The La Sallian Heritage

No, I'm not spinning a yarn and speak at length on the school's heritage. Rather, it's interesting to read an article in The Star Online by one Dr. Goh on the handing back of 'Saint' Schools to the La Salle Brothers.

Like many, I'm sure there's at least once the thought of what would happen when the last Brother Director leave. Speaking with fellow Saints, some voiced concern over how the school will be run. Will there be Charity Week? Would another day be set aside for Founder's Day?

Yes, being a sekolah bantuan modal means that we have to be able to depend solely on ourselves and boy, it'd be easy for all if it's sekolah bantuan penuh, innit? The article revolves around handing back the school to the Brothers to administer and how one could do that by going through some guys who can shake the Earth when they speak. Whilst engagement / dialog / discussion or whatever they're called is a good thing, and that one should not stop hoping, I don't think it's too much to say that that matter would be - at best - be tossed around before everyone quieten down.

After all, isn't it the government's aim to standardize and uniformize schools in the country, apart from national and vernacular schools? The most a minister can do, if it does eventually gets there, is to pay lip service to the matter and it'll be a matter of time before everyone forgets about it.

That said, and although somewhat cynical, I'm all for the lobbying and stuff and we'll see outcome. To sign off, the two paragraphs below from Dr Goh's article summarized the aim in mind, 300 hundred years ago, when the teaching order was founded by De La Salle.

I believe making St John’s and St Xavier’s fully-aided schools and mandating the La Salle Brothers and the respective boards of governors to administer them is the answer. Taking both schools private sounds great in theory but in practice, funds would have to be raised all the time. Fees have to be charged and revised upward regularly.

Those students who cannot pay would have to be barred from attending classes. The La Salle Brothers would not be comfortable with a fee-based regime. Their philosophy is to provide education to those who need it, not only to those who can pay for it.

I'm missing school, who wouldn't?