CLS since 1859. It even became a top boarding school for children from prominent families and orphans alike.
